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''Hostel: Part II'' is a 2007 American
horror film written and directed by
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...
, serving as a sequel to ''
Hostel'' (2005). It is the second installment in the
''Hostel'' film series. The film stars
Lauren German
Lauren Christine German is an American actress. She had her first major role in the 2002 teen romantic drama film ''A Walk to Remember'', followed by roles in the horror films '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003) and '' Hostel: Part II'' (2007 ...
,
Roger Bart
Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''.
Bart received his second Tony Award n ...
,
Heather Matarazzo
Heather Christina Marie Matarazzo (born November 10, 1982) is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was Dawn Wiener in the film '' Welcome to the Dollhouse'' (1995). She played Lilly in ''The Princess Diaries'' (2001) and '' The Princess Di ...
,
Bijou Phillips
Bijou Lilly Phillips Masterson (born April 1, 1980) is an American actress, model and singer. The daughter of musician John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, she began her career as a model. Phillips made her singing debut with '' I'd Rather Ea ...
and
Richard Burgi
Richard William Burgi (, born July 30, 1958) is an American film and television actor best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellison on '' The Sentinel'' and as Karl Mayer on ''Desperate Housewives''. He also portrayed Paul Hornsby in the ABC day ...
, while
Jay Hernandez
Javier Manuel Hernandez Jr. (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Jay Hernandez, is an American actor and fashion model. After making his television debut in NBC's '' Hang Time'', Hernandez made his film debut opposite Kirsten Dunst ...
briefly reprises his role from the first film. It was produced by
Mike Fleiss
Mike L. Fleiss (born April 14, 1964) is an American television producer and writer.
Early life
Fleiss was raised in Fullerton, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley.
Career
He is the creator, producer and writer of '' ...
, Roth, and Chris Briggs, with
Boaz Yakin
Boaz Yakin ( he, בועז יכין, born June 20, 1966) is an Israeli-American screenwriter, film director, and producer based in New York City. He has written screenplays to films like ''The Rookie'', ''Fresh'', ''A Price Above Rubies'', '' ...
,
Scott Spiegel
Scott Spiegel (born December 10, 1957) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer and actor. He co-wrote the screenplay for the movie '' Evil Dead II'' with longtime friend, film director Sam Raimi, with whom he attended Wylie E. Gro ...
, and
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
serving as executive producers. The plot follows three American female art students in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
who are directed to a
Slovak village where they are eventually kidnapped and taken to a facility in which rich clients pay to torture and kill other people.
After the significant box office receipts of ''Hostel'', Roth conceived a sequel set directly after the events of the first film, opting to include three female protagonists to "up the ante."
[ Filming took place in the fall of 2006 in ]Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
at Barrandov Studios
Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe.
Several major Hollywood productions have been made here, including '' Mission Impossible'', ' ...
, with additional photography occurring in Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
and Slovakia.
Banned from theatrical release in several countries, ''Hostel: Part II'' had its world premiere at the Museum of the Moving Image
The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios), in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens, New York City. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the Amer ...
in New York City on June 6, 2007, and was released theatrically in the United States two days later, on June 8. The film earned less than its predecessor at the box office, grossing $17 million in the United States by the end of its theatrical run, whereas the original made $19 million in its opening weekend alone. Prior to its theatrical release, a workprint
A workprint is a rough version of a motion picture, used by the film editor(s) during the editing process. Such copies generally contain original recorded sound that will later be re-dubbed, stock footage as placeholders for missing shots or speci ...
of the film leaked on the Internet, and one publication at the time claimed it was the "most pirated film ever",[ which Roth suggested was a factor in the film's box office returns.
]
Plot
Following the events of '' Hostel'' (2005), Paxton suffers from PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
and lives in seclusion with his girlfriend, Stephanie. After an argument where Stephanie denounces Paxton's paranoia as exaggerated and insufferable, she wakes to find his headless corpse in their kitchen. An unmarked box containing Paxton's severed head is delivered to Elite Hunting boss Sasha.
In Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, three American art students, Beth, Whitney, and Lorna, are convinced by Axelle, a nude model they are sketching, to join her on a luxurious spa vacation in Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. The four check into a hostel, where the desk clerk surreptitiously uploads their passport photos to an auction website. American businessman Todd and his best friend Stuart win the bids on Whitney and Beth. They then travel to Slovakia.
Later that night, at the village's harvest festival
A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...
, Lorna discovers Beth has inherited a vast fortune from her mother. Stuart and Todd attend the festival; Todd remarks that Beth "looks like her", and then Stuart approaches Beth and the two share a friendly conversation although strange. Meanwhile, Lorna is invited by Roman, a local man, on a boat ride. In a secluded area downstream, Roman kidnaps Lorna. Beth and Whitney leave the festival while Axelle volunteers to wait for Lorna.
The next morning, the now-naked, bound, and gagged Lorna is hung upside down. A woman named Mrs. Bathory enters the room, strips off her cape and shoes, and lies naked beneath Lorna. She then uses a long scythe
A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor mac ...
to repeatedly slash Lorna's back and torso, and revels in bathing in Lorna's blood, before slashing Lorna's throat. Meanwhile, Beth, Whitney, Axelle, and a local man, Miroslav, head to a spa to relax. Beth dozes off, and wakes up alone without her belongings. While looking for her friends, she is pursued by several men and flees the spa. In the woods, she is ambushed by a gang of violent gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
street children, but is saved by Sasha and Axelle; Sasha executes one of the boys as punishment.
Later, at Sasha's remote mansion, Beth is pursued by the men from earlier and she realizes that they are associated with Sasha and Axelle. Looking for a hiding place, she discovers a room filled with human trophy heads
A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sports, sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals ...
(one of which is Paxton's). Beth is captured and taken to an abandoned factory and tied up in a room.
Beth is soon joined by Stuart, who is supposed to kill her; it turns out that Todd, who is wealthy while Stuart is not, paid for Beth for Stuart. Stuart appears to have second thoughts, unties Beth, explains the situation, and says he is "not that guy." Beth goes to the door to try to leave, but someone knocks her out.
In another room, Todd terrorizes Whitney with a power saw but loses his nerve after accidentally scalping
Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the taki ...
her without killing her. Horrified, Todd tries to leave, but is informed that he must kill Whitney before leaving. Todd refuses, and tries to leave anyway, but the guards unleash attack dogs, which tear Todd apart.
Meanwhile, Stuart, who was the one who knocked out Beth, has completely changed his mind and is revealed to be psychotic, now intent on torturing and killing Beth. He reveals that Beth bears an extremely close resemblance to Stuart's wife, whom Stuart hates but cannot kill because it is against the law and he would be the prime suspect. Stuart then begins to torture Beth.
With Todd dead, the Elite Hunting Club offers the maimed Whitney to the other clients to kill, including an elderly Italian man who is eating
Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, he ...
Miroslav alive. Stuart, after discovering Todd's death, shows Beth the pictures of the maimed Whitney to frighten her, then accepts the club's offer, leaves Beth, and beheads Whitney.
When Stuart returns, Beth seduces him into untying her from the chair. Stuart attempts to rape her, but she fights him off and chains him to the chair. Sasha and the guards arrive at her cell. Beth offers to buy her freedom with part of her inheritance, and though Stuart tries to outbid her, Sasha reveals that he knows that Stuart cannot afford to do so. Sasha tells her in order to leave, she must also kill someone. When Stuart insults Beth, she cuts off his entire genitalia
A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...
and then feeds them to dogs, an act that gives pause to even the jaded guards, and leaving Stuart emasculated
Emasculation is the removal of both the penis and the testicles, the external male sex organs. It differs from castration, which is the removal of the testicles only, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. The potential medical ...
and bleeding to death. Satisfied, Sasha gives Beth an Elite Hunting tattoo, making her an official member.
That night, Axelle is lured by the Gypsy street children into the woods, where Beth ambushes and beheads her. Shortly after, the children start playing football with Axelle's severed head.
