Hostel: Part III and Painting Sin City Red: A Movie Review

Director: Scott Spiegel.

Writers: Michael D. Weiss and Eli Roth.

Hostel: Part III is the latest in a franchise that was labelled "torture porn," by one reviewer. There is less torture in this second sequel and more prostitutes, double-dealings and betting on murder instead. To release on DVD December 27th, Hostel: Part III is a fun time spent in Las Vegas with four friends out to have fun. Well, one friend is out for murder, but three out of four searching for good times is not bad. A tense thriller, this latest picture will satisfy most horror fans while those searching for "torture porn" will be left saying: "where is the bloody beef?"

Mike (Skyler Stone), Justin (John Hensley), Carter (Kip Pardue), and Scott (Brian Hallisay) meet up in Las Vegas after giving their wives or significant others the slip. Soon, they meet two call-girls, Nicki (Zulay Henao) and Kendra (Sarah Habel), for some more erotic fun at a local underground night club. Several red herrings introduced by the filmmakers will misdirect viewers as to when the mayhem begins. This gives these four fellas plenty of time to go missing from a booze filled bender. Some will wake from their hangovers in handcuffs. Others will live awhile longer but the events are leading to a confrontation between Scott, the protagonist, and the Elite Hunting Club. This club specializes in murder and in Las Vegas it is all about betting on who lasts longest.

The characters receive some attention with central character Scott given the most screen time. He is the bachelor and soon to be married while his wife worries at home. Carter is duplicitous and his true nature is revealed late in the film. The prostitute Kendra is a minor character and most of her lines involve crying in a cage. Justin is one of the partiers and his crippled leg almost gets him out of one torturous night. However, the Elite Hunting Club leaves no one behind with Flemming (Thomas Ketschmann) taking the risks to secure more victims. Flemming runs the club in Las Vegas and he is rightfully worried that taking "regular folks" will lead to discovery.

Hostel: Part III is led by Scott Spiegel. Spiegel is no stranger to horror with From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money in his repertoire. Spiegel offers some interesting camera techniques with mirrors upsetting the usual vertical image with upside down shots. Emphasis is also placed on action on the ground level. Roaches get some screentime and their appearance is explained near the end of the film. Usually the camera is being used to misdirect the audience as to what is happening to characters or is going to happen to them. This use of misdirection was one of the more positive elements in this picture.

Short in run time, Hostel: Part III only clocks in at eighty-eight minutes and the finale, while unbelievable, offers one final scene of gore. Mulcher to the face anyone? Overall, this is a well acted film with some intrigue that changes the series dramatically. There are no more Eastern European locales. As well, Eli Roth is no longer helming this series and the gore has been reduced somewhat. This reviewer was entertained by this picture and horror fans who enjoy low budget but quality entries can check this one out in theatres December 27th through a limited theatrical release. Finally, expect boys to be boys in Las Vegas and expect Spiegel to lead you down the wrong path once or twice early in the film.

Overall: 7 out of 10 (enjoyable, good acting, interesting scenarios, a good power shift late in the film, some gore - minimal compared to previous films).

A fan page for the film can be found here:

Hostel: Part III at Facebook

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