tdrish With the high expectations I had from the original Hostel, and actually exceeding those expectations from me, I had similar hopes for Hostel Part II. Unfortunately this movie was beyond disappointment. I would love to point out, absolutely nothing happens, and the movie is already halfway done. Okay. The film is not living up to its name. Fifteen minutes to go, and it has yet to live up to what made Hostel a great movie. What exactly made Hostel a good movie? Well, it was directed well, well written, the story was pretty good for a horror movie, and the gore was off the charts. Plus, it was scary. None of those things can be said for Hostel Part II. Most victims are female, and it has way less bloodshed then the original, in my opinion. I don't see why this movie was made. Probably because Mr. Roth wanted a name for himself, which he got. It's sad, because I thought it was going to be good, it picks up right where Hostel left off, only to fall flat with a "made you look" moment. I can't spoil what that is, but you won't be waiting long to know what I'm talking about. By the time the "good" stuff starts happening, it's way too late to repent for what we've already watched. The first half is just a lot of filler, and a lot of scenes are just an excuse to make this a feature film. Yes. I can tell. Bottom line: This is a lousy sequel to a good movie. I think Eli Roth is very talented, but he wastes it on stuff like this, and makes me ill to think that he can do better...but won't. 4 out of 10 stars.

baileygiannini Hostel (2005) was as terrible as watching paint dry. However, this sequel to the first film takes a new all time low. I wouldn't rewatch this movie even if you paid me. This is far more worse than the first film. It's practically the same movie again, this time with the opposite sex. Having women being the victims and tortured is way more disgusting and sick than watching the men in the first film go through it. If anyone has any brains at all, they will certainly want to do a petition to ban all Hostel films from the US. The one after this awful sequel is the only one that's okay. Hostel Part II features more body parts ripping to shreds and more full frontal nudity. Swearing is here in this film again and it doesn't let up. There's really not much else to say except, the acting is terrible, the special effects are way to gruesome, no imaginary creativitay was done while this movie was in the shooting process and it's just garbage all around. It's a film that I only keep around to remind me of my Grandma. Other than that, I would've thrown it away in the trash can outside of my house a long time ago. The storyline's boring as anything possible. I'd rather look up in the sky and see different shapes of clouds than watch this terrible garbage that was made to rip horror fans off once again. Awful directions and very poorly written was the script when Eli Roth wrote it. Cabin Fever was better than this. I'm waiting to see if Eli Roth can come up with something truly terrifying, not the same rehashed garbage that other filmmakers having been putting out for years on end. From me, this is a huge thumbs down.For an overall rating, I give Hostel Part II0 Stars. (Why the heck did I watch this terrible piece of garbage?)