Cast
Production
Casting
Roth sought Lauren German for the lead role based on her performance in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' is a 1974 American horror film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper from a story and screenplay by Hooper and Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, ...
'' (2003). "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 likeable, 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."[ Bijou Phillips was cast as Whitney after impressing Roth with her audition.][ For the part of Lorna, Roth had Heather Matarazzo in mind from the beginning; she flew to Los Angeles to read for the part, unaware that Roth was meeting to offer it to her.][
Vera Jordanova was cast as Axelle, a female antagonist, while former Slovak Minister of Culture and actor ]Milan Kňažko
Milan Kňažko (born 28 August 1945) is a Slovak actor and politician. He was one of the leading personalities of the Public against Violence movement in November 1989 and one of the most popular faces of the Velvet Revolution in Slovakia.
Act ...
, was given the role of Sasha, the Russian mafia member and ringleader of the torture factory.[ "The fact that Sasha was Russian was one of the reasons I accepted this role," Kňažko joked. "We Slovaks are still a little bit angry over the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet army."][ To play Stuart and Todd, the American businessmen who are "emblematic of the more extreme sides of human nature and the dark shadow of First World materialism," Roth cast Roger Bart and Richard Burgi.][
]
Filming
Principal photography began on September 11, 2006, in Prague's Barrandov Studios
Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe.
Several major Hollywood productions have been made here, including '' Mission Impossible'', ' ...
.[ Much of the tunnel sequences in the torture factory were filmed in sets constructed at the studio, while additional photography took place in and around Prague.][ The unnamed village where the protagonists stay and attend the harvest festival is ]Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...
, located in the Czech Republic's South Bohemian Region
The South Bohemian Region ( cs, Jihočeský kraj; , ) is an administrative unit (''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western part ...
.[ The brick-and-mortar exteriors of the factory were constructed by production designer Robert Wilson King, and based on real abandoned factories he and Roth had toured abroad.][ Roth shot scenes for the film in the brothel ]Big Sister
Big Sister may refer to:
*An older sister, see birth order
*Big Sister (brothel), an online brothel in Prague
*The Big Sister (Dexter's Laboratory), "The Big Sister" (Dexter's Laboratory), an episode of ''Dexter's Laboratory''
*"Big Sister," a son ...
,[ and the spa sequence was shot on location at the Blue Lagoon near ]Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
in Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
.
The special effects in the film were created by Greg Nicotero
Gregory Nicotero (born March 15, 1963) is an American special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director. His first major job in special effects makeup was on the George A. Romero film ''Day of the Dead'' (1985), under the tutel ...
and Howard Berger
Howard Berger (born 20 December 1964) is a special make-up effects creator who is best known for his work on ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' films. He has over 200 films to his credit since 1977.
Berger is the co-founder of KNB EFX Group along with ...
, who had worked with Roth on the previous film.[ Actress Phillips claimed that her torture sequence, which entails her being scalped by a power saw, required around forty-five setups.][ "I don't think I could do something like this again," she stated in a 2007 interview. "I'm glad that I had the experience, and I love my job, but we went into places that I didn't know existed, and I don't need to do that again."][ Matarazzo's elaborate murder sequence required the actress to hang upside down, nude, with her hands chained to her back. Matarazzo performed the scene herself, and was hung upside down in five-minute intervals over a period of two days.][
]
Release
Marketing and press
Lionsgate devised several one sheet
In the entertainment industry, a one sheet (or one-sheet) is a single document that summarizes a product for publicity and sales.
Cinema
A one sheet is a specific size (typically before 1985; after 1985) of film poster advertising. Multiple ...
posters for the film in late 2006 and early 2007, the first of which consisted merely of a closeup of what appeared to be torn flesh. This poster, released in December 2006, yielded complaints from American theater patrons, and it was removed from theaters.
