Customer Reviews
Thinking Person's Horror 
2008-07-12
I enjoyed the first Hostel movie due to it's entertainment/shock value. It was actually pretty funny, but at the same time it had very ominous undertones. Hostel 2 however, is a much better movie in my opinion. Director/Writer Eli Roth really put a lot into this movie. This movie had smarter characters, smarter plot points, and it was executed better. Roth made the smartest decision of all when he decided to continue the storyline started in the first Hostel. Too many movies have attempted to do too much with sequals, instead of sticking to what the movie is supposed to be. Lets face it, everyone that watches Hostel 2 knows exactly what to expect. It wouldn't be Hostel if the characters don't end up being tortured by the Elite Hunting Club. Friday the 13th has to have Jason Voorhees chopping up horny camp counselors. The point is that Eli Roth was smart not to try to "one up" himself. He stuck to the story, and added to it. Yes we get torture in the movie. Yes that is no surprise. However we also get a few other aspects of the Hostel world. We get an Elite Hunting Club leader added to the story. We get an upgraded Elite Hunting Club security since the first protagonist took advantage of their weak security. We get a group of girls being lured this time. This means that promises of sex will not cut it. Eli Roth wrote these girls so well. I truly believed these characters, and what drove them to the ultimate goal. The best addition to Hostel 2 was the two American business men going on their maiden voyage to the factory of torture. These guys were so fun to watch. You could truly see what would drive guys like this to commit the ultimate sin. Also very believable characters. The acting was superb from the whole cast. The girls that do end up getting the nastiness in the factory make these scenes work. It was thier acting ability that made the scenes real. Eli Roth used so much symbolism throughout the movie to foreshadow what was coming. The thing I am most impressed with about Hostel 2 is the underlying themes of Capitalism. This movie shows that money makes the world go around and those who have the money have the power. Brilliant.
Not as good as the first one 
2008-07-01
I just didn't think the storyline was as eerie as the first one. Maybe it's because there was more of a mystery surrounding the organization that was responsible for allowing these killings in the first Hostel. Now we get to actually see them do the bidding over these girls. It just looked really cheesy to me. The darkness and suspense that was present in the first film was no longer there.
you got to be kidding 
2008-06-26
Well Amazon didnt print my first review so will try again. The makers of this movie should be sent to prison for false advertisement. This was a horror, torture movie ? The copy that I bought then was the G rated version. How can you have a torture movie without torture. Arent the killings supposed to actually be in the film and not just talked about ? There was more torture in one of the Lassie movies with Timmy falling down the well. Gimme a break. People are getting killed right ? My version only had one person. There was no torture, one killing and a ridiculous waste of time. They spent two thirds of the movie just getting to the chamber. Thats what I get for believing reviews and what the movie says about itself. If you are going to advertise a movie with killing, torture and mayhem then is it really too much to ask to actually have it in the movie ? This movie is a total joke on everyone who buys it.
The sequel to redeem all sequels 2008-06-18
Hostel Part II is an incredibly courageous - almost ballsy - sequel to an already intrepid genre film, Eli Roth's Hostel. The mystery and suspense are inevitably low since the tricks of the Elite Hunting organization were revealed in the first film. Nonetheless, this does not detract from the movie's ability to captivate and entertain. Roth no longer needs to keep his audience guessing, and this might be the exact reason why the movie can go as far as it does. This time, Roth is playfully daring his viewers to keep their eyes on the screen as some serious torture and gore-shedding take place. Genre fans will be thrilled and, needless to say, glued to their seats. It has been a long time since a sequel so successfully fixed the occasional flaws of its prequel while pushing its basic themes to extreme greatness. As usual with Roth films, almost every scene in Hostel Part II is tinted with (extremely) dark, sardonic comedy. Also thrown in are some instances of social commentary, most memorably when billionaires around the world attempt to outbid each other on a highly unusual auction, illustrating the dangers of money, technology, and greed.
Hostel Part II is a great horror film, orchestrated by a filmmaker who is not afraid to go to savagely dark places. Roth's passion for the genre and encyclopedic knowledge of previous horror movies serve to take this sequel to the next level.
Required viewing for genre enthusiasts - and don't purchase anything but the unrated director's cut.
Could have been better, they just didn't brainstorm hard enough. 
2008-06-16
Hostel three is already on the way and it's ridiculous. I gave hostel part 2, 4 stars because in my opinion, for the plot. they should have had "paxton", the sole survivor of the first film. Notify the military, of the elite hunting organization, and have them go down to slovakia. To destroy the organization, that would have been way more better! What they did here was wrong, The sequel was suppose to end in this one. Paxton survived and made it down to america, i mean come on, you actually think paxton is going to keep his mouth shut about what happened down in slovakia. I would have reported this crisis to the military and have the organization wiped out. Mr roth, are you listening to what your fans want? Anyways, the movie was good but it could have been better.
