History Film / Hostel

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Josh]], who in the DevelopingDoomedCharacters part of the first film is presented as genuinely nice and likeable.

--> '''Beth''': Na zdrowie. [[note]]"Bless you" in English.[[/note]]

* PunchClockVillain: Most of the torturers are everyday people who pay a good amount of money to inflict suffering on others. Some of them have a HeelFaceTurn over learning the extents of that, while others fully embrace it.

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: The most scary part of the Elite Hunting group is that most of the torturers are [[PunchClockVillain perfectly normal people, who have a life and loved ones]]. Especially made clear during the auction scene, where some of the bidders are shown.

* InfantImmortality: Averted in the first film, when one of the Bubblegum Gang members is shot on-screen. Played straight in each of their subsequent appearances.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:The Dutch Businessman while being attacked by Paxton, to the point of pathetically begging for his life when he recognizes Paxton from his reflection.]]

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: The Amsterdam featured in the film's opening doesn't much resemble the actual Amsterdam. And the less said about the film's portrayal of Bratislava, the better.

* UnwillingSuspension: In the second movie, Lorna (played by Heather Matarazzo), is suspended upside down over what looks suspiciously like a bathtub. What follows is a recreation of the ElizabethBathory legend.

* MeaningfulName: As mentioned, the woman who bathes in Lorna's blood in the second film is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory Mrs. Bathory]].

* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: During Lorna's torture, Mrs. Bathory cuts off her gag just to hear the poor thing beg for her life before she [[BloodBath bathes in her blood.]]

** The old man cannibal in ''Hostel Part II''? That's Ruggero Deodato, director of ''Cannibal Holocaust''.

* AntiClimax: In the sequel, between [[spoiler: Beth simply [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney buying her freedom]] from the Elite Club]] and [[spoiler: her final scene only showing her killing Axelle and nothing more]], the movie seems to simply come to a grinding halt rather than end.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The opening of the film shows that Paxton is certainly a {{Jerkass}} with hardly any redeeming qualities. After almost escaping the facility, Paxton chooses to go back in to save a woman.

* ActionGirl: Beth in ''Part II'' is more badass than any previous protagonists by a fair margin -- [[spoiler:she gives Stuart, her torturer, a brutal GroinAttack with garden shears, joins the hunting club, and beheads the woman who tricked her and her friends into going to the hostel in the end. Oh, and she becomes one of the club members...i.e. the villains of the movie.]]

* ChainsawGood: [[spoiler: though in an amusing case of [[RealityEnsues Reality Ensuing]], it doesn't end well for the would be chainsaw wielder.]]

* DeathBySex: Averted. The only survivor of the first movie [[spoiler:is Paxton, possibly the horniest of the main characters, while Josh, who was quite reluctant about their...activities is killed slowly and painfully. It's not an aversion as it's part of Eli Roth's overall themes as a writer; IE in his horror films, the virgin always dies horribly while the slut/manwhore is usually the last man standing.]] Although, in the second film, the [[spoiler: only survivor is the sensible one who avoided hooking up with any guys. Then again, it may also be an inversion of BuryYourGays due to Beth's LesYay subtext with Axelle.]]

* GroinAttack: [[spoiler: Beth to Stuart]]. ''With garden shears''. With no discretion shot. Even the hardened killers working there recoil. Then she feeds his genitals to a guard dog.

* HoneyTrap: [[spoiler: Natalya, Svetlana and Valla. Axelle to an extent in that she flirts with Beth.]]

* HumanPincushion: In the third film, [[spoiler:Justin's]] death involves several arrows from a crossbow shot toward [[spoiler:his]] body.
* ImAHumanitarian: The old man briefly seen in the sequel. He slowly cuts away at [[spoiler: Miroslav]]'s leg, puts it on a plate, and happily eats away at a table in the background.

* MultipleEndings: The director's cut has a much darker and more ambiguous ending where [[spoiler: instead of killing the Dutch buisnessman, he kidnaps his daughter]], but perhaps through either ExecutiveMeddling or test-audience scoring, the other Rambo-style conclusion made it to theaters.

* PreMortemOneLiner
--> '''Beth''': Na zdrowie.

* TearOffYourFace: This is [[spoiler:Mike's]] fate in '''Hostel III'''.

* AxCrazy: The majority of the Elite Hunting clientele, none more triumphant than the American Businessman in the first film and eventually [[spoiler: Stuart]] in the sequel.
* TheBadGuyWins: Played straight in both films. [[spoiler: A few villains were killed but the organization in general continues and those running it continue to be millionaires from it. Did we mention the "heroine" of the second movie joins the organization at the end of the movie?]]

* DepravedBisexual: Mrs Bathory
* DepravedHomosexual: [[spoiler: The Dutch Businessman. Possibly Axelle who may be lesbian or at least bi or maybe using her sexuality to manipulate Beth and maybe depraved. Or maybe she's just ruthless)]]

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Kana]]

* FanDisservice: Well, obviously. One specific example, though, in Part II: The nice-looking Creator/HeatherMatarazzo isn't so nice looking when [[spoiler: hung upside down and bled to death]]. Also, [[spoiler: Stuart, having his genitals pried off with a pair of shears.]]

