Hostel: Part II (2007)

Director: Eli Roth

Writer: Eli Roth

Composer: Nathan Barr

Starring: Lauren German, Roger Bart, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips, Richard Burgi, Vera Jordanova, Jay Hernandez, Jordan Ladd, Milan Knazko, Edwige Fenech, Stanislav Ianevski, Patrik Zigo, Zuzana Geislerova

More info: IMDb

Plot: Three young college students enter a hostel in Slovakia on the behest of a beautiful Eastern European woman... however, following a festival in the small village in which they are staying, the woman are turned over to a group that allows the highest bidder to kill.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

SPOILERS ABOUND!!!  YARRRRR!!!

I first saw this a few years ago but I'd had a couple of drinks which meant my sorry ass was asleep before it was over and therefore never wrote about it.  Now I've given it a second spin (no booze this time) and I fucking loved it.   There's so much to like but if you didn't like the first HOSTEL (2005) then you're not likely to care about the sequel.

First of all, the story picks up shortly after the events of the first film with the survivor, Paxton (Hernandez).  We get to see to what lengths this special club will go to keep their secrets and it's pretty fucking cool and concise.  Then instead of us following three dudes we get three gals on vacation.  Then we get to see how the victims are chosen and the bidding process.  I especially liked seeing some of the behind the scenes workings of the organization.  That was delightfully interesting.  We also get to follow two of the winning bidders and spend time with them, one who's really excited about it and the other who isn't.

Now we get to the kills/torture.  HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!  This has got one of the great kill scenes I've ever seen.  It's stylish and horrific and I loved it.

But some of the best moments don't come from blood and gore or nudity but from the unexpected.  There are a few neat character changes and plot turns that take you in directions you might not expect and there are more if you've seen the first film.  I found this picture an awful lot of fun and a damn fine follow-up to an already great, genre-making film.  The sequel is at least as good, if not just a hair better, than the first film.  It's a shame he doesn't director more movies.  It's been six years since this came out and he's finally got a new one this year, THE GREEN INFERNO (2013).  It sounds like fun and I'm looking forward to seeing it.