5/5 Even better than the first movie!
  by Saint Thomas (Kent, Ohio)
Most people either love Eli Roth or they hate him. Most of the commen complaints regarding his films are usually about his quirky and strange direction style (think David Lynch during his TWIN PEEKS days), his over the top use of gore and nudity (which is something that we FRIDAY THE 13TH fans have all seen before) and the unfair label by the public that he started the whole new trend in Horror called "Torture Porn." The last one is just a brush off comment if you ask me. Eli Roth is way beyond a simple label such as that. It's just something people say in order to sound like they're "above it." I'm willing to bet that half of those people haven't even seen any of the HOSTEL films.

I myself am a huge Eli Roth fan. I've seen most of his movies in theaters. I knew Roth was a good director from the start. CABIN FEVER pretty much kicked the door open for him. It was just a matter of time before he started to get the kind of recognition that he truly deserved.

From the moment HOSTEL II went into theaters, me and a few of my "choice" friends (those who I think appreciate this type of thing) were there in a heart beat! As the movie progressed on, we couldn't believe how wonderfully this sequel was crafted! It's not your typical sequel, "paint by the numbers" film either. HOSTEL II takes the idea from the first movie and expands it into a new and more terrifying direction. This time, the quirky humor is on over load and that makes things all the more scary. It's Eli Roth's dark sense of humor and smirking outlook on society that makes his movies so strange and intense.

A friend of mine watched this movie a while back with his girlfriend and when I asked him what he thought of it, he didn't have much to say. I was shocked at his response because I (and the friends that I watched the movie with) instantly fell in love with this sequel. We even liked it better than the first. Anyways, when I asked him what exactly he didn't enjoy about this movie, he didn't give me a straight forward answer. To me, it seemed like he didn't even watch the movie. What it all boiled down for him was that he was bored and didn't think it was a necessary sequel. He just couldn't get into it, or rather thats what I gathered from his vague statements. I would imagine that's the same way most people view Eli Roth's films.

So I asked my friend, "Did we even see the same movie!?!" I just couldn't believe he was brushing it off like that. HOSTEL II, which I came away from awstruck and amazed, he had very little to say on the matter. Go figure. I have come to the conclusion that no matter what the movie is, if it's a sequel, people are going to hate it. You might have a little saving grace if it's a number two or three, but for the most part people hate sequels. No matter what number it is. Sometimes there is an exception to that rule like THE AMITYVILLE HORROR part II or ALIENS. I myself usually enjoy sequels, unless they're real stinkers like the horrible sequel to 978-EVIL.

Anyways, HOSTEL II is better than it's original for a number of reasons. The creep factor is definitely up. People always seem to be conspiring against one another. Also, the movie has a very "Italian Giallo Horror" vibe about it. Along the lines of Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA and DEEP RED. Another positive thing about this sequel is the light that is shed into the world of this "killing cult." You get a real good idea of how powerful and crazy these people are! They're brooding and sinister, kidnapping people without remorse. Last but not least is the gore factor. Pumped up to notch ten on the gore scale, HOSTEL II is definitely not for the squeamish! Torture scenes last a very long time, some of them really gruesome! My favorite being the Elizabeth Bathory themed one. You just have to see it to understand it.

The story of the movie is the fundamental opposite of the first movie. Instead of just the guys getting it the worst, this time it's the girls who go under the knife! It's simple and it works, mainly because HOSTEL is the type of plot that doesn't need to be changed around all that much. This "death cult" of business men (and lunatics) is just too powerful for things to change too much between the first and second film. They pay, they kill and they cover it up. For some people, this story might just be a cheap excuse for torture and killing. I would have to say those people don't read between the lines. There is a smarter and more sarcastic message behind Roth's films.

Over all, I would have to say this is one of the few perfect sequels. Eli Roth knows what he's doing and it seems like he's going to be one of the best Horror directors in the genre. So far he's got a good list of films under his belt (CABIN FEVER, HOSTEL and HOSTEL II) and with production coming from Quentin Tarantino, his future in the Horror business looks bright.

Gore Hounds, do I even need to say it? Check it out! Fans of strange cinema, also check it out. Don't listen to all the negative reviews out there. Those people don't know what they're talking about. They wouldn't know a bad sequel if it ran up and bit them in the leg! This is far from a bad sequel. HOSTEL II is a rare case where the sequel is actually better than the original.

