Hostel II (2007, Review)
Director: Eli Roth
Cast:Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips, Roger Bart, Richard Burgi
Lionsgate / Unrated / NTSC R1 / 2.35:1 Widescreen / Dolby 5.1 / 94 minutes / PURCHASE
Three chicks are vacationing in Italy and decide to take the train to Prague but get sidetracked when a gorgeous Slovakian woman talks them into going with her to a remote village for a Spa Resort. Of course this is a bad idea as they soon find out, because the towns people help to kidnap people for a high-priced “hunting club” where people pay to torture people to death. It’s not long before the first girl disappears and it only goes downhill from there.
I love that Eli is a fan and even knows who Edwige Fenech and Ruggero Deodato are. Casting those cameos was a very cool nod to fan-boys like myself. The rest of the casting…ugh. I pretty much hated all of the characters, some because of the casting. Some because they were horribly written. Heather Matarazzo as “Lorna” was awful as the uptight and annoying ugly girl who, of course, gets it first. Her death scene was pretty damn cool though. Elizabeth Bathory, anyone?
Aside from a few great set pieces and awesome gore shots, I was pretty bored with the whole thing. The story was weak. Not that it’s vital for me to have a great plot, but come on, keep the shit moving and some action going on. There were less boobs. More penis’ (peni?). Both of which are bad things for me.
****SPOILERS BELOW: Read at OWN RISK!****
Regarding the gore; the Deodato scene with him filleting the guys leg was AWESOME! The tendons and muscles in the foreleg was incredible. And the buzzsaw to the slutty girls head was bru-tal. Pulling the hair out of it was the icing. And the switcheroo where the big, bad dude turns wuss and the wussy guy turns big and bad? C’mon, who didn’t see that coming?
I found this a better film than the original as it goes deeper into the idea that anyone can get anything for money. The scene where there are phone bids put across by rich folks at their pursuits was, for me one of the more terrifying bits of the film. Yes, I agree, the death scene of the gawky irritant was very historic and delved deep into the story of the infamous Countess who contributed to Dracula mythology.
The moral twists were interesting with the immoral man finally finding a heart and conscience with the weedy one finding his machismo: the girl left having her tattoo done paved the way for an interesting third instalment, leaving us all to wonder what it will be like when/if she is in charge. I reckon it would have to be the final instalment with her now destroying the whole place and bringing those responsible for the deaths to bear – depending of course if she has the brass balls and cash sufficient to see it through……we shall see.