* {{Fingore}}: [[spoiler: Paxton]].
* FromBadToWorse: [[spoiler: Having half your hand cut off, escaping via dead body trolley, getting outside the hostel, going back ''in'' to save a girl and having to ''cut out her eyeball'', only for her to kill herself 10 minutes later]].

* {{Gorn}}: The only time this is not used is in the first 30 minutes of the first film.

* HellBentForLeather: In the third movie, [[spoiler: Justin]] gets tortured by a woman dressed in a leather cat suit. We have many close ups on her rear.
* HellHotel: well, yeah.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Stuart in Part II. Goes from client to game.]]
** Also, [[spoiler:Paxton's would-be killer in the first movie is killed by his own chainsaw/gun.]]
** In Part III, [[spoiler: the host of the Vegas death show, 'Wheel of Misfortune' release the protagonist from the torture chair, just before Carter was about to kill him as a TakeThat towards Carter. This causes a ripple effect resulting in him blowing the operation and him getting killed by the hands of Carter later.]]
* HoneyTrap: [[spoiler: Natalya, Svetlana and Valla. Axelle to an extent in that she flirts with Beth]]

** And he was played by [[Film/CannibalHolocaust Ruggero Deodato]]. See CastingGag above

* InfantImmortality: Averted in the first film, when one of the Bubblegum Gang members is shot onscreen. Played straight in each of their subsequent appearances.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Almost everyone involved in Elite Hunting. Notable examples being Sasha, Valla (the desk girl), Mrs Bathory and the Cannibal.]]

* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler: Sweet, naive Lorna.]]
* TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: [[spoiler: The Dutch Businessman, Stuart, various other clients.]]
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: [[spoiler: During Lorna's torture, Mrs. Bathory cuts off her gag just to hear the poor thing beg for her life before she [[BloodBath bathes in her blood.]]]]

* MeaningfulName: As mentioned, the woman who bathes in Lorna's blood in the second film is named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory Mrs Bathory]].
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Axelle.]]
** [[spoiler: Carter]] in the third movie.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Todd is overcome with guilt at his actions after accidentally pushing the buzzsaw into Whitney's face.]]
* NebulousEvilOrganisation: Elite Hunting.

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler: The American Client who Paxton runs into rants about how weary he has become after a while of sexual pleasure-seeking, before mentioning how being in the Elite Hunting Club is much more thrilling. As such, Paxton and his friends have spent the entire first half of the movie pursuing sexual escapades, and had they let the thrill get to their heads, [[FridgeHorror it wouldn't be unlikely that they would join the club to torture people for kicks after growing tired of sex themselves.]]]]
* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: Anyone who escapes from Elite Hunting, Axelle.]]
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: The Dutch Businessman]] despite being a cold-hearted murderer and torturer appears to be a very devoted father.

* RevengeByProxy: [[spoiler: Paxton kidnaps and possibly off-screen kills the Dutch businessman's daughter to avenge the deaths of Josh and Oli in the directors cut only.]]
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Subverted, since it was rather based on a completely un-substantiated internet rumor of Americans being snatched up and sold to torturous thrill-seekers in central and Eastern Europe, but never has any evidence been given to support it. It did touch on the widely-reported popular travel-scam of attractive local woman in central&eastern-european cities HoneyTrap ing young male tourists, but that often just leads to going to an old-town bar with elevator-only access and massively inflated bills, rather than seducing and then selling them off when inebriated to be tortured to death.

* SayingTooMuch: Stuart accidentally lets slip the fact that he knows Beth's name, despite the fact that she'd never given it. He [[HandWave Hand Waves]] her suspicions by claiming that he had overheard her friends talking.
* ScarsAreForever: And hands and eyes don't grow back. [[spoiler:This is presumably why Kana is DrivenToSuicide after looking at her [[EyeScream injuries]] in a mirror]].
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Beth's penultimate attempt to escape capture, [[spoiler: before she realizes exactly what the rules are.]]
* SeveredHeadSports: The second film ends with [[spoiler: a group of juvenile delinquents playing soccer with the head of the woman that betrayed the protagonist and her friends to an organization of serial killers.]]

* TheSyndicate: Elite Hunting.
* TheVamp: Natalya and Svetlana

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:The Dutch Businessman while being attacked by Paxton, to the point of pathetically begging for his life when he recognizes Paxton from his reflection]]

-->[[spoiler:'''Paxton:''' ''Slices his neck'']]

* VomitIndiscretionShot and VomitDiscretionShot

* BlackAndGrayMorality: The three protagonists in the first movie are homophobic and impulsive sex addicts who become targets of deranged sadists who pay thousands of dollars solely to torture victims to death. It's obvious what the lesser of the two evils are here.

* ShoutOut: When the men in part I arrive at the hostel, ''Film/PulpFiction'' is playing on the television in the lobby. The Hostel movies were produced by Quentin Tarantino, who directed Pulp Fiction. Also, [[spoiler:Paxton seeing Natalya, Svetlana, and Alexi in the road - and running them over with his car - references Butch running over Marcellus Wallace.]]
** The use of Willow's Song from ''Film/TheWickerMan'' is also an ominous bit of foreshadowing.

* MadnessMantra: I'm not that guy... I'm not that guy... I'm not that guy...]]

** In the original, Paxton would be good as dead if not for [[spoiler: his torturer cutting off his handcuffs by mistake and [[EpicFail slipping and dropping his chainsaw onto himself]].]]