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Hostel: Part II (2007)

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Overall Rating 54%
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Ranked #1,700
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Connections: Hostel

Three pretty college students are tricked into entering a hostel where the 'hosts' like to torture, rape, and murder. Following a geographical tour of Slovakia, three women are lured into a hostel by a seductive young woman who sells them to the twisted masters, who tie them up and bring upon an unthinkable world of pain. --IMDb
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Review by Tristan
Added: October 23, 2007
A few years back, Eli Roth wrote and directed a movie that pushed the limits of how far a modern torture movie can go. This movie was Hostel. He also created a movie that had no middle ground, that is to say, you loved it or you hated it. Black and white. As you can clearly see by the first movie, my two fellow reviewers have a difference of opinion. As big a difference of opinion as you can get on this site, in fact. Myself? Well, it took me two watches before I fell in love with it. I guess it turned out to be "my thing". When I heard they were making a sequel, I shook my head and sighed, like every other fan. 9 times out of 10, a sequel is a bad move that just ends up ruining the director's good standing. A perfect example being the second Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What I wouldn't give for my 90 minutes and $15 back. Like it or not, the sequel came out, and did quite well for the type of movie. I unfortunately had to pass on a theater viewing, so I've been anxiously awaiting the DVD release. Well folks, it has arrived in the hands of yours truly, and I couldn't be happier.

Beth (Lauren German), Whitney (Bijou Phillips) and Lorna (Heather Matarazzo) are American art students, spending their summer in Rome to study art. Makes sense. Deciding that seeing the country is more inspirational, they pack up and head to Prague to start their European trip. While on the train, they cross paths with Axelle (Vera Jordanova), a model from their art class who convinces them to accompany her to Slovakia where they can spend their vacation relaxing, and enjoying the countryside. I suppose a spa weekend does sound better than backpacking around, getting lost, and harassed by flocks of European men. They check into a, you guessed it, hostel in Slovakia, which bears a strong resemblance to the one from the first film. I can't imagine why. After turning in their passports, the clerk takes them to an underground lair, where he puts their information up online, and the audience is treated to one of the coolest auctions I've ever seen. Every single person you see is bidding thousands upon thousands of dollars to win the right to torture these girls to death. Some of you are thinking this is pretty sick. As for yours truly, I felt like a giddy schoolboy. The first Hostel sure, you've got business men torturing people. But this was pretty twisted, considering half of these men, and a few women, were in the middle of a good golf game, eating breakfast with their wife, or playing with their kids. I guess creeps come in all kinds. One of said creeps is Stuart (Roger Bart), who from the get go, doesn't seem to thrilled by the idea. His friend won the auction for him as a birthday present and after an interesting turn of events, it seems like he might be the only chance the girls have of getting out of Slovakia alive. How's that for a cliffhanger, folks?

My only major gripe: Eli Roth made the same movie, this time with girls. And I really mean the same movie. For anyone who's seen the first one, 5 minutes into this one, and you already know who the bad guy is going to be, and who's a red herring. It's just, ugh. Too much of the film is playing off what you know about the first one. Almost every scene is a, "Oh yeah, I remember that", kind of moment. With a few new elements mixed in, of course.

Okay, now on to the good. Everything else. Roth certainly kicked it up a notch with this one. First of all, choosing an all female cast was a bold move. Torture men all you want, and nobody cares. As soon as it's a woman, that's a horse of a different colour. In the past, the likes of Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci have been slammed for being misogynistic and cruel towards women in their films. I haven't followed the news much around this movie, so I can't say first hand, but it wouldn't surprise me if ol' Eli Roth ran into a bit of trouble now and again. All these leading ladies did an excellent job for both ends of the film. They were great at acting like your typical girls on vacation, and they were great at making you feel awful while they were tortured. But my hat must be tipped to Ms. Heather Matarazzo. Ever since Welcome To The Dollhouse I've loved her in everything, and this was no exception. She might not be the most attractive girl, but she is downright adorable. Seeing her go from the cutesy, teen fluff roles to this is pretty intense. And don't give me that Elisha Cuthbert Captivity bullshit, this is a completely different story. Wasn't she also in the House of Wax remake? Yeah, enough said.

Now, for the gore. Aside from the first few moments, the movie is relatively PG-13 for about 45 minutes or so. Then the audience is treated to the first little taste of the red stuff, and it was well worth the wait. I won't give any of it away, but let me just say that between this first torture scene, and the subsequent torture scenes...you're not left disappointed. Take this from a huge fan of torture and exploitation movies. You get your money's worth.

