The stuffy provincial atmosphere reminds me of "Requiem" or "Dogville", but the lighting is more like "2046" or "The Matrix". Irene (Franziska Weisz) is the new girl at the movie's eponymous hotel. She isn't the paranoid type, but soon feels slightly claustrophobic nevertheless. In fact, neither Irene nor the camera get to leave the hotel until 20 minutes into the movie. Although her colleagues' disposition ranges from grumpy to openly hostile, she can't be sure she'd be better off outside. We are led to believe the girl Irene is replacing went out and never came back. For there's a witch lurking in the forest. Or something. No matter where Irene goes, there are curtains everywhere to conceal the truth. The fact that there is no music other than from the creaky speaker in the elevator (and Irene's noisy next-door neighbors) adds to the eerie mood. There are obvious overtones of "Lost Highway", especially when Irene discovers she looks almost exactly like the missing girl. Of course, there is no living up to this promise. "Hotel" is probably a little too stylish for its own good, but it's a real pleasure to look at and leaves you feeling agreeably spooked.
24 Reviews
A dull hotel
thecatcanwait3 January 2012
Boring Austrian hotel requires boring receptionist to replace previous receptionist (probably also boring) who has disappeared, or been disappeared, into surrounding dark spooky forest; possibly gobbled up in the cave. By our Lady of the Woods. As boredom material.
Actually, I might have assumed too much there – imagined too much drama, or too much haunty horror. Which is no doubt what the director would like me to do: see all the strange goings on she's – deliberately – not been showing. And also reading into the narrative all the story she's not been developing, or even really providing. The new receptionist Irene never says very much; and the other characters don't say much to her either. Is something "funny" going to happen to her? Hopefully yes – otherwise watching this film will have felt like a waste of time.
Come the end something funny does happen to her. But it still felt like a waste of time. There's been too much concealed as opposed to revealed or released dramatic tension. The direction far too mutedly mannered. Far too withheld.
Actually, I might have assumed too much there – imagined too much drama, or too much haunty horror. Which is no doubt what the director would like me to do: see all the strange goings on she's – deliberately – not been showing. And also reading into the narrative all the story she's not been developing, or even really providing. The new receptionist Irene never says very much; and the other characters don't say much to her either. Is something "funny" going to happen to her? Hopefully yes – otherwise watching this film will have felt like a waste of time.
Come the end something funny does happen to her. But it still felt like a waste of time. There's been too much concealed as opposed to revealed or released dramatic tension. The direction far too mutedly mannered. Far too withheld.
Dark and interesting, also stylistically convincing
Horst_In_Translation5 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Hotel" is a German-language movie from 2004, so this one is already considerably older than a decade. It was written and directed by Jessica Hausner who is probably among Austria's most known filmmakers, maybe even top of the pile if we talk about females. This film received a pretty strong deal of awards recognition back then, for example also at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It is a really short movie as it gets barely to the 75-minute mark and this already includes the credits. In terms of the cast, lead actress Franziska Weisz is among Austria's most known while Birgit Minichmayr made it even bigger and is really well-known here in Germany too. This film is the story of a young woman and we find out about her first days as a hotel employee. It is all about the mystery really. It is a film that is really uncomfortable to watch, but this atmospheric take also makes it so efficient. The woman who worked there before Weisz' character disappeared without a trace apparently and there are other creepy aspects about the film. I personally enjoyed the mystery more than supernatural references about witches, but that is of course just personal take. These parts (i.e. the middle part of the film) is where the movie does the least perhaps. The beginning is much better and the ending is really nice too, especially the very final shot and sound. The apparent dislike from the other employees towards the central character also add a lot to the story as you never know what is wrong with these people and what may be the reason for the reactions. The lost chain scene is one of the very best the film has to offer. So yeah, as a whole I can understand why this film was received so well, maybe not necessarily by critics, but by audiences. A lot stays in the dark and hidden here and this is exactly the approach I like. There is a reason why Blair Witch Project is my favorite horror film of all times. Sure this one here is not anywhere near that level or best of the year material, but it is worth checking out fur sure. It is also not really an actors' movie, but this is nothing new about horror films and frequently the case there. of course this doesn't mean that the actors were weak or anything. they are as good as the rest about it all. I suggest you watch it. Thumbs up.
minimalistic suspense story
e-labree28 January 2005
I saw "HOTEL" at the International Rotterdam Film Festival 2005. It's a minimalistic suspense story that is all about atmosphere and concealed fear. It reminded me of Michael Haneke's "TIME OF THE WOLF" and Nicholas Winding Refn's "FEAR X". Little happens, but there is a constant sense of dread. Tension is built with care and slowly becomes nightmarish as Hausner uses a Lynchian dream-logic.
I don't mind these kind of movies, although i prefer the more engaging type like Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "CURE". It's a matter of taste. Most of the audience sounded frustrated because nothing happened. "HOTEL" is also best suited for smaller theaters. I saw it in a reasonable large room which took away a part of the effect the movie should have.
6.5/10
I don't mind these kind of movies, although i prefer the more engaging type like Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "CURE". It's a matter of taste. Most of the audience sounded frustrated because nothing happened. "HOTEL" is also best suited for smaller theaters. I saw it in a reasonable large room which took away a part of the effect the movie should have.
6.5/10
Psychodrama without the psychology ... or drama.
JohnnyLarocque17 September 2004
HOTEL is about a young girl who is hired as a receptionist in an isolated, apparently inaccessible hotel in the Austrian Alps. Her co- workers are not responsive to her arrival, and to make matters worse, the girl she replaced was said to have disappeared. This description reminded me of the only film to truly scared me, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Second time director Jessica Hausner however, is no Kubrick.
