The huge box office success of Hostel led Eli Roth to direct a second installment that begins right where the first film ends and leaves open the possibility of further sequels.
In short, he got on with the work.
However, the decision to want to explain much of what was left unsaid in the source film proves to be quite wrong.
The film, in fact, in the first part already explains everything ("bad guys" included) and wearily approaches the conclusion.
The plot is nothing special: it is the female version of the first chapter.
A group of female art students travel by train and arrive in Slovakia.
They will stay in a rather peculiar hostel.
Like the previous work, it is a violent, splatter film.
Nothing supernatural: it is highly related to violence and human depravity.
Lacking the surprise effect, however, everything is much less convincing.
The protagonists themselves are hardly credible.
The only notable actress is Heather Matarazzo, the little girl who was molested by the professor in The Devil's Advocate.
Her "death" is the most sadistic one, inspired by the bloodthirsty Countess Elizabeth Báthory.
Otherwise, the relationship between the two sadistic brothers is the only other element of interest in the film.
As a good Tarantinian, the foxy Roth quotes and pays homage with cameos to different cinemas.
Fenech is a painting professor, director Deodato quotes his Cannibal Holocaust, and Luc Merenda contributes a homage scene from All the Colors of Darkness.
Advertised to the hilt, with an Eli Roth who for various reasons threatened that it was his last film, it grossed well at the box office but found very few supporters.
Silly ending.
Review by Zick
