In one of our recent WTF episodes, we covered the eye-gouging, eastern European-set filthy shenanigans of Eli Roth’s nicely messed up torture porn movie, Hostel. The film helped pave the way for the exploitation horror subgenre to thrive in the early 2000s, and followed a group of American tourists who get a lot more than they bargained for during a trip to the lovely picturesque country of Slovakia. Poor lads. All they wanted was some promiscuous sex with hot European ladies, but they weren’t counting on a shady organization dishing out decapitation and slit throats, as a side dish to the fornication. The movie, according to the tagline, was ‘based upon true events’ and whether or not you believe this claim, it’s nothing if not brutally demented in parts. So, like any other horror movie that manages to whip up a frenzy with critics and fans alike, plus a decent box office return, a sequel was inevitable. Although the fevered response to the movie may have been mixed, audiences had a taste for Slovakian-based bloodshed, and Eli Roth was just the man to deliver it. Again. However, with a promise that the grisly ante was going to be upped significantly in the sequel, could Roth prove that the decent premise of the first movie could be expanded upon in the sequel? Well, instead of three horndogs who were punished for their wild hedonism in part one, Roth is focusing on female protagonists / victims this time around. Would this ultimately lead to an outrageous sequel, filled to the brim with inventive gore, or would it leave audiences feeling numb, rather than enthralled? Let’s find out, here on WTF Happened to Hostel: Part II (watch it HERE).

Since Hostel: Part One was released back in 2005, almost twenty years ago which seems insane in itself, horror has found itself at the mercy of several trends. The Scream franchise had managed to become even more post, post-modern, while J-horror was flying the flag for manky-haired spirits hell-bent on vengeance. Then, partly thanks to Eli Roth’s first Hostel movie, ‘torture porn’, also known as ‘gorno’ was born; a subgenre of horror that liked to bait the censors with over the top, gratuitous violence. Unlike J-horror, which utilizes jump scares and internal fears to scare audiences, with largely bloodless efficiency, gorno movies go all out with excessive blood-shed. With its roots firmly set in 70s exploitation, gorno movies elicit fear by lingering on excruciating pain, voyeuristic camerawork and a penchant for inventive mutilation.

After Hostel had torn a new hole in the horror world, Roth quickly conceived of a sequel that would be set straight after the events of the first movie, but this time ‘upping the ante’ by focusing on the three female protagonists. Quentin Tarantino returned as executive producer, alongside Boaz Yakin and Scott Spiegel while it was produced by Mike Fleiss, Chris Briggs and Roth himself. Casting on the three female protagonists was crucial, with them all inhabiting particular character traits. The main role of sensible Beth Salinger went to American actress Lauren German who had impressed Roth with her part in 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with the director saying that, “Lauren has a sense of humor, but she can also handle those horrific, intense moments,” explained Roth. “I needed an actress who would be so vulnerable and so likable, but then really strong when she needs to be. Even though Lauren probably weighs ninety pounds soaking wet and looks like a princess, you feel like she’s kicking ass.” Roth Cast Heather Matarazzo for the part of nerdy Lorna, and the actress flew to Los Angeles to read for the part, unaware that Roth was actually meeting with her to offer her the role in person. Almost Famous and Bully star Bijou Phillips was cast as the feisty Whitney after impressing Roth in her audition and all three leads have plenty to do in the movie to prove they were worth casting.

The movie’s narrative kicks off soon after the events of part one and we meet up with Paxton, who survived the tasty shenanigans of the first movie, and was able to escape the Elite Hunting Club. He’s suffering from PTSD and, following an argument with his girlfriend (played by Jordan Ladd), his headless corpse is found in the kitchen and his head delivered to the EHC’s boss Sasha Rassimov. The action then switches to Rome where the three college girls are studying art, and are enticed to a Slovakian spa by new acquaintance Axelle (played by Vera Jordanova). Up until this point the girls adventure is in stark contrast to the fun the lads were having, until they were brutally maimed of course, in part one. The carnal playground from the first movie is swapped for what is an incredibly threatening environment for the girls, with a trip to Prague being ruined by an assortment of dubious guys. So, when they’re offered the chance to visit a seemingly beautiful Slovakian spa, they jump at the chance. Humorously, Roth jokes around with their innocent curiosity by cutting straight to the hostel of the movie’s title, just after one of the characters wonders out loud about where exactly they’ll be staying. Hint: it’s not exactly The Bel-Air…