MaximumMadness It has been a curious but longstanding tradition in the world of horror for many a franchise to eventually make the turn towards the comedic. Whether it be the result of a frustrated studio trying to re-brand a series, a strong-minded filmmaker trying to explore his stories in a new light or even just an attempt at re-vitalizing waning audience interest by trying something new, the turn from the horrific to the humorous is well-known in this particular genre. Though it has ended up turning out very mixed results, the fact is that often enough, it does work. And work darned well. New classics like "Evil Dead II" or self-aware satires like "Bride of Chucky" being prime examples of the turn to comedy done very well. And I do believe that among the successes of this trend sits Eli Roth's insane follow-up "Hostel: Part II." A sequel that in many ways feels like a bit of parody poking fun at the excessive controversy caused by the original.Subversion and anarchy are the name of the game in this installment, which takes the same structure as the first movie, but constantly and consistently turns it on its head, to the point that by the climactic final reel, you won't even have a clue what to expect anymore. It's a refreshing take on the horror sequel, especially at its time of release, when episodic franchises like the underrated "Saw" and lousy re-treading reboots were beginning to take over. It was great fun to see a sequel that had the gall to stand up and say "No, I am what I am. I'm not going to be more of the same. I'm not going to continue the exact same story. Nor am I going to just repeat what came before."We follow two parallel and seemingly disconnected story lines this time around, both providing two wonderfully entertaining new perspectives on the structure of the original. The first following a group of female college art-students (Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips), who are vacationing in Europe and are eventually tricked into visiting the infamous "Hostel" seen in the last film, where they may very well become its latest victims. At the same time, Stuart (Roger Bart), a meek American man is pressured by his best friend Todd (Richard Burgi) to accompany him to same location where he hopes to take part in the deadly services offered by "Elite Hunting." Eventually, these two story lines will come together in a disturbing and darkly hilarious finale of pure mayhem and carnage from which not everyone will escape.Writer/director Eli Roth specializes in extreme and wickedly over- the-top content, and I do think this is among his strongest work. While his more recent films (such as the bizarre "Green Inferno") has tended to lean towards the ridiculous and sloppy, here, his style works well to benefit the story he is telling. I can't help but feel that he set out to make this film almost as a joke on the over-reaction audiences had towards the first film. Here, he relishes on twisting and turning the story in virtually every single scene. The most clever aspect of it being in how slavishly it adheres to the structure of the original, leading to a false sense of security as you try to guess what's coming next... only for the rug to be pulled out from under you over and over thanks to the radical new humorous tone and the unexpected twists and twists-on-twists. You think you know the first "Hostel" good enough to see what's coming? Think again. The incredibly wicked humor injected into the otherwise dark and dreary sequences adds wonderful new layers to the movie, making it so much fun to behold.The production is absolutely fabulous. In addition to Roth's cool and collected visual storytelling, the cinematography is just spell- binding and gorgeous. From the beautiful views of the Slovokian countryside to the twisted contrast of red blood against stone walls underground in the torture rooms, this is one pretty movie. Nathan Burr's music is classic in every sense, with an old school flair that I just adored. And the set and production design is phenomenal. Just wait till you see some of the "themed rooms" on display here. The cast is also a blast and a half. German makes for an instantly likable protagonist. Matarazzo is just adorable. And Roger Bart just steals the show as a self-doubting man who doesn't know whether or not he can go through with actually killing another human being. Fantastic role with great pathos and internal turmoil.As it stands, "Hostel: Part II" is a wildly entertaining ride through Hell and a great subversive follow-up to the original. It successfully and skillfully makes that change-up from straight horror to pitch- black comedy with ease. And it's just so much fun to watch thanks to Eli Roth's clever script and top-notch visuals. It may turn off some fans who were hoping for a more traditional follow-up, but for those with an open mind, it's a great time.I give it a very strong 8 out of 10.

SnoopyStyle Paxton (Jay Hernandez) is haunted by his experiences and is hiding out with his girlfriend. However the organization tracks him down and beheads him. In Rome, heiress Beth (Lauren German), Whitney (Bijou Phillips) and depressed Lorna (Heather Matarazzo) are enticed by nude model Axelle (Vera Jordanova) to go to Slovakia. Rich American friends Todd (Richard Burgi) and Stuart (Roger Bart) win the auction to kill Beth and Lorna.The rule of the horror sequel is to go bigger and more extreme. I don't think it achieves that in most respect. This time they're going with girls which does up the stakes in terms of horror. I'm always surprised by the use of guys in the original. I really like the literal blood bath. I think it's imaginative and wonderfully staged.What I don't like is getting to know the killers. They are rather bland individuals. They are not compelling although they're played by two good character actors. It's not a good way for the sequel to go bigger. The only way it would work is if Eli Roth could write some amazing dialog like Tarantino. Sadly, he's not a dialog man. After the blood bath, the movie becomes boring. The other effect of focusing more on the killer is that the girls get less time. I don't really care about these girls after awhile.There's also an over-use of the Bubble Gum Gang. The movie keeps trying to be funny. It's not campy enough to be funny in that way. It doesn't have good enough jokes to be funny in any other way. If I didn't like the blood bath so much, I might have rank this even lower.