This movie isn't for everybody. If graphic death, torture and buckets of blood shed isn't your cup of tea, then it's time to rent or buy something else. If you want to know what the amazing director Eli Roth is all about (in terms of cinema) just watch the HOSTEL films. You need an open mind and a sarcastic opinion about society in general. HOSTEL II is a warped look in the cracked mirror of life. Some people get it, some people don't.

Over and out!

1/5 A bitter disappointment!
  by Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela)
Hostal is one of these gore films who start with a promise and stranded in the middle of nowhere. The film presents terrible problems of edition entangled confused and unfinished script (What about with the second missing girl?, for instance; What about the dark origins for this disturbed society?).

The essential codes for a gruesome project like this have been showed in Dario Argento's previous films for instance in which the dark elements are conclusively exposed and deciphered.

A real disappointment because the film began with a very dramatic premise.


1/5 Depraved.
  by GangstaLawya (TimBuckToo)
I must confess, the bloodlust of the characters was very believable. They must have used Israeli nationals for those parts. Eli Roth sure writes some depraved stuff. And his racist portrayal of slovakians is quite alarming. What was his inspiration? The Talmud?

4/5 Not as good as the original, but still worth watching.
  by John McClung (Freehold, NY USA)
Hostel Part II has gotten mixed reviews and I can understand why. It has the same setting and some of the same characters as Hostel, and even the same plot to a certain extent. It is also produced by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Eli Roth once again. However, there are big differences. Allow me to explain the plot. This sequel starts where the original left off, with Paxton found asleep on a train and then admitted to a hospital, but the focus quickly shifts to three female college students studying in Rome. During an art class, they meet a beautiful young woman who lures them to Slovakia with the promise of natural hot springs and relaxation. Once these three arrive, they begin to be captured, one by one, by the same underground torture club seen in the first movie. However, in this movie, the torturers aren't nearly as mean and sadistic as those in the first. We are introduced to two new-comers to the club who have never killed before. One of these men is tough, but the other keeps having second thoughts. In fact, once this second man is in the torture room with his victim tied up, he decides to try to escape with her, and from that point on there are several other plot twists. The main problem I have with Hostel Part II is that it isn't as action-packed as its predecessor. Part II spends too much time showing how the murder-for-profit business is run, and not enough time on the actual torture. The torture scenes are just as good as those in the first movie, especially one which is a literal bloodbath, but there aren't enough of them. This movie could have been much better. The first time I watched it, I was shocked at how soon it was over. Watching it a second time I had a deeper appreciation for it, but its' still somewhat of a disappointment. A website called Slashfilm called it "more violent, intense, and bloody than the original", and while I must admit it is more bloody, it has less violence and is not nearly as intense. Watch Hostel Part II and decide for yourself. Special features include the following:
-Deleted scenes.
-'Hostel Part II: The Next Level' featurette.
-'The Art of KNB Effects' featurette.
-Production design featurette.
-'Hostel Part II: A Legacy of Torture' international TV special.
-'Blood & Guts' gag reel.
-"The Treatment" radio interview with Eli Roth.
-3 commentary tracks.
In conclusion, Hostel Part II contains my favorite scene from either movie, but on the whole I found Hostel to be the better movie. I still recommend this, however, if you enjoyed the first movie. Perhaps you will have a different opinion.

3/5 Really? You think it's that bad?
  by Jean-rené Leroux
That's funny. The majority of the reviews are not that good. People seem to dislike this film. I, on the other hand, did enjoy it. I even liked it better than the first one. I liked the fact that you learn more about the trap, about the way the secret organization works, the way they send their victim's picture on people's cell phone and so on. I liked the fact that women are the victims instead of men (not because i'm deranged but because, as a man, i want to protect women. And all men, once in their life, has dreamnt of being a white knight in shining armor saving an helpless princess - in this film, we get to imagine ourselves saving these poor women). I liked the fact that the two brothers participating in these torture games have second thoughts. They might even change their minds and save those girls. In terms of emotion, there's nothing like a bad character trying to be good.

So, the special effects were the same as the first one. The tension was the same. The process was the same. But you add more emotion. So i enoyed it better than the first one. Plus, they finally showed those strange little kids on a more human level (ok they play soccer with a severed head but still...), meaning that they were scared and they were more or less easily shoved aside by one of the woman. Before, they just seemed like little superhuman devils that nothing could intimidate.

In all, i'd like to see Eli Roth make a third and final one in which you'd see an international police force dismantled the whole sick organization. A perfect way to end a possible trilogy.