Posted: 06/11/2007

Hostel II

(2007)

by Tony Liccardello

Eli Roth has turned a premise that had the potential to be a genuinely creepy and horrifying story into a total schlock-fest. While a slight improvement over the first installment, Hostel: Part II is a predictable, cliché-ridden mess. It unsuccessfully tries to make up for its lack of story by cramming in some seriously over-the-top violence. What is surprising about the film is how long it actually takes for the story to get going. Nearly half of the film is a setup for the all to familiar conclusion that we have already seen once before.

The story opens up nicely, beginning exactly where the last one ended. We see Jay Hernandez’s wounded character on a train being rescued by authorities. They do a good job with the short introduction of connecting the two films and hinting at what is to come. Unfortunately, that really is one of the few positives about this film. It is basically a copy-and-paste version of Hostel, except the protagonists are women. Three girls go on vacation, get tricked into going to Slovakia, and end up at the warehouse where you can pay a hefty sum to kill someone however you want.

So much potential is wasted here. They do very little to dive into any backstory on how the Hostel came to be, fail in developing any of the characters, and fail in creating an interesting story. Roth seems to be more concerned with killing his characters in unimaginable ways (there is a good one in there) then creating a balanced film filled with horror and suspense. They sort of toy with some potentially unique ideas like the eBay-esque auctioning of people to kill and how Hostel graduates seem to be prevalent in the upper echelon of societies. The film also tries to hint at the idea that anyone could be a killer. But all these are for nothing. They are mere random segments peppered into a story that is an excuse for some seriously intense torture sequences. Much like the first installment, way too much time is devoted to complete nonsense. We spend half of the film watching them take an art class painting nude models, partying on a train, and talking. It is much more boring than it sounds.

While the violence featured is extreme, they really only take place in a few scenes. The camera cuts away so quickly in one particular event, you are left scratching your head and wondering, “Are they playing this on DVD up there and did the movie just skip?” Imagine someone running towards a window, then the next thing you see is the person dead lying outside, all bloodied up. If Eli Roth wants to be such a bad ass known for violent crappy film, why the awkward cuts?

Besides Lauren German’s role as Beth, the lead actresses suck as hard as Live Free and Die Hard getting a PG-13 rating. Seriously now, how did the crew not speak up in being witnesses to some seriously horrendous acting? There really is nothing new to see with Hostel: Part II, which you didn’t see in Hostel or a dozen other horror movies. It is predictable, but more importantly, bad movies like these make us appreciate the good ones.

I remember being disappointed and disliking the original Hostel. I thought that, with a better script and a much more talented director like David Fincher, it could have been something special. Ruining a great premise feels like putting a buck into a vending machine for that last bag of Skittles, only for it to get stuck on its way down. These two films could very well be the start of a franchise of other Hostel(s). Here is hoping that someone with some writing ability becomes attached to the next one.

Grade: D

Tony Liccardello is a writer and film critic living in Chicago.

Got a problem? E-mail us at filmmonthly@gmail.com