The characters in this film are very one dimensional. Even the main character Irene, who finds herself in some situations that might scare a normal person, does not react at all. As a direct result, neither does the audience. The environment was also very bland. You would think the director would scout a location with some atmosphere for a psychodrama, but instead we're shown a very boring well kept hotel. This film is shot without any style whatsoever. The director must have thought a few of the scenes were terrifying (walking down a hallway, or looking into the woods), as she showed them over and over again. The conclusion was uninspired and predictable.
Note to amateur filmmakers everywhere ... If I can't put myself in the place of one of the films characters, and the situation isn't unusual or intense, and the environment does not seem unwelcoming, THERE IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF. Your psychodrama will not work. Geez, I thought that would be obvious. (3/10)
The characters in this film are very one dimensional. Even the main character Irene, who finds herself in some situations that might scare a normal person, does not react at all. As a direct result, neither does the audience. The environment was also very bland. You would think the director would scout a location with some atmosphere for a psychodrama, but instead we're shown a very boring well kept hotel. This film is shot without any style whatsoever. The director must have thought a few of the scenes were terrifying (walking down a hallway, or looking into the woods), as she showed them over and over again. The conclusion was uninspired and predictable.
Note to amateur filmmakers everywhere ... If I can't put myself in the place of one of the films characters, and the situation isn't unusual or intense, and the environment does not seem unwelcoming, THERE IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF. Your psychodrama will not work. Geez, I thought that would be obvious. (3/10)
Hotel..
too_short53 August 2005
I Didn't get it. Okey if there had been a creepy feeling then this movie had been much better, but I felt nothing. This movie was just weird and not good. Felt like It was a home made movie that students have done for the school or something. And I didn't think the acting was any good. Everyone had the same face expression all the time. The best with this movie was the picture of her on the movie. Everyone who wants to see this movie, Don't because you will be so disappointed and you waste money. I really felt I did so. Some people maybe think this type of movies is interesting, but I don't know what it could be thats so terrific? I give it:
3/10
3/10
Patience, Please...
wkduffy15 December 2005
Before I buy a flick on DVD, I read reviews. First, I come here to IMDb to see what other viewers think. Then, I seek professional reviews to help me determine whether or not I should shell out $20.
Had I listened (as I normally do) to these reviews, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near Hausner's "Hotel" and would've checked in at the Motel 6 down the block. It seems, across the board, the reviews of this film call it "technically adept, but dull," or they complain that "Nothing happens! There's no plot!" Indeed, I almost DID listen to these reviews, but something about the premise of "Hotel" intrigued me. So, I decided to buy it, and I just finished watching it ten minutes ago.
Suffice to say, I feel inclined to come to the aid of this much maligned film. First, I agree with many reviewers about how the film is photographed. Without question, it is technically adept. The cinematography is precise and beautiful; carefully crafted (and often static) shots fill this flick, much like a Tarkovsky film. Colors are both vibrant and menacing--especially the void-like blacks (of the night forest) between the gray bark of the bare trees. Also the sterile greens and grays of the hotel interior. And don't forget the blood reds (of the front-desk-clerk's uniform) as she disappears into those horribly beckoning trees...
Now onto the ubiquitous "nothing happens" complaint. The movie depends much more on atmosphere (and brilliantly so) than jump scares or plot turns. So if you are looking for big action, you will not find it in "Hotel." And (NEWS FLASH!) this is precisely the purpose of the film. Like many great films (and I'm not calling this great, just exceedingly well done and marginally upsetting--in a good way), this film does not tell the viewer what to think. In fact, most of time, it doesn't even show the viewer what happens. Imagine that! Indeed, this is where the IMAGINation of the viewer (if the viewer has ever practiced using his or her imagination) fills in the dreadfully empty gaps.
The hinted-at story of the "forest witch" who used to live in the cave near the hotel (and the accompanying tales of vanishing hikers in the thick forest) is anything but fairytale-like. The cold, black crack in the mountain wall (the cave itself) seeps off the screen as it draws in the new young hotel desk clerk inch by inch. There's a lot of pathos here--the nervousness of beginning a new job for our protagonist; the impersonal darkness and dead-end corridors of the angular hotel; generally unfriendly and persnickety (even zombie-like) coworkers (one of which, in an understated dramatic moment, soullessly tells the protagonist to "Leave the hotel" and begins reciting the Rosary while mechanically cleaning a room); the suggestion of a "disappearance" (or perhaps, supernatural murder) of the previous desk clerk and everyone's unwillingness to discuss it. Yes, there's plenty of pathos.
But a warning is in order: This is not "The Shining." Kubrick's great film had a lot of Big Wheel action and Nicholson's drooling and babbling. Hotel has neither. But to create its own sterile, haunting effect, "Hotel" doesn't need Redrum or Scatman Crothers.
The clincher, however, is the ending of "Hotel." (Editorial: It reached valiantly for similar territory as the ending of Tarkovsky's "Solaris," in my opinion--"Hotel" didn't quite make it, but WOW!) Of course, I read many reviews that complained that "Nothing is explained" in the end. Whine, whine, whine! I guess ever since the "big-splashy-ending-that-explains-everything-in-a-surprise-twist" of "The Sixth Sense" and similar films, viewers are spoiled and need everything explained in a way that knocks their socks off. Well, my socks were absolutely knocked across the damn room, and at the same time NOTHING was reduced to a nugget-like explanation! I thought the abrupt, strange, pushed-off-a-cliff feeling invoked by director Hausner was PERFECT! It will stick with me for a while, and I recommend this film because of it.