More bloody and gory than the first movie 
2008-06-09
Presented by Quentin Tarantino (Hostel Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2) and written and directed by Eli Roth (Hostel Cabin Fever) Hostel Part II is the shocking and gruesome sequel of the underground torture ring where rich businessmen pay to torture and murder their victims.The second installment to this terrifying franchise centers around three young American women (Lauren German The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) (Bijou Phillips Bully) and (Heather Matarazzo Welcome to the Dollhouse) who are studying in Rome. A gorgeous sophisticated European acquaintance invites the trio to join her for a weekend getaway at an exotic natural spa assuring them they will be able to relax rejuvenate and bond. The girls find themselves in Slovakia and check into the ill-fated Hostel where they are poised to become victims for auction pawns in the fantasies of the sick and privileged from around the world who secretly travel there to savor more grisly pursuits.System Requirements:Run Time: 95 Mins. Genre: HORROR UPC: 043396191990 Manufacturer No: 19199
Hostel-ity 2008-06-06
When the original Hostel was released, I was surprised at the manner in which Eli Roth (with a little help from his pal Quentin Tarantino) upended the horror template with a political allegory. In the original, all the victims were male, putzes, and essentially unlikable. You had to almost force yourself to root for Paxton even though you thought he was a first class A-hole. Add the relatively spooky plot and you had a better than average scare flick. Naturally, Hostel's success all but mandated a sequel.
And just as naturally, Hostel II blows chunks of body parts. Having used up all the original ideas in version one, Roth resorts to cliches for version two. The all-female victims are a central-casting clutch of American Students studying art abroad. You have the uber-nerd, uber-beyocth and uber-rich all lured to the infamous factory, where one by one, they get chased, trapped and captured for their trips to the chamber of horrors. The attempt at altering the obvious is done by giving us a glimpse at the manner of attracting clients to the factory, which is given a semi-funny montage. You also get to meet the brains behind the "Elite Hunting" organization, which removes some of the suspense...he's just another wealthy European aristocrat.
Eventually the three girls are brought in for their torture-kills. While "Hostel 2" does up the gore from volume one, the shock value is wasted. It's just mindless killing for the sake of titillation (although the too-short power cord was good for a nervous release chuckle), and Roth seemed more interested in seeing how many taboos he could cram into 90 minutes. Kill a kid? Check. Rape? Check. Cannibalism? Check. Gross-outs involving animals? Check check and triple check. It all adds up to a mind-numbing montage of excess without substance.
About the only place where "Hostel 2" outdoes its predecessor is the final twist. When it's time for the obligatory final victim to escape, the manner in which she does so did manage to throw me. It was the only thing about this movie that was unexpected, saving it from a single star rating. But given the generally weak reception this received at the Box Office (and the general slippage in the 'torture-porn' genre box-office all around - Captivity anyone?), my guess is we'll all be spared the indignity of Hostel 3.
Entertaining HORROR 2008-06-05
This is a good movie. I liked it better than the first, and I liked the first alot. I love how it showed the otherside of the coin and how the whole "process" of finding the victims worked and also how it went in to the minds of a couple of the "clients". There are some disturbing scenes in this movie. Especially if you are of the male variety. Of course if you are reading all of these reviews one of the "reviewers" gives away quite a bit of the movie so be careful. Which brings me to my next point. This isn't a Disney movie people. I'm sick of seeing morons give this movie one star because it is too violent and sick. Watching and enjoying these movies doesn't make you sick or twisted just like playing games like GTA 4 doesn't make you rob and kill. Everytime I see someone give a movie one star because it is so sick and twisted makes me want to see it that much more. If you like horror movies you will like this movie. Ignore all the ignorant reviews that rate it low because it does what it supposed to do.....disturb you.
Politics in Disguise 2008-06-03
Hostel part II although lacking in the initial visceral surprises and strong story telling of the first Hostel (story telling that of course was masked by terrorist like torture scenes and gore) actually goes beyond the first film into an interesting study of the characters and why they engage, or think they do, in the grisly and at times interestingly exotic acts of ultra-torture and eventual sadistic murder. The movie moves naturally from moments of tension and uncertainly to slow motion moments of surreal art house abstraction where it almost seems the director, Eli Roth, wants us to feel sadness and pity for a disturbed middle American character that is compelled to go along with his buddies' enthusiasm over the idea of safely maiming and killing helpless young woman to fill a void in their life.
The movie itself feels like a statement of capitalism gone extreme. It actually shows the machinations of how the murder game works. Much in the way President Bush's administration tricked America into a war and invasion over weapons of mass destruction that were never there. Thus ALLOWING companies friendly to the administration like Halliburten to rape and pillage IRAQS natural resources, not to mention making the BANK MEN who control the World Bank even wealthier because the U.S. has to borrow money from them to fund the war, forcing the American tax payer to PAY BACK THE INTEREST. Many in the administration and or friends of have interests in the World Bank. So in effect, the more people that are killed in the war, the more money the mega rich of the World Bank money lenders, the oil companies, and weapons manufactures continue to make. The business men in Hostel II have set up a similar system where they cannot be captured or tried for their crimes of turning humans killing other humans into a big and profitable business.
Seen in this vain Hostel II is much more than just an interesting gore-fest. Made within the backdrop of our troubled times, it is actually a political expose disguised as a horror movie. A comment on the real horror.
As good as the first, maybe even better 2008-05-22
Makes one wonder how gullible these college students really are? The girls are ready to spread their legs to anyone and the guys will be guys, yet, no one thinks beyond what's between their legs. Amazing. The thugs with the leather jackets couldn't have been more obvious if they had "Killer" tatooed on their foreheads. Red lights and sirens should be going off, but no picks up on sign anymore. Well, I liked the premise of the first film, and to no one's suprise, these places really exist, for the extremely wealthy. And I'm sure if they could legalize it, it would be legal. They could call it "Hunting the stupid taxpayers, for fun and profit".
