Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Lauren German, Roger Bart, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips, Richard Burgi, Vera Jordanova
Classification: 18
After finding success with Hostel two years ago, Quentin Tarantino's protege is back with his latest horror offering, Hostel II. It picks up where the first film ended, following Paxton (Jay Hernandez) back to America after his hellish ordeal in Slovakia. He's not in it for long before Roth switches his attention to Beth (Lauren German), Whitney (Bijou Phillips) and Lorna (Heather Matarazzo), three Americans trotting across Europe. Befriended in Rome by the glamourous Axelle (Vera Jordanova), she leads them to the ominous hostel in Slovakia. Needless to say it's not improved since our last visit there, and the girls land themselves in a whole world of trouble.
The location may be as foreboding as ever, but the focus of the film has changed. Where our sole viewpoint was that of the backpackers in the first film, this time around Roth presents us with a backstory and viewpoint of two of the killers, Stuart and Todd. Played by Roger Bart and Richard Burgi, it's interesting to watch them recreate their Desperate Housewives characters with such gusto in Eastern Europe (fans will recognise them as George and Carl respectively). This, to me, is almost the film's downfall. The first film created suspense and tension as we wondered about the motives of the killers, which granted the 'reveal' that they're just men paying to get their kicks out of killing innocent tourists so much more horrifying. Now we know who they are, it's difficult to bring yourself to care.
Naturally, the premise of the film allows Roth to indulge in his almost theatrical concept of death, as we see one man being gradually eaten alive, another girl tortured with a circular saw, and another used as a human tap for a woman's blood bath. All of these should keep the gorehounds happy, and the makeup effects are, as ever, second to none. However, it gives rise to the peculiar sensation that on one hand, it feels as if Roth has upped the gore quotient from the first film (a lot was heard or implied but not seen in Hostel), but on the other, the whole experience feels somewhat anodyne and sanitised. Where the first film was grungy and gritty, this one feels too polished and clean. There are also whole sections of the film where nothing much happens, and rather than this creating an air of gripping suspense as the audience wonders what will happen next, it provokes feelings of boredom and impatience as we hope he'll just hurry up and get on with it. He strings out the 'plot' too long before finally getting to the 'horror' part, and I think he's in desperate need of a suspense masterclass from Alexandre Aja. It confirmed my suspicion that Roth has flashes of brilliance but they're simply that - flashes. Hostel II is by no means a bad film - it's still enjoyable, stuffed an almost campy sense of the grotesque, and the makeup and sets are as fantastic as ever. If you liked the first film, you might be disappointed that it lacks the black comedy that made Hostel so refreshing, but you'll probably enjoy the exploration of the psychology behind the killers. Sadly I think Roth's psychological explanation of Stuart's behaviour is almost pitiable for being so 'obvious', but he has created a fabulous Final Girl in Beth, who clearly ranks alongside The Descent's Sarah and Severance's Maggie as being one of the hardest women in recent horror cinema. If you like horror, I would recommend you check it out at some stage, since the few kills do tick most of the slasher boxes, but if you're after straight violence, go and see Die Hard 4.0 instead!
Rating 3/5