And to those of you who "want your money back" from this "boring" film, I suggest you relax. Stop watching movies with expectations of having your entire life (and the lives of those on screen) explained away into absolute nothingness. News Flash #2: You don't know everything; you can't know everything. In fact, you may know very little about ANYTHING. (Just like the protagonist in this film; she knows so little--even about herself--that she may in fact BE the dreaded witch who dispatched her predecessor--who knows?)
You want REALLY SCARY? Here's a suggestion: Try existing in uncertainty. That's where "Hotel" lives. It's probably the scariest of all places to be.
Had I listened (as I normally do) to these reviews, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near Hausner's "Hotel" and would've checked in at the Motel 6 down the block. It seems, across the board, the reviews of this film call it "technically adept, but dull," or they complain that "Nothing happens! There's no plot!" Indeed, I almost DID listen to these reviews, but something about the premise of "Hotel" intrigued me. So, I decided to buy it, and I just finished watching it ten minutes ago.
Suffice to say, I feel inclined to come to the aid of this much maligned film. First, I agree with many reviewers about how the film is photographed. Without question, it is technically adept. The cinematography is precise and beautiful; carefully crafted (and often static) shots fill this flick, much like a Tarkovsky film. Colors are both vibrant and menacing--especially the void-like blacks (of the night forest) between the gray bark of the bare trees. Also the sterile greens and grays of the hotel interior. And don't forget the blood reds (of the front-desk-clerk's uniform) as she disappears into those horribly beckoning trees...
Now onto the ubiquitous "nothing happens" complaint. The movie depends much more on atmosphere (and brilliantly so) than jump scares or plot turns. So if you are looking for big action, you will not find it in "Hotel." And (NEWS FLASH!) this is precisely the purpose of the film. Like many great films (and I'm not calling this great, just exceedingly well done and marginally upsetting--in a good way), this film does not tell the viewer what to think. In fact, most of time, it doesn't even show the viewer what happens. Imagine that! Indeed, this is where the IMAGINation of the viewer (if the viewer has ever practiced using his or her imagination) fills in the dreadfully empty gaps.
The hinted-at story of the "forest witch" who used to live in the cave near the hotel (and the accompanying tales of vanishing hikers in the thick forest) is anything but fairytale-like. The cold, black crack in the mountain wall (the cave itself) seeps off the screen as it draws in the new young hotel desk clerk inch by inch. There's a lot of pathos here--the nervousness of beginning a new job for our protagonist; the impersonal darkness and dead-end corridors of the angular hotel; generally unfriendly and persnickety (even zombie-like) coworkers (one of which, in an understated dramatic moment, soullessly tells the protagonist to "Leave the hotel" and begins reciting the Rosary while mechanically cleaning a room); the suggestion of a "disappearance" (or perhaps, supernatural murder) of the previous desk clerk and everyone's unwillingness to discuss it. Yes, there's plenty of pathos.
But a warning is in order: This is not "The Shining." Kubrick's great film had a lot of Big Wheel action and Nicholson's drooling and babbling. Hotel has neither. But to create its own sterile, haunting effect, "Hotel" doesn't need Redrum or Scatman Crothers.
The clincher, however, is the ending of "Hotel." (Editorial: It reached valiantly for similar territory as the ending of Tarkovsky's "Solaris," in my opinion--"Hotel" didn't quite make it, but WOW!) Of course, I read many reviews that complained that "Nothing is explained" in the end. Whine, whine, whine! I guess ever since the "big-splashy-ending-that-explains-everything-in-a-surprise-twist" of "The Sixth Sense" and similar films, viewers are spoiled and need everything explained in a way that knocks their socks off. Well, my socks were absolutely knocked across the damn room, and at the same time NOTHING was reduced to a nugget-like explanation! I thought the abrupt, strange, pushed-off-a-cliff feeling invoked by director Hausner was PERFECT! It will stick with me for a while, and I recommend this film because of it.
And to those of you who "want your money back" from this "boring" film, I suggest you relax. Stop watching movies with expectations of having your entire life (and the lives of those on screen) explained away into absolute nothingness. News Flash #2: You don't know everything; you can't know everything. In fact, you may know very little about ANYTHING. (Just like the protagonist in this film; she knows so little--even about herself--that she may in fact BE the dreaded witch who dispatched her predecessor--who knows?)
You want REALLY SCARY? Here's a suggestion: Try existing in uncertainty. That's where "Hotel" lives. It's probably the scariest of all places to be.
Awful!
llashev29 August 2005
I saw this "movie" on a movie festival yesterday. The story sounded moderately interesting, so I entered the cinema hall with the feeling the movie will be somewhere around the average level.
Now I'm re-reading the previous review and still can't believe the author founded this movie great... Different people, different points of view, I would say.
I'll tell you what happened at the cinema.
10 or 15 minutes after the beginning, maybe 3 or 4 people already had left the hall, grumbling for what crap they gave their money! Most of the rest (including me) were gazing at the screen, refusing to believe a movie released at 2005 could be so incomparably stupid! When the agony finally finished, this movie, out of a sudden, made most of the people roar with laugher! I would really suggest it for all the people suffering from some sort of depression or inferiority complex;) You feel really dumb? Believe me, yours is nothing... :) I personally found this movie unbelievably boring, with boring storyline (well, I would say no storyline at all), boring characters that are just moving around and do nothing, and totally boring dialogue. After 30 minutes of watching you will just want to get out and stop that pain... However, the average score of the movie shows that it has its audience, and this audience loves it (I can't believe that, but it's a fact). Look, I'm European too, and hearing (and saying) every day how stupid are Hollywood movies these days, expect from an European movie (awarded!) to not be one of the top 3 worst movies ever in my personal list!
