Although I spent much of the second half staring into my lap while listening to a cacophony of screams and shop tools, I processed enough of the first to appreciate Roth's sinister evocation of a Slovakian provincial town.
– Jan Stuart,
Newsday,
13 Jan 2006
rotten:
All this in a 94-minute movie that takes 45 minutes getting started!
– Jack Mathews,
New York Daily News,
14 Jan 2006
rotten:
Sadly, as with [director Eli] Roth's promising but flawed debut feature, its central conceit is more compelling than what ended up on screen.
– Nigel Floyd,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
Hostel's merely unpleasant and more than a little dumb.
– Scott Tobias,
AV Club,
27 Nov 2006
fresh:
Whether or not this kind of horror movie is your cup of tea, you have to at least admire Roth for the daring and creativity with which he illustrates that concept.