Hostile 2017 Wants You Think It’s a Horror Movie

I love interesting horror movies, but I felt duped when I watched Hostile 2017.  There really isn’t anything hostile about it. Advertising, posters, and even movie trailers sell you a concept. It’s supposed to showcase your narrative to potential viewers. Audiences get an idea of what to expect if they spend an hour or so watching a film. Movies can have surprises, for sure. But sometimes it’s best to not sell it all dressed up like an action-driven horror when it’s not.

Plot for the Movie Hostile

Juliette is a lone survivor of an apocalypse. Not only that but she’s trapped and fighting against the elements with something that emerges only in the dark of night.

Hostile 2017

The Hostile movie poster shows a woman stuck in what looks like a box or a hiding place. The synopsis reads of post-apocalyptic survival and features action sequences and monsters in the dark. I like monsters in the dark and I like post-apocalyptic movies. I like action mixed in with these themes.

This isn’t a terrible movie but it is certainly not fast-paced. The lead Juliette (Brittany Ashworth) reminded me of the performance by Sophie Skelton in Day of the Dead Bloodline (2018). That tough-as-nails deadpan character displays little emotion other than anger or the ability to take some knocks. Juliette’s back story is a story of taming something and not being able to keep control of it. There are other non-subtle hints throughout but I don’t want to reveal the plot too much.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks showing what happened leading up to the event that changed the world. Eventually, it meets up with the scene with the car. She maintains almost stealth-like confidence throughout most of the film’s latter half. She still manages to flip her car when a photo flies out of her window.

And the monsters. They do come at night. But they also hang out during the day. I can’t spoil “Hostile” because maybe just maybe someone will appreciate its message and its ability to spin a few great concepts into an otherwise very different story than I thought I was getting.  The Hostile film does contain the required elements for a horror movie, it’s just not delivered with any impact. It just doesn’t have enough interest in the middle to make the ending hit home. Some people will adore this film though.

The Hostile Movie Isn’t A Horror Movie

It’s a movie, not a hot dog. If it were a hot dog and I ordered a hot dog with cheese and tomato sauce, that’s usually what I see when I open the bag. I paid for the hot dog and I want what I paid for. If the order is wrong, I can take it back and maybe get a new one with or without spit in it. What a shame we can’t do that with movies, sans the prospect of being spat on. This film sells itself as a horror movie. Sadly, it is not one.

There are plenty of titles that angle the promotion of their narrative towards the most sellable angle like the “horror film” It Comes At Night (2017). It Comes At Night is a stand-out when it comes to one of the first featured “elevated horror” films. It pretends to be outside its niche audience and baits the intended viewers with the promise of something horrific.

Eventually, I realized that It Comes At Night was an excellent film. However, in both the Hostile movie and the latter the promoters decided they wanted a horror audience. They wanted them but made a movie without any horror and sold it “as is” without telling them. The poster, the trailer, and the premise were all a ruse. Many people were very disappointed and wished they’d just gone out for hot dogs. Watching “Hostile” was one of those times.

For another dose of apocalyptic scenery watch Glasshouse.

I give Hostile 2017

2.5 What genre is this really out of 5

Trailer for Hostile Horror Movie

Available as digital and VOD release from 4th September 2018

Quick Film Details – An Apocalypse Movie

• Writer and Director: Mathieu Turi.
• Release: July 2017 Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. Wide release in March 2018.
• Budget: $1.2 million.
• Country of Origin: France.
• Genre: Drama|Romance|Horror
• Starring: Brittany Ashworth, Grégory Fitoussi, Javier Botet.

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