Now I'm re-reading the previous review and still can't believe the author founded this movie great... Different people, different points of view, I would say.
I'll tell you what happened at the cinema.
10 or 15 minutes after the beginning, maybe 3 or 4 people already had left the hall, grumbling for what crap they gave their money! Most of the rest (including me) were gazing at the screen, refusing to believe a movie released at 2005 could be so incomparably stupid! When the agony finally finished, this movie, out of a sudden, made most of the people roar with laugher! I would really suggest it for all the people suffering from some sort of depression or inferiority complex;) You feel really dumb? Believe me, yours is nothing... :) I personally found this movie unbelievably boring, with boring storyline (well, I would say no storyline at all), boring characters that are just moving around and do nothing, and totally boring dialogue. After 30 minutes of watching you will just want to get out and stop that pain... However, the average score of the movie shows that it has its audience, and this audience loves it (I can't believe that, but it's a fact). Look, I'm European too, and hearing (and saying) every day how stupid are Hollywood movies these days, expect from an European movie (awarded!) to not be one of the top 3 worst movies ever in my personal list!
Simplicity is Eerie
craig-r-francis7 July 2004
One of the numerous films that had a great deal of buzz about it prior to its premier at the Cannes Films Festival. The reviews and feelings of many I spoke with about this film were mixed to say the least. This is the first full length film by Hausner and she did a marvelous job. The plot is simple enough...Girl begins working at a Hotel up in the mountains, after her predecessor mysteriously went missing. The eerie shots and mood of the film are relentless. I think what made this movie for me was that it did not give into the temptation to be a Hollywood film. It was not a jump-out-of-your-seat movie, but was enhanced because of that. It broke so many of the typical Hollywood norms, especially the length of the shots. I don't want to give too much away because I want everyone to be able to experience the film in the same unknowing manner in which I was able to. A must see, easily one of the top 3 films at Cannes this year!!!!!
don't check in
nickrogers196912 July 2009
The idea of the film appealed to me. It seemed promising but I bought the DVD and was disappointed. The film was too obviously pieces from other films like "the Shining", "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and even "A Passage to India" (the kiss in the cave). It could have been a good mix of these mysterious and eerie elements but it did not work.
The film was predictable and not scary in the least. There were too many confusing jumps in time. All of a sudden it was night time, then day. One moment the girl was indoors, the next outside... It was not helped by the one-note performances by the actors. The lead girl had no charisma and I finally did not care what happened to her.
I do not know why it was shown at cinemas in Sweden or even released on DVD! Maybe people thought the photography was arty. A lot of modern photography today looks like scenes from this movie. You can see stuff looking like that in art museums. As a film there was too little worth remembering.
The film was predictable and not scary in the least. There were too many confusing jumps in time. All of a sudden it was night time, then day. One moment the girl was indoors, the next outside... It was not helped by the one-note performances by the actors. The lead girl had no charisma and I finally did not care what happened to her.
I do not know why it was shown at cinemas in Sweden or even released on DVD! Maybe people thought the photography was arty. A lot of modern photography today looks like scenes from this movie. You can see stuff looking like that in art museums. As a film there was too little worth remembering.
I want my money back!
michael-zechmann4 April 2005
The story has potential. The director has not. The movie is praised as a horror movie, but it isn't. I'd like to say something about the story... but I'm sorry, there is no story. There is no suspense. There is one very well actress, but it's not the leading role. It's Frau Maschek alias Marlene Streeruwitz who did a very impressive acting.
During this very bland 80 minutes I've always been thinking: "When does the story begin?". When the movie came to its end, I was thinking: "That's not it! I've paid for a movie, show me one!". This is definitely the worst film ever made in Austria. It's a shame that movies like this are traded the figureheads of Austrian films. Don't waste your money, don't waste your time! Not even for the DVD.
During this very bland 80 minutes I've always been thinking: "When does the story begin?". When the movie came to its end, I was thinking: "That's not it! I've paid for a movie, show me one!". This is definitely the worst film ever made in Austria. It's a shame that movies like this are traded the figureheads of Austrian films. Don't waste your money, don't waste your time! Not even for the DVD.
of all films at the 2004 festival its the only one that put me to sleep
mtrubic29 August 2005
I didn't see much in terms of original thinking by the director.
Much of it seemed hap-hazzardly borrowed from the work of other horror movies directors' devices.
Parts were mind numbingly dull, especially to sophisticated audiences. Namely the hallway scenes that fade to black. More closeups on facial expressions of fear were needed rather mere darkness.
The person in the next chair who nudged me awake said not to worry about it - he wished he could fall asleep too.
I hope that the disappointment of Hotel won't be reflective in "You bet Your Life (2005)" which airs at this years film festival and has the same producer - Antonin Svoboda
Its funny how you can remember parts of a bad movie more than a year after you see so many good ones.
Much of it seemed hap-hazzardly borrowed from the work of other horror movies directors' devices.
Parts were mind numbingly dull, especially to sophisticated audiences. Namely the hallway scenes that fade to black. More closeups on facial expressions of fear were needed rather mere darkness.
The person in the next chair who nudged me awake said not to worry about it - he wished he could fall asleep too.
I hope that the disappointment of Hotel won't be reflective in "You bet Your Life (2005)" which airs at this years film festival and has the same producer - Antonin Svoboda
Its funny how you can remember parts of a bad movie more than a year after you see so many good ones.