A second poster, released in February 2007, showed a side profile of actress Bijou Phillips nude, holding her own severed head.[ The two posters were subsequently combined, with the image of Phillips superimposed over the first poster. A third poster, showing Matarazzo hanging upside down, was also released.] On May 11, 2007, the final one sheet was released, which showed Roger Bart standing in a darkened corridor, holding a power drill in front of his groin.[
To promote the film's upcoming release, Lionsgate screened the first five minutes of ''Hostel: Part II'' before select screenings of '' Bug'', which opened on May 25, 2007. On June 6, 2007, the film was given an advance screening at the ]Museum of the Moving Image
The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios), in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens, New York City. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the Amer ...
, and featured a Q&A session with Roth afterward.
Censorship
The film has been restricted to adults in most countries. However, it has been cut in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and the "German Extended Version" (in which Lorna's torture and death scene is still not shown completely) has subsequently been banned in Germany. A court in Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
ruled the release of the film (in its cut or uncut form) to be punishable by law. The film was banned outright in New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
upon submission to the ratings board, after the distributor refused to make cuts in order to receive an R18 certificate. However, it would later receive a release in edited form in New Zealand on DVD in 2008.
On October 8, 2007, the film was cited in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as an example where stills from the film could be illegal to possess under the proposed law to criminalise possession of "extreme pornography
Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 is a law in the United Kingdom criminalising possession of what it refers to as "extreme pornographic images". The law came into force on 26 January 2009. The legislation was brought in ...
". MP Charles Walker claimed that although he had never seen the film, he was "assured by trusted sources" that "from beginning to end it depicts obscene, misogynistic acts of brutality against women." The British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...
classified the film at 18.
Censorship of the film received some backlash from the public: Writer and attorney Julie Hilden defended the film, both critically and artistically, in her essay "Why are critics so hostile to ''Hostel: Part II''?", published after the film's theatrical release. In it, Hilden wrote, "Many of the visceral depictions of violence in these ypes ofmovies conveyed strong messages that no viewer could miss. Ironically, these messages, especially in the ''Hostel'' films, are typically anti-violence."[
]
Reception
Box office
''Hostel: Part II'' was released in Australia June 7, 2007.[ It was released in the United States the following day, June 8, where it opened at number 6 at the box office, and earning $8.2 million during its opening weekend on 2,350 screens, averaging $3,490 per theater.][ The film grossed a total of $17.6 million domestically.][ It was released three weeks later in the United Kingdom on June 29.][ Internationally, the film grossed $18 million,][ making for a total worldwide gross of $35.6 million.][
The film grossed less than half of what its predecessor did, released during a period the ''Los Angeles Times'' characterized as a "slump" for horror films. Comparatively, the original opened at #1 with $19 million ($2 million more than ''Hostel: Part II''s final gross) and went on to make over $47 million.
Leading up to the film's June 8 release in the United States, ]pirated
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
DVD copies of a rough cut of the film surfaced among street vendors. Director Eli Roth blamed the piracy for the film's lower-than-anticipated box office results. In a 2007 article, the New Zealand publication ''Newshub
''Newshub'' (stylised as ''Newshub.'') is a New Zealand news service that airs on the television channels Three and Eden, as well as on digital platforms. It formerly operated across radio stations run by MediaWorks Radio until December 2021 ...
'' stated that ''Hostel: Part II'' was the most-pirated film of all time, having been illegally downloaded on the Internet by millions of users.
Critical response
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports an approval rating of 44% based on 113 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Offering up more of the familiar sadism and gore, ''Hostel: Part II'' will surely thrill horror fans." On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film had a weighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.
Several critics compared the film's production value and plot positively to its predecessor. In ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'', Michael Rechtshaffen said the film was "a step up in virtually every aspect, from production values to its better focused storytelling and more fully developed characters." Similarly, ''Total Film
''Total Film'' is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly and a summer issue is added every year since issue 91, 2004, which is published between July and August issue) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched ...
'' described the film as a "superior beast" compared to the first film, with a "stupefying" technical advancement, a "satisfying" plot, and main characters who are "fun to hook up with." Elizabeth Weitzman of the '' New York Daily News'' also thought the film was "smarter and tougher than its predecessor."
