Writer: Eli Roth (Screenplay)
Starring: Lauren German, Roger Bart, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips, Richard Burgi, Vera Jordanova, Jay Hernandez, Jordan Ladd
Plot: Three American college students studying abroad are lured to a Slovakian hostel, and discover the grim reality behind it.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: A Different Perspective
Story: Hostel Part II starts by right where the first film finished with Paxton (Hernandez) being woken up on the train before being taken to hospital and questioned by the police. Paxton recounts his story but only in dream form, we learn that Paxton is back home in America with his girlfriend hiding from the society but he soon finds out they never stop until they get their man.
We move across to meet our new group of friends studying art in Italy we have Beth (German), Lorna (Matarazzo) and Whitney (Phillips) the group are going to Prague for a trip away like all college students. The three are joined on the trip with by nude model Axelle (Jordanova) who talks them into going to Slovakia and we are back at the hostel. Here is where things start to go differently as we follow the staff at the hostel post the photos of the girls where the clients get a chance to bid for them. Todd (Burgi) and Stuart (Bart) win the bidding war and head to Slovakia where they get the best treatment because of their investment.
We watch how the girls have a good time partying around Slovakia while the boys scout the girls they have paid to kill waiting for their chance to take get what they paid for. After Lorna disappears Beth and Whitney enjoy the local spa while we see how sadistic the clients of the club can actually be. When the times comes can the two men kill these girls that is the only question left, but we also have time for a twist in the story.
Hostel Part II actually builds on what the first horror gave us which is always a good sign, we know the victims have been selected and how they get baited, so we don’t need to see another films just about that. We learnt late on how people buy the person to kill and with this we get to watch and learn how the buyers deal with the situation. This alone is why I think this is going in the right direction by letting us see more of the business side to the story. Part two also manages to keep up the idea of non-visual torture letting us only see the tease and the aftermath. I would have to say this could well be on the better sequels in the horror genre with a solid story. (8/10)
Actor Review
Lauren German: Beth the down to Earth of the three girls who may well be rich but really wants to look out for her friends but doesn’t do a very good job. She ends up getting capture to be put into the game where Stuart has paid for her. Lauren gives a good performance with her shining through the final scenes. (7/10)
Roger Bart: Stuart having a present bought for him by his friend Todd, he gets to go and take part in killing someone any means he sees fit. Stuart is kind of forced to go and is always playing the reluctant participant in the murdering. Roger gives a good performance because we get to see the reluctant side to him before he snaps. (7/10)
Heather Matarazzo: Lorna the wimpy of the girls who really just want to go home but after she gets drunk she ends up being the first victim in a way that is very historic even though it is disturbing. Heather does a solid job but never gets a chance to do too much. (5/10)
Bijou Phillips: Whitney the party girl who is enjoying her time too much and ends up having to go through the preparation for the kill. Bijou gives a basic performance and never really gets any screen time. (4/10)
Richard Burgi: Todd cocky guy who buys both the girls for them to kill who thinks this will make them both look like more of men. Richard does a good job and makes out as the ass of the piece very well. (7/10)
Vera Jordanova: Axelle the bait girl who pulls the girls to make the decision of Slovakia but we knew this upfront. Vera makes for good bait girl stepping in where the previous two left off. (6/10)
Support Cast: Hostel Part II has a support cast that shows how the company is run with the guards’ right up to who owns the place.
Director Review: Eli Roth – Eli continues to be able to put shock into his horror and managing multiply genres nicely. (8/10)
Horror: Hostel Part II following on from the first where we don’t see any of the actual torture which is all off camera making the horror that much realer. (8/10)
Settings: Hostel Part II uses the same settings so we know how things will play out. (9/10)
Special Effects: Hostel Part II uses brilliant practical effects with the highlight being the cannibal killer. (10/10)
Suggestion: Hostel Part II has to be one for all the horror fans to enjoy. (Horror Fans Watch)
Best Part: The potential client’s point of view.
Worst Part: Lack of originally with the girls.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: Has one more sequel
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $35 Million
Budget: $10 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
Trivia: Eli Roth received some criticism from female Hostel (2005) fans over the excessive amount of female nudity in the first movie. Therefore, the first bit of nudity he included in this sequel was a brief shot of a fully naked man.
Overall: Hostel Part II really is just an expansion of what we got first time around, it is just now we are fully inside the twisted world and we see how things are really run.
Rating