1 of the WORST movies ever made
gaborforro10 December 2006
In this "movie" (I don't even think this can be called "movie") almost nothing happens - a girl is walking around and the camera just shows her from different angles - in the hotel, walking in the woods and etc. You expect something to happen (probably something creepy or frightening), but nothing happens till the very end...There is no any story too. This is below any standard - a dumb movie, trying to be strange by being unexpectedly boring...The only good thing - you will feel very clever after walking out, after seeing such a stupidity. It is also trying to imitate some Lynch style, showing red/green curtains and etc...but is far below anything watchable. I'm just wondering how someone can produce and others can release such crap...I can't believe there is a single man, that can enjoy it.
Great Movie
Daniel_Roos5 October 2006
I saw that movie at a film festival in Januray 2005. On my personal record, it was the second best out of the 10 movies I had seen there. The film does polarize very much - either you like it or you hate it. Especially the end is very controversial.
"Hotel" is not a conventional horror movie and it is certainly not meant to be shown at the big block buster cinemas. It is much more a low budget, minimalist, purist version of a scary movie. The film has very subtitle, psychological horror! If you liked "Blair Witch Project", you will enjoy this movie too.
The Austrian accent of the most actors give the soundtrack a special note and make the already very reserved atmosphere between the characters even more chilly.
By the way: No one left the cinema or fell asleep during screening as reported in other comments on this site ... <:
"Hotel" is not a conventional horror movie and it is certainly not meant to be shown at the big block buster cinemas. It is much more a low budget, minimalist, purist version of a scary movie. The film has very subtitle, psychological horror! If you liked "Blair Witch Project", you will enjoy this movie too.
The Austrian accent of the most actors give the soundtrack a special note and make the already very reserved atmosphere between the characters even more chilly.
By the way: No one left the cinema or fell asleep during screening as reported in other comments on this site ... <:
Worst movie ever?
shadow_ror29 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
If you ever see this movie, prepare for the dullest, least interesting, most event less, technically faulty movie maybe you'll ever see. This movie is, with all due respect for the author, crap. The outline for the movie sounds pretty interesting, but don't be fooled. It's about a German girl who gets a receptionist job at a hotel, and that's all there is to it. On the back of the DVD case it says "Thriller / Horror - Age rating: 15 years" (at least in Sweden it did), which just seems like a desperate attempt in convincing you to rent this awful movie.
During the film, nothing of interest happens. There is no horror at all (besides a few crappy attempts on making illusionary scenes), the love story included is so dull and unskillfully executed that you just don't care and the characters have absolutely no depth. Believe me when I say that this movie contains worse acting, lightning, story, camera and characters than ANYTHING you'll ever see on public television. It's an utter disaster.
More on the characters, the main character is so incredibly dull that you have absolutely no sympathy for her, the side characters add nothing to the story and the dialog in between characters would've been better removed.
To conclude, I hate ordinary Hollywood movies (with a few exceptions of course) that are filled with clichés and bad movie-making. I guess that's why I rented this movie, to experience a different kind of hotel horror movie, but anything cliché and made-only-for- the-money would've been waaay better than this. I advise you to stay as far from this movie as you possibly can.
During the film, nothing of interest happens. There is no horror at all (besides a few crappy attempts on making illusionary scenes), the love story included is so dull and unskillfully executed that you just don't care and the characters have absolutely no depth. Believe me when I say that this movie contains worse acting, lightning, story, camera and characters than ANYTHING you'll ever see on public television. It's an utter disaster.
More on the characters, the main character is so incredibly dull that you have absolutely no sympathy for her, the side characters add nothing to the story and the dialog in between characters would've been better removed.
To conclude, I hate ordinary Hollywood movies (with a few exceptions of course) that are filled with clichés and bad movie-making. I guess that's why I rented this movie, to experience a different kind of hotel horror movie, but anything cliché and made-only-for- the-money would've been waaay better than this. I advise you to stay as far from this movie as you possibly can.
Into the Deep Dark Forest
two-rivers9 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
As in her previous film "Lovely Rita", Jessica Hausner creates a universe in which warm communication and deep understanding between human beings seems to be impossible. Irene arrives at the hotel, set right in the middle of a deep dark forest. She replaces an employee that has mysteriously disappeared
Those could be the core elements of a classic horror movie, but then we find out that "Hotel" is something more than just that.
The camera follows Irene closely on her lonely walks along the corridors of the hotel basement, into the forest or while she quietly breaststrokes in the deserted hotel swimming pool. But only once an unusual, "creepy" event takes place which could be typical for a horror movie: After one of her swims Irene finds her glasses on the floor, partly broken, and her chain, which she uses as a lucky charm and which a little earlier she had refused to lend to fellow employee Petra, has disappeared.
But there aren't any dramatic consequences. The chain reappears without much explication – it is said to have been found in the forest. This place, however, takes on a central significance in the film. People say that it is inhabited by a mysterious witch, although there is no actual evidence for that being more than just a legend. At least the witch can be seen as a puppet in a glass case somewhere in the hotel.
So the real horror is not a monster coming from the outside. It therefore must be innate in humans – just as Simon would put it in William Golding's famous novel "Lord of the Flies". But here the particular bad nature of mankind does not manifest itself in violent actions that can be seen on the surface. In "Hotel" humans behave in an even meaner way: their relationships are marked by the almost complete absence of warmth and mutual comprehension.
Nobody in the hotel is interested in establishing a friendly connection with Irene that goes beyond mere labor bonds. Being a newcomer in the hotel she nevertheless does not attract the curiosity of her companions. None of them wants to know anything about her circumstances of life. Irene, on the other hand, shows a longing for friendship, but is incapable of finding any fulfillment. On one occasion, she cannot find sleep because of some noise from the outside, and she eventually gets access to a room in which three people, Petra among them, are listening to music, drinking and smoking, pretending to have fun. But no real communication is going on, these people seem to be nothing more than ghosts. Finally Irene sits down in an armchair and falls asleep. When she wakes up, she finds those people gone, leaving behind nothing but the garbage they produced.