Some film critics believed the film commented on wider geopolitical themes. Anthony Quinn, writing for ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', speculated that the film may offer a "subversive" commentary on American values. Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' believed the businessman ethos and auction-style bidding process in the film is similar to the real-life practices of the sex trafficking industry. In a retrospective assessment of the film in 2017, Mike Thorn of ''The Film Stage'' praised ''Hostel: Part II'', citing perceived geopolitical
Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...
undercurrents and its doubled narrative perspective as primary reasons: "By extending its narrative reach to include the Hostel "clients" as well as its prisoners, ''Part II'' deepens its moral and political insights. The audience is asked not only to empathize with the victims, but also to recognize its own complicity as spectators." By contrast, Nathan Lee of ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'' believed the film was "too goofy to disturb, too silly to scare" and described critics who saw a deeper meaning in the film as "bamboozled pseudo-intellectuals."
Criticism of the film focused on how similar it was to its predecessor, as well as its lack of depth. In ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Phelim O'Neill awarded it three stars out of five but wrote that the film was "virtually identical to the first outing" and that "everything, save the bloody third act, is handled in a rudimentary fashion." Jamie Russell of the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
gave it the same rating but wrote that the plot similarity to the first film "elicits déjà vu" and that "Eli Roth returns with more bucks but less imagination. Laura Kern of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' described the main characters of the film as "fractionally more tolerable than the moronic frat boys of Part 1" and wrote that Roth had "mastered the cheap sadism-as-entertainment gross-out."
Mark Kermode of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' wrote, "Eli Roth should be slapped and sent to bed with no supper until he promises to stop squandering the promise of ''Cabin Fever'' on infantile tripe like this. Sadly, his ongoing association with Quentin Tarantino, who once again 'presents' this drivel, merely brings out his worst, arrested-adolescent fanboy tendencies."
In
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...
's annual publication rating movies, the film is given a BOMB rating, commenting, "Dreary, to say the least."
Accolades
The film was nominated for two
Golden Raspberry Awards
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
in the field of "Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie" and "Worst Prequel or Sequel", but both were lost to ''
I Know Who Killed Me
''I Know Who Killed Me'' is a 2007 American psychological thriller film directed by Chris Sivertson, written by Jeff Hammond, and starring Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough and Brian Geraghty. The film's story revolves around a young ...
'' and ''
Daddy Day Camp
''Daddy Day Camp'' (also known as ''Daddy Day Care 2'') is a 2007 American comedy film starring Cuba Gooding Jr., and directed by Fred Savage in his feature film directorial debut. It is the second installment in the ''Daddy Day Care'' film se ...
''. Heather Matarazzo was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2007 Fright Meter Awards.
Sequel
In June 2008, it was announced that
Scott Spiegel
Scott Spiegel (born December 10, 1957) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer and actor. He co-wrote the screenplay for the movie '' Evil Dead II'' with longtime friend, film director Sam Raimi, with whom he attended Wylie E. Gro ...
, one of the executive producers of both ''Hostel'' and ''Hostel: Part II'', was in talks to write and direct a third film in the series. In July 2009, Eli Roth confirmed that he would not be directing ''
Hostel: Part III''.
Unlike the previous installments, the film takes place in the United States, in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
.
''Hostel: Part III'' was released
directly to DVD on December 27, 2011 in the United States.
[
]
References
External links
* (archived/inactive)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hostel Part II
2007 films
2007 horror films
2000s horror thriller films
American films about revenge
American horror thriller films
American sequel films
American splatter films
2000s Czech-language films
2000s English-language films
Films about cannibalism
Films directed by Eli Roth
Films produced by Eli Roth
Films scored by Nathan Barr
Films set in Slovakia
Films shot in the Czech Republic
Films shot in Iceland
Films shot in Monaco
Films shot in Slovakia
Films with screenplays by Eli Roth
2000s Italian-language films
Lionsgate films
Obscenity controversies in film
Film controversies in the United Kingdom
Film controversies in Germany
Film controversies in Ukraine
Film controversies in New Zealand
Film controversies
Censored films
Slovak-language films
Splatterpunk
2000s American films