Hostel: Part III Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: The Elite Hunting Club is back with a setup in Las Vegas ready to lure in more unsuspecting tourists.

Review: I usually don't review random entries in a franchise unless I catch a sequel but have no intention of watching the other entries any time in the foreseeable future. Such was the case with "Hostel: Part III," and you know what, this may come as a surprise, but this is probably the best film in the franchise. Well, it's at least as good or better than the first one. I could not stand the idiocy of the second movie; it was like, okay, the first story worked with guys so let's change nothing except swap the genders! Nice try. Unexpectedly, this film works hard to throw the audience for a loop and it toys with their expectations effectively. Even I thought, surely, a direct to DVD part three will be the same old shit in a different location. Thankfully they approached things much differently to the point I wonder if this started out as a different script and was shoehorned into being a "Hostel" movie at some point? The story is nothing we haven't seen before with a group of four young guys going to Vegas for the main guy, Scott's, bachelor party. Think of it as the slasher version of "The Hangover." Well, before this, you think the film begins like the first two, with some lost tourist at a European hostel about to get killed, but in actuality, the American is the one working with the Elite Hunting Club capturing a touring Ukrainian couple. Hmm, can't say I blame him as Ukrainian women are extremely beautiful. It's really funny because the guy working for the EHC, Travis, keeps checking out the girl, Anka, and instead of the guy, Victor, getting mad he's all understanding. The way they play with your expectation of Victor, trying to make him look suspicious, he actually comes off as like the most laid back guy alive. Anyway, Scott and his crew, Mike, Justin, and Carter, run into two hot chicks that entice them to go to a rare party on the outskirts of the city. Even during the taxi ride, the driver appears to be beyond shady, but of course this all turns out to be more of a ruse by the writers. The girls are, in fact, escorts hired by Carter, the party is real, and the taxi driver turns out to be quite the upstanding citizen. The reason why screwing with the audience's mentality works so well is because we don't know what will come next which is hard to do by the third entry of a franchise that's whole premise is nothing but rich people paying to murder tourists. Eventually, people do start to get killed by the EHC, but we are unsure of how or why they are being chosen since Mike and one of the escorts both get taken. The EHC has also been restructured this time around to reflect the Vegas feel. For one, the victims are given cosplay-esque clothing to enhance the mood which was a nice touch. Likewise, the kills are not personalized but viewed by other members of the EHC who place various bets regarding the kills; for example, when Justin dies by some weird archer, they place bets on how many arrows he can take before dying. Furthermore, the kills have a weirder vibe to them, even if not entirely original, than the mere torturing the other two films provided. Toward the end, everyone who is left gets captured when it is revealed Carter is, in fact, a member of the EHC. This was a great twist that pulls a lot of the story together that you might have overlooked from the start. You learn that Carter had once dated Scott's fiance and, out of jealousy, has been sabotaging their relationship for awhile hoping to get back with her. At the same time, Carter is a rich bitch who is running out of things to keep his life interesting so he joined the EHC and to up the ante by killing his best friend. Carter further explains that he hadn't intended their friends to get killed so it really emphasizes how personal it was meant to be. As an added bonus, right when Scott is about to die and, Carter is trying to pander to the crowd, the EHC decides to free Scott to increase to entertainment value of the show. While all of this happening, you've got Victor going on a vengeful rampage, people dying, the police on their way, and the EHC activating the infamously comical self-destruct button. When the dust has settled, it appears Carter was the only one to make it out alive as he attempts to continue his plan to comfort Scott's fiance. The ending did suck because it was beyond predictable as Scott is very much alive and he and the fiance plan to torture Carter to death. Well, despite the lackluster ending, this was a tremendous improvement over part two. All the changes were definitely for the better and helped to keep the tired concept driving this franchise more refreshing. Obviously I loved the twists and turns the most since the direction the story took was unconventional and the writers understood this. It's not perfect as many ideas felt rushed, the production value was noticeably cheaper, and, given how unpredictable the film had been, the ending is a huge letdown. If you're a fan of the franchise you should enjoy this one considerably, and you might even like this one if you hate this franchise.

Notable Moment: When you realize that Carter is the one that set everything up as a scheme to simply kill Scott. Pretty messed up.

Final Rating: 6.5/10