Another time, Irene is dancing alone in a disco, beside her a guy is doing the same, apparently longing for physical contact but unable to establish it. When later he has finally succeeded to do so, it becomes obvious that a physical connection is easier to have than an emotional or spiritual one. Some kisses are exchanged, significantly while exploring a deep dark cave, but not many words are spoken. So the relationship eventually is a failure and Irene's longings left unsatisfied.
Being deprived of a true love relationship and failing in her attempts to establish some kind of relationship to a colleague of the same sex, Irene decides to take a weekend off and return to the safe haven of humanity that might be represented by her parents. But also this attempt disappointingly breaks down. From a phone call to her parents, of which we can hear only Irene's part, it becomes evident that they are not exactly desperate to see her.
Bearing all this is mind, the final events of the movie become easily explainable. During an evening control walk in the hotel basement, Irene steps out into the fresh air to smoke a cigarette as she has done on previous occasions. And as also happened before, when she wants to get back inside, the entry door has mysteriously closed. But this time it is also locked What is there to do? Instead of screaming for help or trying to find another entrance, Irene chooses a different solution. Without reluctance or hesitation she walks into the dark forest, a place that throughout the movie has been portrayed as haunted and dreadful. But apparently this is a better way out than having to return to that cold and inhospitable place that is represented by the hotel. A place in which human ghosts walk alongside each other without even the remotest touch of what all humans deep in their heart long for: true love and understanding.
The camera follows Irene closely on her lonely walks along the corridors of the hotel basement, into the forest or while she quietly breaststrokes in the deserted hotel swimming pool. But only once an unusual, "creepy" event takes place which could be typical for a horror movie: After one of her swims Irene finds her glasses on the floor, partly broken, and her chain, which she uses as a lucky charm and which a little earlier she had refused to lend to fellow employee Petra, has disappeared.
But there aren't any dramatic consequences. The chain reappears without much explication – it is said to have been found in the forest. This place, however, takes on a central significance in the film. People say that it is inhabited by a mysterious witch, although there is no actual evidence for that being more than just a legend. At least the witch can be seen as a puppet in a glass case somewhere in the hotel.
So the real horror is not a monster coming from the outside. It therefore must be innate in humans – just as Simon would put it in William Golding's famous novel "Lord of the Flies". But here the particular bad nature of mankind does not manifest itself in violent actions that can be seen on the surface. In "Hotel" humans behave in an even meaner way: their relationships are marked by the almost complete absence of warmth and mutual comprehension.
Nobody in the hotel is interested in establishing a friendly connection with Irene that goes beyond mere labor bonds. Being a newcomer in the hotel she nevertheless does not attract the curiosity of her companions. None of them wants to know anything about her circumstances of life. Irene, on the other hand, shows a longing for friendship, but is incapable of finding any fulfillment. On one occasion, she cannot find sleep because of some noise from the outside, and she eventually gets access to a room in which three people, Petra among them, are listening to music, drinking and smoking, pretending to have fun. But no real communication is going on, these people seem to be nothing more than ghosts. Finally Irene sits down in an armchair and falls asleep. When she wakes up, she finds those people gone, leaving behind nothing but the garbage they produced.
Another time, Irene is dancing alone in a disco, beside her a guy is doing the same, apparently longing for physical contact but unable to establish it. When later he has finally succeeded to do so, it becomes obvious that a physical connection is easier to have than an emotional or spiritual one. Some kisses are exchanged, significantly while exploring a deep dark cave, but not many words are spoken. So the relationship eventually is a failure and Irene's longings left unsatisfied.
Being deprived of a true love relationship and failing in her attempts to establish some kind of relationship to a colleague of the same sex, Irene decides to take a weekend off and return to the safe haven of humanity that might be represented by her parents. But also this attempt disappointingly breaks down. From a phone call to her parents, of which we can hear only Irene's part, it becomes evident that they are not exactly desperate to see her.
Bearing all this is mind, the final events of the movie become easily explainable. During an evening control walk in the hotel basement, Irene steps out into the fresh air to smoke a cigarette as she has done on previous occasions. And as also happened before, when she wants to get back inside, the entry door has mysteriously closed. But this time it is also locked What is there to do? Instead of screaming for help or trying to find another entrance, Irene chooses a different solution. Without reluctance or hesitation she walks into the dark forest, a place that throughout the movie has been portrayed as haunted and dreadful. But apparently this is a better way out than having to return to that cold and inhospitable place that is represented by the hotel. A place in which human ghosts walk alongside each other without even the remotest touch of what all humans deep in their heart long for: true love and understanding.
Worst movie ever
icegue15 January 2006
I saw this "movie" last year and I'm sorry to say that it was the worst movie I ever saw. There is no acting, no story, no suspense, no music, ... There is NOTHING lasting the whole film long. The "highlight" of the "movie" is that a door is shut when the main character returns (of course you don't see how it's shut since the "movie" doesn't contain any action).
I wouldn't call this piece even a "movie" since it is such an unbounded cheek. If i was possible to vote not from 1 to 10 but from -10 to 10 I would have chosen -10 without hesitating!
How can 80 minutes of boredom win a prize?
I wouldn't call this piece even a "movie" since it is such an unbounded cheek. If i was possible to vote not from 1 to 10 but from -10 to 10 I would have chosen -10 without hesitating!