Hostel: Part II is ultimately a decent second entry in the franchise and, despite not being quite as inventive as the first film, it still packs some tasty gore into its lean one hour and thirty four minute runtime, even if it runs out of steam a touch early. Roth seems to enjoy playing with a bigger budget; the VFX is a blood-splattered delight in places, with one scene ensuring the local fake blood store probably had to be raided in case of multiple takes. The production design and cinematography also have the look of a director more in command of his powers, and more confident in crafting a suitably fucked up sequel. However, while the opening act reminds us of what worked so well in part one, the movie soon runs out of gory enough ideas to satiate hardcore gore-hounds, with the exception of two moments towards the movie’s conclusion that were as unintentionally hilarious as they were disturbing. And no, I don’t mean the gnarly scene in which a Hannibal Lecter wannabe (played by Cannibal Holocaust director Ruggero Deodato) slices the flesh off some poor bloke and eats it like a prime cut of Argentinian beef. In fact, Roth riffs on the Hostel being like a steakhouse when one character is seen with a buzzer to alert him when his girl is captured; much like one you’d be given at your local steakhouse. The buzzer that is, not the girl!

One of the more predictable, but welcome, plot points this time around, is that we find out more about the nefarious organization behind the sadistic torturing of the unfortunate victims. The Elite Hunting Club uses the hostel as ground zero for procuring said victims, and also where they stage online auctions for the sick and twisted victimizers to bid on. We’re introduced to two of the successful bidders early on in the movie; the brash overconfident Todd (played by Richard Burgi), who wants to enhance his deluded tough guy image by committing real murders. We also meet Stuart, a family man with a wife and two kids whose lack of respect and affection at home hints at a desire for an outlet where he can take these frustrations out. Not getting action at home lads and lasses? Why not pay a fortune to drill a hole in someone’s head. That’ll help! Despite signing up for the ‘spa weekend’, after being coerced into it by Todd, it’s never clear if the apparently shy and reluctant Stuart is really onboard with the impending carnage that awaits.

Also I’m not sure if Roth genuinely cares about his trio of female characters, but he does elicit some very good performances from them, especially Lauren German who not only anchors the three girls but also the movie. Her character arc may seem a little implausible given her actions up until the grisly conclusion, but the actress makes up for this with a very natural performance. This isn’t to say that Piper and Matarazzo trail behind her, with the latter’s screams of pain all too real during the midway, literal, bloodbath. This particular scene, that was the key selling point of the movie’s marketing campaign, is the movie’s highlight, and apart from the film’s final scenes, the bloodshed often happens offscreen. Howay man, we wanna see the good stuff! This is the main criticism of the movie, in that it seems to blow its gory load a little early but the ending is admittedly hilarious, with a severed penis and a decapitated head being kicked around by the gypsy street kids like a bunch of mini Lionel Messis!

Hostel: Part II opened in the US on June 8th, 2007, where it debuted at number six at the box office, grossing $8.2 million dollars across 2,350 screens. It opened internationally later in June and hauled in $35.5 million dollars overall. The movie grossed significantly less than part one, which was attributed to a slump in horror films at the time, as well as the fact that the movie was apparently the most pirated release of all time, having been downloaded by millions of users.

Critically, just like part one, the movie was met with an inevitably mixed response. Rotten Tomatoes, if their stats mean much to you, reports an approval rating of 44% based upon 112 reviews, while their critics consensus reads as, “Offering up more of the familiar sadism and gore, Hostel: Part II will surely thrill horror fans“. One of the most positive reactions to the movie focused on the improved production values, compared to the first movie. The Hollywood Reporter, for example, said the film was, “a step up in virtually every aspect, from production values to its better focused storytelling and more fully developed characters.” The UK’s Total Film also praised the movie as being a “superior beast” to the first one, a better technical achievement, a “superior plot” and also characters who were “fun to hook up with”. Critics of the movie focused on how similar it was to part one, saying that the enhanced production values came at the expense of a more original story and that the trio of girls were just about more tolerable than the ‘frat boys’ from part one.

Ultimately though, let’s face it, the follow-up to Hostel: Part One was never going to revolutionize the horror sequel as we know it. It’s flashier, gory as hell in places but doesn’t necessarily do anything more with the franchise, other than introducing the fiends behind the nefarious EHC and showing some decent carnage. It also once again portrays Eastern Europe in an unfavorable light, which is a shame as, trust me, Slovakia is a beautiful country. I didn’t stay in a hostel when I went there, mind… More importantly, what’s YOUR view on the torture porn sequel? Did Roth conjure up a satisfyingly brutal follow-up or, despite some tasty FX and fun leads, should it be neutered like that poor fella at the end? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you beautiful gore-hounds next time. Thanks for watching!

A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

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