Hotel (2004)

October Challenge Day 28

Despite its unfortunate unoriginal name, this one is original. Let's talk about the Austrian chiller:

Hotel

We Have:

Menacing drapes!

Squeaky wood floors!

An uncomfortably small indoor pool!

A witch?! A ghost?! A possession?! Who KNOWS

This is the story of a young woman who is hired to live and work at a remote hotel in the depths of the Austrian woods. 

AUSTRIAN WOODS!

The hotel she is hired to work at is .....gross..... I've seen some reviewers say it reminds them of the hotel from The Shining but I disagree. Very much disagree. While the hotel is very, very creepy, it's its own awkward place. 

The people she works with are hard, cold, blunt, mean, and guarded. No one is telling her about the woman she replaced because that young woman disappeared without a trace...

Was it the witch in the cave who took her?!?!?! Was it the aggressive young men who linger at the dance club in town??!?!

This might be a cultural thing but there is an eye appointment in this film and it is the strangest eye doctor appointment I have ever seen. No wait! The dance club scenes - those are the strangest! What was going on in Austria in early 2000s with your eye doctors and dance clubs? Threw me for a loop.

Our ghostly film here is not for everyone. It's a SLOW BURN and you have to pay attention to every second. I'm sure I'll notice even more things on a second, third, fourth, viewing - which it is deserving of. 

There are no jump scares or creatures, just a *fear* lingering around every corner. I enjoyed it!

Best watched alone, just before going on a trip overseas or to a remote village. Pairs with a dark, dark, night - preferably in the woods. 

I watched this film on Kanopy (support your local libraries!) or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this spine-chiller.