Hostel Part II
There are a couple of rules when it comes to horror movie sequels. And all of them involve more, as in more grisly, more dead bodies, more back-story and more fun. Director Eli Roth only really delivers on one of those in Hostel Part II, to the disappointment of anyone who liked the first Hostel, which hinted at a return to form for political horror with its “subtle” commentary on American hegemony.
According to an interview in Fangoria, Roth began working on the script for the sequel right after the profitable opening weekend of Hostel. That’s a quick turnaround. And it shows.
Paxton (Jay Hernandez), who survived the torture chamber in the first film, is back for the prologue of Hostel Part II. His presence is sorely missed as the film moves on to the story of three American girls: Beth (Lauren German), Lorna (Heather Matarazzo) and Whitney (Bijou Phillips looking slightly intoxicated as usual) on a study abroad art trip in Europe. Apparently, every movie with three female protagonists must follow Charlie’s Angels precedent and have a smart girl, a dumb girl and a slut. Guess which ones get it?
One of the class’ s nude models, Axelle (deliciously Euro-trashy Vera Jordanova) invites the girls to Slovakia under the guise of nonstop parties, posh spas, and local hot springs. The franchise’s theme of a world that is resentful and fraught with danger for Americans is quickly established in the train ride to Slovakia where menacing European men intimidate the girls.
A parallel plot fulfills the sequel rule for exploring the back-story of the villain, or in this case, the institution, by following two men who are about to embark on their first torture session. The film is at its best in these scenes, which reveal the far-reaching influence and deep pockets of the Elite Hunting group members. However, the attempt to psychoanalyze the motivations of each man degenerates into fairly predictable, dime store alpha/beta male insights.
It doesn’t help matters that half of the supposedly grisly set pieces are ripped off from other films or that the production values inexplicably appear to have decreased from the first movie despite the bigger budget. I can only hope the extra money didn’t go to the slightly higher profile cast of the sequel, since everyone except German as Beth turns in a bland or outright irritating performance. Admittedly, the script doesn’t give them much to work with.
All of this might have been forgivable if Hostel Part II was fun, but, apart from an oddly beautiful carnival sequence, it’s not. It drags on, then ends abruptly on a nihilistically cynical note about humanity and global terror one-upmanship.
If Hostel and Cabin Fever prove anything, it is that Roth is more talented than this latest effort shows. Ambitious ideas and stylistic talent are still recognizable amidst the flayed corpse that is Hostel Part II. Like the film’s Elite Hunting ring, I’m going to chalk this sequel up to a soulless for-profit operation.
© 2007 Robyn Citizen. All rights reserved.
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