How can 80 minutes of boredom win a prize?
ridiculous-spoilers...not really
steez-o-mat22 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
this is by far the most disappointing movie i have seen in a while. watched it yesterday in a sneak preview, and the first thing that came to my mind was: what an idea, to transfer japan horror (including similar strange behavior between the actors, symbolism etc.) to a German (no, austrian)hotel setting. the big problem with this movie is, it tries to create suspense and never relieves it. this may be for stylistic reasons, but it leads to just one thing: boredom. after watching the absolutely non-charismatic (maybe also for stylistic reasons, or to make it more understandable that she is being mobbed) leading actress walk down dark hallways for the fifteenth time, you just want to scream out: now give us something (even the scary child horror cliché would have helped)! the ending is maybe the worst i have ever seen. the reaction in the audience after the movie was quite significant: laughter...
Disappointing - no questions are answered in the end
Catharina_Sweden23 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I think this movie was quite good in parts, because it had atmosphere. Also, I could relate to the main character, Irene - a young woman who starts working in an isolated hotel. I was quite like her when I was young; well-behaved, nice and neat - yes, I even wore glasses! :-) - so I recognize the unpleasant situation, when you have to associate with fellow school- or work-mates that are of another kind. Stupid, vulgar, rude, not so well-brought up... I am sure you know what I mean. I also became lonely and left out in that kind of company, so I felt very sorry for Irene who had to both work and live with them!
But the ending was a big disappointment. Nothing is explained. What happened to Irene? What happened to Eva, the former employee who had disappeared from the hotel..? Was it the witch, or was it a human killer..? What was that smell in Irene's (and formerly Eva's) room..? What was the point with the change of glasses..? Was the cross a protection, and did Irene's work-mate borrow it on one occasion, and steal it on another, out of malice..? Because she hoped for Irene to be killed without it..? Was she even an accomplice in the crime (IF there was a crime), in some way..? No questions are answered, and because of this I find the whole movie quite meaningless.
But the ending was a big disappointment. Nothing is explained. What happened to Irene? What happened to Eva, the former employee who had disappeared from the hotel..? Was it the witch, or was it a human killer..? What was that smell in Irene's (and formerly Eva's) room..? What was the point with the change of glasses..? Was the cross a protection, and did Irene's work-mate borrow it on one occasion, and steal it on another, out of malice..? Because she hoped for Irene to be killed without it..? Was she even an accomplice in the crime (IF there was a crime), in some way..? No questions are answered, and because of this I find the whole movie quite meaningless.
How can anyone say nothing happens?
stensson5 February 2005
I usually don't comment what fellow critics on IMDb write, but giving this little masterpiece only an average of 4,2 is bad taste indeed. In short; it's been a while since one saw a movie there so much happens, even if you don't see all of it on the screen. Franziska Weiss is really great, with a face which tells you a lot, with just a small correction of the glimpse in her eyes.
This is creepy, but in a way you might be rather familiar with from your own life. That life is here, by very small means, a nightmare. Maybe the end doesn't really fulfill what is promised, not really. Maybe the camera spotlights in the forest surrounding the hotel are too sharp.
But still this is supposed to give you much worse dreams than for example "The Grudge", which is made by amateurs.
This is creepy, but in a way you might be rather familiar with from your own life. That life is here, by very small means, a nightmare. Maybe the end doesn't really fulfill what is promised, not really. Maybe the camera spotlights in the forest surrounding the hotel are too sharp.
But still this is supposed to give you much worse dreams than for example "The Grudge", which is made by amateurs.
Has an ambience and atmosphere if other facets short
tonypeacock-113 July 2023
I admit to having a like of all things Austria so I watched this film having seen it's inclusion in a hidden list of 2000's masterpieces!
It has ambience and sets the scene with scenes of atmosphere with the location, the vivid colours and the woods surrounding the hotel. (It really reminded me of vacationing in Austria!).
I disagree with some reviews that complain 'very little happens'. The central character (Irene) has a bracelet that goes missing at one stage! She is surrounded by some interesting co-workers at the Hotel. Interesting characters of all ages not just her co-workers on the 'shopfloor'. The management and caretakers are dodgy.
So many films over the years are set in hotels. This film doesn't focus on the guests, more the staff behind the scenes.
It has all the common themes of suspense films. The vivid colours. The woods that just happen to be next door to the hotel and huse a strange cave. If anything the ending is frustrating and falls into the nothing happens! Category. Still worthy of a watch (betrachtan).
It has ambience and sets the scene with scenes of atmosphere with the location, the vivid colours and the woods surrounding the hotel. (It really reminded me of vacationing in Austria!).
I disagree with some reviews that complain 'very little happens'. The central character (Irene) has a bracelet that goes missing at one stage! She is surrounded by some interesting co-workers at the Hotel. Interesting characters of all ages not just her co-workers on the 'shopfloor'. The management and caretakers are dodgy.
So many films over the years are set in hotels. This film doesn't focus on the guests, more the staff behind the scenes.
It has all the common themes of suspense films. The vivid colours. The woods that just happen to be next door to the hotel and huse a strange cave. If anything the ending is frustrating and falls into the nothing happens! Category. Still worthy of a watch (betrachtan).
This movie is pure masochism, the joy of feeling uncomfortable.
meinemailist10 October 2020
This is my first review, but there's something about that movie that made me want to share my thoughts about it.
I've seen this movie a few times, and for me this movie is pure masochism, the joy of feeling uncomfortable. The Horror does not come from jumpscares but from the cold distance that comes from the colleagues. Maybe you really need to be an austrian to fully understand the feeling that Irene goes through.