I will say, that I love it when people say Hostel and Hostel Part II aren't horror films. I'm sorry, isn't the point of a horror film to make you afraid of something? Didn't Jaws make you afraid of the water? Didn't Psycho make you afraid of a shower? By no means am I comparing these films to Hostel, but after seeing these films, I certainly have my doubts about hopping on a plane, and going for a little R&R in one of these places. Eli Roth has found something else out there for us to be afraid of, and put his own spin on it. You might despise all the torture and over-the-top violence that goes along with it, but at the end of the day, he's making a frightening movie about hostels.

Usually, for a sequel to get my endorsement, it must do one of two things. It must either pick up where the original left off, so as to further the story, or it must be a whole different story, with new characters, ideas, and plot twists. Unfortunately, this movie didn't really do either of those things. Hostel wrapped things up pretty nicely, and as far as a sequel with all new ideas, well it kind of fell short in that department. Hostel: Part II lives up to the original, but it does not supersede it. Did this movie entertain me? Absolutely. Did it live up to my expectations? You bet. Did it earn itself a spot in my yearly top 10? Most definitely.

7.5/10
Crispy #1: Crispy - added October 23, 2007 at 10:25am
Frankly, I'm amazed that you were surprised that this was just rehash of the original. The first one was so one-dimensional there really wasn't a lot of room for growth.
bluemeanie #2: bluemeanie - added October 23, 2007 at 10:46am
I had been talking so much trash about "Hostel Part II", having never seen it -- so I thought I wouldn't knock it until I tried it. I watched it. It does nothing but confirm my belief that Eli Roth is the worst director working today. This was terrible, awful and just plain disgusting. Torture horror is so over, evident in a big way back the lackluster box office performances. I am hoping "Saw IV" bombs this weekend too. That would, hopefully, be the final nail in that coffin. "Hostel Part II" was just nauseatingly bad. Poor Heather Matarazzo. 0/10.
Crispy #3: Crispy - added October 23, 2007 at 1:54pm
From what I understand, the Saw series is contracted up to six movies already, so I think it'll have to be horrible before they close that door. That said, I have hopes for the Saw IV, hopefully it will regain the story emphasis from the first two and not just put all the focus on the torture scenes, which is what kept 3 from ranking up there.
effin #4: effin - added October 23, 2007 at 9:11pm
Can anybody really say they were suprised this movie would be as bad as the first...or any other of eli roth's films. Using alot of makeup to produce gore isn't a film its a crappy idea. Sicking feathers up your butt doesn't make you a chicken, sitting in a directors chair doesn't make you one either.
bluemeanie #5: bluemeanie - added October 24, 2007 at 11:40am
I like this guy. Here, here! "Hostel Part II" just furthers my belief that torture horror is pointless, fruitless and to the detriment of the entire genre right now. It's turning people off from horror rather than turning people on to it -- and that's kind of the point. When Eli Roth directs something that doesn't rely on blood and guts for all of its effect, then I might concede that he has some talent. Until then -- I could make a better movie with 1/2 the budget he has.
bluemeanie #6: bluemeanie - added October 24, 2007 at 11:41am
I mean -- just look the that poster! A girl holding her own head. That poster is designed to disgust people. And it does. It completely turns people off from seeing the film, and horror films, in general. Why use that poster? What does it offer? What does it provide the film?
Tristan #7: Tristan - added October 24, 2007 at 1:49pm
So what if it's supposed to disgust people? At least it's not false advertising. If that poster turns someone off from seeing the film, then it's actually perfect. The kind of people who want to see this film, are the same people who will think that poster is great. That said, I've already ordered a copy of it.
bluemeanie #8: bluemeanie - added October 24, 2007 at 2:56pm
You have me there. It's not false advertising and the people who want to see it will. In two years, however, I have the immediate feeling that the people who want to see films like this will have them sent straight-to-DVD instead of theatrical. Fingers crossed.
