Tags:
Film: Hostel: Part III
Year: 2011
Director: Scott Spiegel
Writer: Michael D. Weiss
Starring: Kip Pardue, Brian Hallisay and John Hensley
Review:
This film begins with a man getting a room key in a hostel. He goes to his room to find a woman ironing and an angry man coming from the bathroom. The one who enters is American; he is played by Chris Coy. The couple is played by Evelina Turen and Nickola Shreli. They are both from the Ukraine. Shreli offers Coy a drink of vodka and we see that he has a knife in his bag. Apparently the couple is supposed to have already left, but they are running late. Coy instead offers them beer. They both take one and drink. Turen passes out in the bathroom and Shreli fights it, but finally passes out too. People come in to collect this couple. We see that Coy has a bloodhound tattoo. We see the building they are kept in and Turen is taken away by two men. Shreli yells for them to take him instead.
We then cut to a couple kissing on a porch. He is played by Brian Hallisay and the woman by Kelly Thiebaud. We learn that they are engaged and Hallisay is getting ready to leave for his bachelor party. His best friend shows up and collects him, played by Kip Pardue. In the car we realize that they aren’t going Palm Springs like what was told to Thiebaud. Pardue has made other plans to go to Las Vegas.
They meet up with two of their friends, played by John Hensley and Skyler Stone. Hensley has a bad leg and needs to walk with a crutch. Stone is unhappily married; he’s ready to get drunk and wants to cheat on his wife.
As they are partying, we see two girls who are watching them. They are played by Sarah Habel and Zulay Henao. Pardue calls them over and Hallisay is not excited. Habel takes a liking to him immediately and it is decided that they will go party together.
They take a creepy cab ride to a place that is off the strip. It looks shady and they’re concerned. They go inside. While there, Hallisay’s fiancé calls him and she asks if she should be concerned. He calms her down and tells her not to be. He is then hooded and strapped to a chair. A tube is put into his mouth with a liquid poured down it. It turns out that this as all a set-up. Pardue has paid two escorts, Habel and Henao. He is behind this bachelor party they are at.
Hallisay and Habel go to a room together and she comes on to him. He stops her and we learn that he cheated on his fiancé last year and vowed he would not do it again. Hallisay isn’t feeling well when Stone comes into his room with Henao. He goes out to get some air, but can’t get back inside. The cab driver is still out there and he gets out of his cab. The next morning, we see a SUV approaching the building where the Elite Hunters Club meets.
Hallisay wakes up in his hotel room with Hensley and Pardue, but they cannot find Stone. They try to get a hold of him, but he has his phone off. We then see that he is the one that was brought to the building. This group is different from the previous films. These one make bets on different props that happen to those that are brought in and tortured. We see that Coy is there and he works with the man that runs it, Thomas Kretschmann. Stone is brought into the main room.
The rest of his friends go about looking for Stone. Hensley has a card for Henao and they use it to track her down. They run into Habel and a man that lives in the same trailer park. We then learn that Habel and Henao weren’t in on it, as Henao is missing as well. We then see that she is held captive.
Will the friends learn the truth before it is too late? Will they get out of Vegas alive? How did they stumble upon this group? Shreli is still alive through all of this. Will he make it out as well?
I have seen all of the films from this series and I can say that they all do something different, while keeping the same basic premise. This doesn’t hurt the film; I just wanted to point this out. Now with that out of the way, there are some things I really like about this film. I thought the concept of something like this in Vegas where rich people are betting on things like this is great. I thought the acting was okay. The twist wasn’t horrible. The violence and gore was pretty good as well. There is also some nudity, but I believe that is to be expected from this series. I also felt that Habel, Henao and Thiebaud were absolutely gorgeous too.
My biggest issue with this film is the twist itself. I liked it for the most part, but I hated the reasoning behind it. I feel like it is a little too farfetched and Pardue would be the worst human being on the planet. Could it happen? Most definitely, but I just wanted to point that out. I do like that this film pulls in the mystery of how they get caught up in it and they keep point out obvious things to try to throw you off. I will admit that I didn’t see the twist coming. This film was a little bit boring though, which is surprising for this series.
All in all, I would say that this film isn’t bad. This one is the worst in the series, but this is also the first one that Eli Roth did not really work with directly. The think the acting is okay as well as the violence and gore. The twist is farfetched, but it isn’t bad. The concept is really good; it just doesn’t get fleshed out enough for me. I would say if like the previous two, give it a viewing. Be warned that it maybe too gory for most viewers, but I’d say this one is the tamest in that category as well. I would say if you like these types of horror films to give it a viewing, but if you are looking for a really good one, then avoid this one.
My Rating: 5 out of 10