Checking in Again
Hostel II Gets Less Gory, More Engaging

It's not often that I have to rent a movie for the purposes of seeing a sequel. This, however, was the case with the release of Hostel: Part II. I had missed the first, despite the fanboy buzz about director Eli Roth's cutting edge horror. So, I rented the original to catch up. Even for a slasher film, it managed to shock me. I wasn't looking forward to seeing more. To my surprise, the sequel turned out to be the better movie.

Hostel: Part II
Beth (Lauren German) wishes she had stayed at the Four Seasons in Hostel: Part II. Photo credit: Rico Torres. (Lionsgate, 2007)
Directed by: Eli Roth
Written by: Eli Roth
Starring: Lauren German, Roger Bart, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips, Richard Burgi, and Vera Jordanova

Rated R (for sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language and some drug content)
Running time: 93 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 6 out of 10.

Whereas Hostel dealt with three young men backpacking through Europe, Part II centers on three female American students studying abroad. Beth (Lauren German) and her two friends are planning to spend the weekend partying in Prague.

Following an invitation from a woman they meet on the train, the three decide to visit a spa in Slovakia. Of course, they inevitably check in at a familiar hostel.

As we learned in the original movie, this hostel is like a roach motel for students. Drawn to the allure of the region, young people check in but they don't check out. The girls have hardly had time to drop off their luggage before their passport photos are being transmitted across the globe to wealthy men and women who bid for the chance to murder them.

The women have little in the way of characterization. Beth (Graham) looks a bit like Liv Tyler, and we've been told that she inherited her mom's fortune at a young age. Whitney (Bijou Phillips) is the party girl, always ready to flirt and get high. Then there's Lorna (Heather Matarazzo), a fledgling artist who emotes her every feeling while journaling about her experiences. Lorna is the odd duck, the hanger on, and it's clear that she's the most likely first victim.

Of course, a woman in danger in a horror movie is nothing new. Beth's companions disappear one by one, and it becomes clear that she too will become a victim. The story isn't suspenseful. Anyone who has seen Hostel knows what awaits our American travelers. Nevertheless, this film is marginally better. The story is still a bit predictable, but the characters are more interesting.

To my surprise, Roth had a different take on this film, fleshing out both the heroes and villains. For the first time, the audience meets Sasha (Milan Knazko), the man behind Elite Hunting, and gets a look at the heart of the operation. Likewise, we get to know two of the would-be killers, Todd (Richard Burgi) and Stuart (Roger Bart). The villains are no longer nameless monsters. The reversal is frightening, and it makes for a more engaging movie.

Ironically, for a horror sequel, Hostel: Part II is toned down. Missing from this movie are the copious amounts of sex, nudity, drug use, and grotesque torture. There are torture scenes, but they don't hold a candle to the gut-wrenching brutality of the first film. While this may disappoint Roth's fan base, it may open the film to a somewhat wider audience.

Make no mistake, Hostel: Part II isn't for the squeamish. Scenes of violence and gore are still the core of this movie. There is some nudity as well. Overall, though, Hostel: Part II offers a pulse-pounding hour and a half of terror, with a few moments of macabre humor thrown in for good measure.