Chad #9: Chad - added October 27, 2007 at 7:53pm
I love "torture porn" and I loved the first Hostel, but this... this was disappointing to say the least. 6/10, and I'm being generous with that.
Chad #10: Chad - added October 27, 2007 at 7:54pm
Oh, but I have to admit that I loved the bloodbath scene.
grain of sand #11: grain of sand - added October 29, 2007 at 9:44pm
I don't like these movies, but I saw this in rotterdam and it made me nervous to be american.. so I guess it was effective in that sort of way......
I liked cabin fever, so I won't say I hate Roth, but he sucks
C L #12: C L - added May 15, 2008 at 5:59am
I literally just finished watching this 5 minutes ago, and I really liked it . Not a classic obviously, but it was cool. Bloodbath was awesome, Lauren German is smokin' hot, I liked the ending...7/10.
Shakes #13: Shakes - added July 8, 2008 at 6:01am
You know, I looked up a Stephen King interview the other night... It saddened me rather deeply to hear him literally compare Roth's "Hostel II" to Kubrick's "The Shining" displaying great appreciation for Roth and disappointment for Kubrick's classic. He even went as far as calling Eli Roth a "tremendous talent." Whew. I think the ridiculousness factor speaks for itself. No, it fucking cries out loud. Oh yeah, 1/10
Edd #14: Edd - added July 30, 2008 at 4:03pm
I liked this one better than the first.
bluemeanie #15: bluemeanie - added July 30, 2008 at 4:04pm
That's like saying I liked my first bowel movement better than my second bowel movement.
willowmagic3 #16: willowmagic3 - added August 3, 2008 at 12:34pm
This movie truly was pathetic. For one, people think this is way too "graphic" and shit like that BUT really if you compare it to any other torture film it is mild, compared to something like Ichi The Killer this is like PG-13. LAAAAAAME!
Nirrad #17: Nirrad - added August 4, 2008 at 6:35pm
Reed, I think it was easy for him to compare this movie to "The Shining". I'm not sure, but I think I remember reading an article a few years ago where King said he didn't like "The Shining". I've never read the book, but apparently the movie leaves a lot of good stuff out. I personally didn't care for "The Shining" either. A lot of people that I know like the mini series a lot better.
Tristan #18: Tristan - added August 5, 2008 at 12:14am
So really, you have no idea what you're talking about. "You think you remember" "I never read the book". Yeah, King hated the adaptation, because he didn't like what Kubrick did with the end of the film, primarily. The mini-series was god awful, so the "people you know" are idiots. The Shining was more than just a book-to-screen adaptation. It was a great piece of cinema. If you knew anything about Kubrick, you'd realize just how brilliant the man was, and how great the film is. It's by no means a decent horror movie - it's barely scary at all - but from a technical standpoint, it's quite an achievement, even on a resume like Kubrick's.
Nirrad #19: Nirrad - added August 5, 2008 at 12:44am
Nope, still didn't like the movie. And people on imdb.com like the series as well. Also it's clear I DO know what I'm talking about and you just proved that but confirming that King hated the movie. Thanks.
Nirrad #20: Nirrad - added August 5, 2008 at 12:45am
*by, not but.
Tristan #21: Tristan - added August 5, 2008 at 12:47am
I'm mainly just going for hits here, but thinking you heard something about King not liking it is hardly "knowing what you're talking about". That's reading something in passing, and trying to make a point w/o doing any hard research.
Nirrad #22: Nirrad - added August 5, 2008 at 12:52am
Yeah well, gay! Movie is still overrated.
Tristan #23: Tristan - added August 5, 2008 at 1:08am
Besides, I wasn't saying you were wrong. Just that you didn't know what you were talking about. And why is this conversation not moving to The Shining? It is on here.
Nirrad #24: Nirrad - added August 5, 2008 at 1:22am
Because Hostel II sucks so much that we have to talk about something else. I haven't seen it, and I know it sucks. Thats Shining right there!
George Snow #25: George Snow - added November 1, 2008 at 2:51am
I HATED the original. The first hour of frat boys acting like asses, then the dumbass horror. I had no desire to see Part 2. Then today I rented Love and Mary with Lauren German, and she was good and hot. So, I looked her up at imdb and Hostel 2 is the only other movie she's starred in that's available.

