Review of Hostel: Part II (2007) by Rajeev S — 09 Apr 2010

There can't have been too many folk who were clamouring for a sequel to Hostel. Eli Roth's alledged sickest movie of all time was a colossal disappointment and a victim of it's own hype when it failed to deliver anything nearly as terrifying as what it's audience was expecting. The film was neither scary or thrilling and failed on every level as a horror movie.

Which makes it all the more surprising when Hostel - Part 2 turns out to be a fairly decent film. Again, it isn't scary but Roth has wisely jettisoned the Road Trip style tomfoolery of the originals first half and replaced it with a back story for the pay your money and torture business which in turn brings with it a host of characters much more interesting than the first movie's participants. Also in another wise move, the victims this time around are three females, who elicit much more sympathy than their male predecessors.

These elements combine to make for a much more engaging picture. The fact this film actually has a plot obviously helps but the female leads, in particular Lauren Graham and Heather Matarazzo, are all punching above their weight for this kind of movie.

This being the sequel to Hostel though, there is still inevitably going to be some gore, though it is done with much more restraint and a feeling of only when necessary. Most notable is the scene in which one character meets a rather gruesome fate on the end of a scythe. The scene is absolute horror movie gold, totally OTT and very squeamish.

Hostel 2 has it's flaws. The kids who look like they're auditioning for Michael Jackson's Bad video are back and really don't add much to film and Roth still isn't a director of any great ability, even if this is his best movie yet.

The finale does throw a couple of unexpected twists too which are always welcome and lift this well above your average horror fare. There is promise here that Eli Roth could one day justify the claims that he is the best new horror director around.