Wednesday 13 April 2016

Hostel: Part II (2007)


Directed and written by: Eli Roth

Three American college students are travelling to Prague, but they are persuaded to take train from Prague to Slovakia. They stay at a hostel, and are soon to discover the grim truth about it.


Yes, after the first one I wanted to see the second one, so here I am. 

While Hostel: Part II is very much alike to the first one, there's one main difference. After the first movie people know what is going on. People know what's going on in Hostel and who is torturing the others and all that. So that's why Hostel: Part II has a chance to explore the people killing more than the previous movie, that tried to keep that a mystery for as long as possible. The second movie introduces us to two possible killers and we follow them as we follow the girls we know are going to experience what the guys in the first movie experienced. And while Hostel films are pure horror, it's interesting to see the two possible killers and their personalities - and see the development in the characters. That shows some true writing skills from Eli Roth.

Another thing was that the three main characters were female in this film. This offers a lot more plot devices for the story. Now I was worried that the female characters would be the kind of typical horror movie girls, but something about how they were written reminds me of Death Proof. While the genres are different both Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino have proven they can write very interesting women.

Also if the viewer has seen the first Hostel movie, the second one isn't as thrilling, because you already know how the system works. Of course there's still the violence and torture that create the horror, but the thrill is gone because you already know. And while  you still may be excited to see if the characters are going to survive, it's too easy. Who survives is following the pattern. But the "how" is much more interesting in Hostel: Part II than the first one. 

Otherwise Hostel: Part II is pretty similar to the first one, and it's hard to not to repeat myself apart from those three key differences that I just pointed out. But the thing is, of course it's similar. I didn't expect it to be different in a major way. Still, Hostel: Part II is just as interesting, even if some of the mystery is gone. While the themes and patterns are similar, there are so many new details that make this one worth watching if you have seen the first Hostel movie. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
8 / 10

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