On Film: Hostel Part II

The first Hostel dipped its toe into this arena featuring some truly gut wrenching scenes and some very unique kills that while gory also added a level nihilism that isn't common in American horror films.  Eli is a funny guy so he can't do a film like this without throwing in some gags.  I'd love to see a Hostel film that's totally serious and humorless.  That would be easily one of the most disturbing modern films I could imagine.  It's not to far a stretch, Roth came up with the idea for the first one while researching a documentary on the real thing.  The first film balanced the humor, often separating it from the actual kills so as not to disrupt the impact of the torture and murder scenes.  Unfortunately the humor, while very funny, in the sequel often softens the blow of the few kills that are actually in the film.



In this film we meet three girls that are doing the backpack thing this time around but the film does more than just switch the genders.  This time around we are also treated to the perspective of the wealthy businessmen paying to do the killings, and even a little behind the scenes of the operations of the murder club.

Other critics have commented that the film is misogynistic and exploitative.  They also comment often that the gore level is extreme and so is the nudity.  So, when I sat down in the theater I was ready for a truly extreme experience and because of that I was a bit disappointed.  There's less gore and fewer kills in the movie, and there's more nudity in one or two scenes of the first film than there is in the entirety of Hostel Part II.  Now I'm not saying that nudity is required to make the film interesting but what I am saying is that these off base comments from other critics says a lot about the effectiveness of  Roth's filmmaking.  Through atmosphere and setting he is able to make viewers feel like they've seen more than they actually did.  The best example of this kind of filmmaking I can think of is Tobe Hooper's original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Critics often discuss how bloody that film is when the reality is that there's very little real gore in that film.  It's nearly all insinuated and built up with atmosphere and setting.  That house just looks so disgusting that we must have seen some horrific gore, even though we didn't.  Of course there is some misogyny in the film but it's so well balanced by the female hero and the lack of a real male hero.  In fact if you're a male on the set of Hostel Part II you're screwed.  Eli has really grown as a filmmaker not only is the atmosphere of the film a true success the suspense and buildup is all perfectly executed in Hostel Part II.  There's a chase scene with one of the girls where she does everything right, she ditches her shoes and makes a good attempt at running away.  Usually these scenes don't do anything for me but this one had me on edge.  There's also a scene later in the film where killers first arrive at the torture facility that's beautifully shot and effectively disturbing in that beauty.



So, there's a lot to love in Hostel Part II but it's not a perfect film.  It's all about the second act for this film.  The first act and final one are a little weaker than those of the first film in strictly storytelling.  I never managed to care much for any of the three girls, their character development just isn't there.  The second act is all about the killers.  We meet two of them and follow them from getting the opportunity to participate in the "torture club" to scoping out their victims, and to an eventual and effective twist.  These guys and the little bit we get behind the scenes of the torture club is fascinating.

Roth ahs also settled down as a filmmaker as far as the influences he chooses to draw from.  The first film jumped around a lot with the majority of the film taking influence from Asian and Italian horror films.  Hostel Part II is definitely settled into a truly Italian influenced film.  One kill, the best of the few that are in the film, and the first one, is as theatrical and disturbing as anything I've seen in a Dario Argento film.  After that kill I was blown away and cringing at the thought of what would come next only to be disappointed that no other kill in the film compared to that first one.  Also, I mentioned earlier that a few times the humor aped the kills a bit softening them to a ridiculous degree, and this happens all in the last act of the film.  There's a play on I Spit on Your Grave but because the finality of that kill is so funny it isn't scary or disturbing as it could have been.

Even with all of my complaints I still had a blast with Hostel Part II.  I had hoped to come out feeling like I had just watched the best of the two films but I didn't feel that way and upon reconsideration I still don't.  Now, if Roth can take the best of the first film, and his evolved filmmaking abilities in this second film into his next project, we could be in for something amazing.  The characters that we are supposed to root for just aren't interesting, but some of the characters we aren't supposed to root for are quite interesting.  The humor all works, sometimes to the detriment of the gore scenes but either way, it all works.  The final moments of Hostel Part II are hysterical.  This will definitely be one of the best American horror movies to hit theaters this year.  I'd say it'll be the best but that Rob zombie redo of Halloween is looking really good.