When i was somewhere around the same age like Irene, i moved to eastern Austria close to the location this movie was filmed, at the same time when to movie was released. I also got a job in a kinda old fashioned Business that aimed the upper classes. The distance between colleagues themself and the bosses was huge and cold. Something i never experienced before. And this movie is so honest and good in portraying this distance, that i always can identify myself with Irene. I am the opposite of a shy person, but this tension at work makes you a shy mouse like Irene is. You're trying to create a friendshipy like relation to your colleagues, whom you see every day, but for an outsider it's nearly impossible to join the "inner circle". For an open minded person this is hard to accept, that it needs many months, if not years, to join the inner circle of the staff, that makes you feel welcome into the business you spend every day in. And theres no other movie, wich i saw so far, that is so good in transporting that feeling of cold Austrian distance between co-workers.
I especially want to mention the great work of Marlene Streeruwitz who did a brilliant job in acting one of the bosses, Frau Maschek. For me she is the austrian counterpart of Robert de Niro - An actor who loves to play the kind of person she hates like the most in real life. She keeps in all good manners, but lets you know that she doesn't trust you by the way she speaks to you in a bored and slightly annoyed way.
The work of the actors and how they are portrayed is brilliant and couldn't be performed better. The story itself has some weak parts, but in my opinion this movie isn't about the story, it's about what you feel while you're watching how Irene tries to become part of people who may be forced (?) to keep a distance but still sometimes show a little spark of sympathy that gives Irene the hope to become a real part of the team someday.
Allthough the story on itself isn't that thrilling i love the feelings that this movie is able to transport. If the story itself would be a bit more demanding this movie would get 10/10.
I've seen this movie a few times, and for me this movie is pure masochism, the joy of feeling uncomfortable. The Horror does not come from jumpscares but from the cold distance that comes from the colleagues. Maybe you really need to be an austrian to fully understand the feeling that Irene goes through.
When i was somewhere around the same age like Irene, i moved to eastern Austria close to the location this movie was filmed, at the same time when to movie was released. I also got a job in a kinda old fashioned Business that aimed the upper classes. The distance between colleagues themself and the bosses was huge and cold. Something i never experienced before. And this movie is so honest and good in portraying this distance, that i always can identify myself with Irene. I am the opposite of a shy person, but this tension at work makes you a shy mouse like Irene is. You're trying to create a friendshipy like relation to your colleagues, whom you see every day, but for an outsider it's nearly impossible to join the "inner circle". For an open minded person this is hard to accept, that it needs many months, if not years, to join the inner circle of the staff, that makes you feel welcome into the business you spend every day in. And theres no other movie, wich i saw so far, that is so good in transporting that feeling of cold Austrian distance between co-workers.
I especially want to mention the great work of Marlene Streeruwitz who did a brilliant job in acting one of the bosses, Frau Maschek. For me she is the austrian counterpart of Robert de Niro - An actor who loves to play the kind of person she hates like the most in real life. She keeps in all good manners, but lets you know that she doesn't trust you by the way she speaks to you in a bored and slightly annoyed way.
The work of the actors and how they are portrayed is brilliant and couldn't be performed better. The story itself has some weak parts, but in my opinion this movie isn't about the story, it's about what you feel while you're watching how Irene tries to become part of people who may be forced (?) to keep a distance but still sometimes show a little spark of sympathy that gives Irene the hope to become a real part of the team someday.
Allthough the story on itself isn't that thrilling i love the feelings that this movie is able to transport. If the story itself would be a bit more demanding this movie would get 10/10.
Insultingly bad
richkiel30 April 2024
This film is 100% mood and 0% narration. And that don't work. Now, of course, one can argue that a narrative of sorts exists, but it is deliberately confusing. Things happen for apparently no reason or without proper context, only to never be explained. We literally have no idea what is going on, if anything. Bizarre things happen, and then we get no explanation why, and they seem to have no bearing on the minimalistic plot. As expected, the film ends with zero payoff and zero explanation, with a lazy anticlimax one could predict with ease. As for the horror, it is completely absent. The film seeks to make you feel uneasy, in part by not letting you know what is going on or where the strange events might lead to, but as soon as you as the viewer recognize the pattern, you will rightfully feel cheated and turn your back on a film that scores cheap shots while never doing what you want it to do - namely tell you a story that is worth watching and that one can make sense out of.
A low budget experiment that went awry.
A low budget experiment that went awry.
Wonderful and rare art
platescrubber-113 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The movie lives from its dense atmosphere, from the play of dark and light, from its rare action, which seems to have been lost among extremely static actors, but which is obviously seen through a stranger's eyes and shows a road that has to be taken by young Irene.
It also lives from the intense and almost exaggerated sound level. The subtle innumerability of shown doors burn themselves into the minds of the audience and offer Irene the only reasonable path, but which she doesn't follow after all. She thus opens the remaining door to her own fate. Only towards the end one can suspect that behind the previously shown doors, which are vanishing from visibility after a while, she could have found the road to escape from this dreary place.
The blurred action, as well as the fate of Irene's predecessor, which lays somewhere in the dark of the woods, remains just there after the end of the movie and leaves the recipient wondering: only the form of art is stringent, nothing offers clarity in "Hotel", not even Irene's seemingly horrid scream, which in his only repetition could just as well sound as a wild animal's scream.
It also lives from the intense and almost exaggerated sound level. The subtle innumerability of shown doors burn themselves into the minds of the audience and offer Irene the only reasonable path, but which she doesn't follow after all. She thus opens the remaining door to her own fate. Only towards the end one can suspect that behind the previously shown doors, which are vanishing from visibility after a while, she could have found the road to escape from this dreary place.
The blurred action, as well as the fate of Irene's predecessor, which lays somewhere in the dark of the woods, remains just there after the end of the movie and leaves the recipient wondering: only the form of art is stringent, nothing offers clarity in "Hotel", not even Irene's seemingly horrid scream, which in his only repetition could just as well sound as a wild animal's scream.
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