We’ve all stayed in a hotel where the room ended up being, shall we say, less than desirable, haven’t we? If you haven’t, you’re either incredibly lucky, or just really choosy about where you stay. The point is, sometimes the weary traveler is forced to stay the night in a seedy, questionable place, where they’re left longing for the comforts of their own home. In Country of Hotels, the debut feature by director Julio Maria Martino, there’s definitely something wrong with room 508 of the mystery hotel whose name we’re never given (because truthfully, it doesn’t matter). What that is, exactly, is a bit of a complicated matter that’s open to interpretation.

Room 508, and its many questionable happenings, is the primary focus of the story, as it weaves multiple character’s storylines, and their experiences, as occupants of the room. Those “experiences” vary from person to person enough to make each one unique, while also blending some of them together to give it a sense of cohesiveness. One thing is for certain – each guest brings with them their own moral quandaries, which they’re forced to meet head-on due to the room’s apparent supernatural nature.

For some, what happens to them in Room 508 seems more paranormal in nature, and for others – the occurrence is unfortunately more violent. There are a few repeating incidents, however, that connect it all together to give the viewer an understanding of what the creators are getting at. There’s the flickering lightbulb, the seedy adult film that perpetually plays on TV, and, most alarmingly, the presence of a video camera recording all that transpires within the walls. 

If that all sounds vague, it’s because that appears to be the point of what Martino and writer David Hauptschein are going for. There’s a distinct art house, avant-garde approach to the overall plot, as well as how it’s filmed. The fact that so much remains unexplained helps add to the horror factor, even if there are overt references (or maybe homages?) to The Shining – in particular with the inclusion of an unusual piece of art hanging on the wall.

This is an ambitious project, particularly for a first-time cinematic director, and there are times where it feels they may have bitten off more than they could chew. There are moments that work, undoubtedly, and it’s a crafty take on the common “haunted hotel” genre, but it also gets lost in the weeds at times. This happens the most when multiple character’s arcs and storylines begin to intersect, but the lines are a little too blurry to make sense of the timeline, or even why it’s happening.

Props must be given to Country of Hotels for the enthusiasm behind attempting to deliver an authentic, divergent shot at a horror tale, and there are times when the filmmakers succeed. Unfortunately, the entire movie is cloaked in a dingy, bleak, confounding blanket – the kind that feels more scratchy and annoying than comforting. That seems to be the intent, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that you’ll walk away from this feeling filthy and befuddled.