25 best new movies to watch on Netflix in February 2019

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LOS ANGELES – DECEMBER 12: (L-R) Producer Quentin Tarantino, Director Eli Roth and Director Robert Rodriguez attend the screening of Lions Gate Film’s “Hostel” at the Arclight Cinerama Dome on December 12, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images) /

25. Hostel

Release Year: 2005

Directed By: Eli Roth

Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eyþór Guðjónsson, Jennifer Lim, Barbara Nedeljáková, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasák, Rick Hoffman, Keiko Seiko, Lubomir Bukovy, Jana Havlickova, Petr Janiš, Takashi Miike, Patrik Zigo, Milda “Jedi” Havlas, Miroslav Táborský, Josef Bradna, Eli Roth

Release Date: Friday, Feb. 1

You would expect most of Netflix’s new release movies for February to revolve around romance. After all, the major holiday this month centers on love. With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, movie fans will be gearing up to marathon their favorite romantic comedies and tear-jerkers, but for the cynics among us who deem V-Day a commercial holiday, your watch list can be filled with plenty of counter-programming. For starters, the 2005 horror flick Hostel arrives to scare the love right out of you.

Hostel comes from director Eli Roth, who also helmed Cabin Fever and last year’s The House with a Clock in Its Walls. The film follows best friends Josh (Derek Richardson) and Paxton (Jay Hernandez) as they embark on a post-grad summer trip backpacking through Europe, not unlike Rory Gilmore. However, unlike Rory, the pair makes a pit stop in Amsterdam to indulge their desires and meet Oli (Eyþór Guðjónsson), a fellow traveler from Iceland. The trio heads to a Slovakian hostel, but rather than enjoying the sights, they wind up preyed on by a group that kills backpackers.

After the film’s theatrical release in January 2006, Hostel received mixed reception from critics, with some commending it for being entertaining and others going in the opposite direction. Still, the film holds a 60% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned an Empire Award for Best Horror. Hostel spawned two sequels, 2006’s Hostel: Part II, a box office bomb, and 2011’s Hostel: Part III, a direct-to-DVD release not directed by Eli Roth. Give yourself a good scare ahead of Valentine’s Day when Hostel begins streaming at the top of the month.

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