Hostel: Part II

Rating: R (for sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language and some drug content)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Written and Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Lauren German, Bijou Phillips, Heather Matarazzo, Roger Bart, Richard Burgi, Vera Jordanova

Summer 2007 might be the most saturated movie sequel season I’m able to recollect. And amidst all the pirates, ogres, superheroes (both fantastic and spider-like), and casino heists, we’re given Hostel: Part II – which doesn’t quite feel like an appropriate summer release. I dug the first one quite a bit (you might remember my predominately positive review). But this second outing in the franchise is a haphazardly mixed bag – in some ways superior, in some ways downright disappointing.

The flick picks up right where it left off (which is nice), finishing the tale of Paxton (Jay Hernandez) whom we last saw riding off on a train minus a few fingers. After a brief conclusion to his story, we immediately move on to three girls – Beth (Lauren German), Whitney (Bijou Phillips), and Lorna (Heather Matarazzo) – studying abroad in Prague. They meet up with this mysterious, seductive girl Axelle (Vera Jordanova) who convinces them to detour their trip to Slovakia. They check into the famed hostel from the first flick and are immediately put up for auction to the highest bidder. What are those interested bidding for you might ask? The right to kill our doomed heroines. The girls get kidnapped and bad stuff happens. That’s pretty much it.

The acting isn’t bad. And I liked the flick’s ambitions, particularly its introspective approach towards those bidding for the kill. There’s a great sequence where all these successful businessmen and suburban dads are whipping out their palm pilots or jetting to their laptops to key in their bid. And you get a better knowledge of the inner workings of the factory where the murders take place this time. It’s so casual in its portrayal, more tongue-in-cheek than unsettling – an interesting social commentary on seeking power and the ultimate thrill, as well as money’s cursed power. The flick actually spends a fair amount of time developing and getting to know Todd (Richard Burgi) and Stuart (Roger Bart) – who have won their auction. That the film grants equal attention to both sides of the slaughtering fence is a welcome approach. The best scene bar none has no dialogue or sound save for a haunting classical score, as Todd and Stuart suit up and prepare to enter their respective torture chambers. The way it plays out is beautifully morose – the best sequence Roth has directed.

Roth’s direction continues to elevate on this, his third cinematic effort, showing a noticeable maturity. His camerawork and use of color and lighting is quite apt. And like Quentin Tarantino (cinematic kin of Roth and producer of the Hostel films), he wears his influences on his sleeves. The film is packed with references to classic horror cinema, particularly those of the Italian giallo persuasion – even managing to incorporate cameos from sultry giallo icon Edwige Feneche (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Hold the Key) and actor Luc Merenda (Torso, Kidnap Syndicate), both of which came out of retirement specifically to act for Roth. That the guy has such a working knowledge and profuse love for the genre only aids his talent. His script is at par, but is lacking the articulate, sardonic and often vibrant tongue-in-cheek dialogue present in his past efforts.

My biggest complaint is that this is basically the EXACT same movie as Hostel but with three girls instead of three guys, with the same plot arc. Hostel pushed the barriers for American cinema in its sheer graphic audacity. Granted it’s genuinely a walk in Candy Land if you’re accustomed to Asian or European horror, or anything of the grindhouse or giallo variety. Nevertheless, the first film had copious amounts of blood, gore, sex and nakedness. Part II is a step backwards in content, and feels awkwardly restrained for the genre (despite that I found it more unsettling to see/hear girls screaming in tortured agony this time around than the guys in part one). Sure, there’s blood, violence and naked people, but it’s a mild R. The reason I bring this up is there’s something curious in this realization – stripping away the “shock” value of the on-screen content leaves the flick feeling like merely a recycled second lap with few points of merit. And the scenes interconnect sometimes in an empty, disjointed fashion. There needed to be some buffer to merge everything together between scenes. More meat, if you will (sorry, had to).

That being said, I had a blast watching the film. It’s not a great sequel, but not an awful one. The greatest strike against it is that Roth has made me build up high expectations of him thus far. I foresee his status as a master of horror somewhere on the horizon… I just don’t think this film is that great a leap towards it.

My Rating: C