What a good movie this was. It had depth, humor, good characters. Though I have to admit it was really predictable. You could see a mile away the two guys were going to switch attitudes, and since Beth was so rich... I might actually buy this.
bluemeanie #26: bluemeanie - added November 1, 2008 at 4:14am
Sorry -- I have to -- you are certifiably fucking retarded. Depth? Humor?
Is that a joke? Please tell me that's a joke.
Greg Follender #27: Greg Follender - added November 1, 2008 at 11:59am
Down boy... LOL!!!

Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel, Meanie?

Incidentally, I concur with your assessment... just a bit less vociferously ;)

George Snow #28: George Snow - added November 1, 2008 at 2:46pm
I enjoyed the hell out of this.

Here's the difference (IMO) between the first and the second.

The first is straight forward a bunch of dumbass' go on vacation looking to get laid, and end up being tortured and murdered by a group that pays high stakes to do the killing. That's it.

The second has depth within the process of how the clients get the victims. The general backgrounds of these psychos in suits with families. The girls weren't cardboard cutouts who just did the normal stupid ass shit that most people do in horror movies. They stuck together. They used their brains, and it showed in little ways throughout the movie.

It was easy to see how it was going to play out, but for the average viewer would probably be surprised at the guy chickening out and the other guy going at it.

This was a far superior movie in my opinion then the first.

Plus, the girls were gorgeous, and three find actresses. You can't go wrong there.
George Snow #29: George Snow - added November 1, 2008 at 2:49pm
Oh and one last thing. The chick from Welcome to the Dollhouse, her murder is based on fact. There was a woman in New Orleans that used to murder people and bath in their blood. She believed it kept her youthful. I thought that was a great touch.
bluemeanie #30: bluemeanie - added November 1, 2008 at 3:18pm
I guess if this type of film is really your thing, then "Hostel 2" is probably its "Lawrence of Arabia".
George Snow #31: George Snow - added November 1, 2008 at 4:20pm
I wouldn't put it on any best of lists, but it was an entertaining movie. BTW: I'm more of a Casablanca, Roaring Twenties kind of guy.
Crispy #32: Crispy - added November 2, 2008 at 2:03pm
"that used to murder people and bath in their blood. She believed it kept her youthful. I thought that was a great touch. "

That was Countess Elizabeth Bathory. In Hungary. In the turn of the 15th century.
Shakes #33: Shakes - added January 23, 2009 at 6:56am
Awful trash. the truth hurts some times, doesn't it? Eli Roth should be shot. Done...
Greg Follender #34: Greg Follender - added February 4, 2009 at 1:48am
I finally got all the way through this tonight on Showtime in HD...

This isn't Horror... i wasn't frightened or horrified for one second of this film (nor was I surprised or in suspense at any time)... this is simply another exercise in pushing the violence envelope. Even the set-up was a snore...

The first one had at least a bit of novelty to it... this was simply a rehash with pubescent women at the forefront instead of teenage men.
The acting was passable and the cinematography was interesting at times... but other than a morbid curiosity to see what would happen next... nothing was compelling about this film.

At least it had a decent cadence to it... it told a simple enough story and went along at a fairly rapid click... otherwise is was a worthless exercise in puerile violence for violence's sake. Even the death scenes were brutally pedestrian... aside from the Countess Bathory allusion that was an unexpected stand-out. Even that scene was awkwardly done with the girl being slashed from beneath from a supine position without proper leverage...wtf? Bloody unlikely...

Disappointing... but expectedly so...

I remain unimpressed.

4/10
Nirrad #35: Nirrad - added June 24, 2009 at 2:53am
Garbage. The only part I enjoyed was the party about 20 minutes or so into the film. This movie was a big waste of time and doesn't even hold a candle to the original. It was so boring and it probably has the dumbest opening I have ever seen. Oh, I guess I enjoyed the bloodbath scene as well. The two men switching attitudes was retarded as well. Apparently Hostel 3 is in the works, so I'm definitely skipping out on that one. 9.5? Please. More like 3.5/10
Crispy #36: Crispy - added December 7, 2009 at 12:44am
This was just a shell of the first movie; and the first movie was garbage. I'll admit I too dug the bloodbath scene, but everything else was a waste of time. And the ending's little twist gave me a headache from my eyes rolling so hard.
Ginose #37: Ginose - added February 21, 2010 at 3:33pm
..."The Shining" mini-series, as well as the book, suck. King is a hack. I've never met a man with such a dedicated fear of inanimate objects in my life, and even Kubrick realized this, thus making the "hotel" less of a chracter in his adaptation and focusing on the crushing lack of sanity that t he hotel (and its history) cause.

Anyway, yeah, this did suck. I only liked the first because it was a good jab at exploitation in the modern era, but I'm starting to see the lack of realized potential in such a revival on modern audiences. This was shallow, thick and tried to provide a narrative that it just didn't need in order to function well-enough. The gore was even more tame than the first and, although I feel Eli Roth is probably a great guy, who I'd get alongwiht immensly, I don't think he knows the difference between a "fun movie that's good" and a "fun movie". He can't seem to direct either terribly well and, aside from "Cabin Fever", his filmography is showing itself to be as one dimmensional as his take on the genre.
Saw a round-table discussion between Takashi Miike, Guilmero del Toro and Roth at the Cannes screening of Miike's "Gozu", and, although roth shows the same type of utter-fanboyism, his obsession with the violence aspect of film is almost insulting to any decent horror filmmaker and I could almost here Miike and del Toro's eyes rolling as he went on. Like I said, I'm sure I'd get along with the guy, but he's not a talented man.
Here's looking forward to a project by him that is at least functioning as a FILM.
2.7/10
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