Hostel: Part III (2011)

Directed by: Scott Spiegel | 84 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Kip Pardue, Brian Hallisay, John Hensley, Sarah Habel, Chris Coy, Skyler Stone, Thomas Kretschmann, Zulay Henao, Nickola Shreli, Derrick Carr, Frank Alvarez, Evelina Oboza, Kelly Thiebaud, Tim Holmes, Barry Livingston, Danny Jacobs, Mike Eshaq, Rich Ronat, Don Richard, Joe Virzi, Michael Knight, Sam Brice, Alicia Vela-Bailey, Jeanette Manderachia, Cassie Keller, Gordon Michaels

It took a while, but the second sequel to Eli Roth’s ‘Hostel’ is a fact. This time not directed by the master himself, but outsourced to direct-to-video specialist Scott Spiegel. That’s not the only change the franchise has undergone. Instead of an obscure Eastern Bloc country, ‘Hostel: Part III’ takes place in…Las Vegas!

Groom-to-be Scot (Brian Hallisay) is lured to Las Vegas under false pretenses by his comrade Carter (Kip Pardue). Once there, Scot’s bachelorette party degenerates into a big orgy. Together with two mates, the friends go on until late into the night. When they are suddenly approached by two sexy ladies, the group decides to go with them. The women know ‘a kinky club’ where there is a lot to experience. Once at the remote club, the group discovers that the ladies haven’t said a word too much. The nightclub is overflowing with strippers, willing women and a generous supply of drinks. The next day it turns out that one of the friends – who left with a girl – has not arrived at his hotel room. The survivors decide to go look for him. It marks the beginning of the nightmare called ‘Hostel: Part III’.

‘Hostel: Part III’ has to do with a less generous budget and you can see that right away. The death scenes never look as raw and realistic as in previous parts. In addition, the sets are not as ominous and the actors are not as strong as was the case in the predecessors. Now, the ‘Hostel’ franchise isn’t a series that requires you to be a character actor, but the cast of the first and second installments had struck a good balance between comedy and seriousness. As moronic as the actions of the protagonists were, you could empathize with their train of thought. In ‘Hostel: Part III’ caricatures – these are characters and not people – are presented. Main character Scot lacks charisma.

Pardue is the trump card of the film. He knows in which genre he operates and portrays his character with flair. Unfortunately, he’s just about the only actor to impress in this film. Thomas Kretschmann appears in an entertaining role, but his presence is unfortunately short-lived. The environment – ​​Las Vegas – unfortunately does not cooperate to make the film more exciting. In the previous parts, the protagonists ended up in unknown territory. They were isolated from their beloved America. The population barely spoke English and it seemed that everyone was turning against the Americans. Las Vegas is familiar territory (if only because of the countless films in which the city played a (main) role) and appeals less to the imagination.

In terms of ‘gore’, ‘Hostel: Part III’ also disappoints. The special effects are not very impressive and frequent. When you think of ‘Hostel’ you think of horrifying scenes and a grotesque finale. Part three breaks with this tradition. It’s a shame this didn’t become a Roth film…