Hostel 1 perhaps I was too harsh on you

Look the third act is a bit of stupid fun, but the majority of this movie is a tonally confused mess that feels in a totally different world than the first. I prefer the first’s pulled back, let the mind imagine approach if the torture shown is going to be as bland and lifeless as it is here. Whatever themes the film has are surface level and shallow- Eli Roth has nothing interesting to say about misogyny, and while Beth’s arc is a fun and interesting direction on the surface, she’s not developed enough for it to land.

This film lacks the first film’s relative clarity and focus on the ugliness of American entitlement, or Paxton’s comparative growth. The performances aren’t as good either. It’s the tone of Thanksgiving and it just doesn’t work. The expansion of the lore feels unnecessary, oddly John Wickian but without the knowing self seriousness of it. And the kids were silly in the first one but the way they’re used here is utterly baffling. If this is what Hostel became with Roth still at the helm I can’t imagine what the third one is like.

"I am strong. I am fucking Hercules!"

When the credits started rolling I felt a little bit disappointed. I expected more from the sequel to the original. I loved the idea to see more from the eyes of the buyers. But in the end it kind of dragged in the first hour and it kind of picks up within the final 30 minutes. It does however leaves us with 3 scenes I will not soon forget.

Those scenes were; the one man who slices of pieces of meat of his "bought" victim. He then proceeds to eat that flesh next to him. The next scene I won't soon forget is the one were Lorna hangs upside down and slowly gets killed with a scythe while the killer baths naked in her blood. And the final scene I won't soon forget is chopping off someone's entire package and feeding it to a bloodhound while walking away like a freaking bad ass.

Anyway somehow, even after never having seen Hostel: Part II, in my head I made this to be the better version. But I must admit, I think I must say I enjoyed the first one a bit more. It seemed to drag less in the set up part.

Still I have one part left which was straight-to-dvd. That doesn't say much but I have horrible experiences with straight-to-dvd-horror. Looking at you HELLRAISER!!!!

Watched it again, just to remind myself what it was about. This was the Unrated Director's Cut (not the R-rated version on Tubi), and it was considerably better than the previous (tamer) R-rated version. Loved the conclusion and the alternate ending. I don't get all the hate on this movie; like the first one, it felt like they overplayed the backstory a bit too much and kind of jammed all the "good" (i.e. gory) stuff into the last half, but in that regard I felt it was no worse than the original. The killings in Part II were (again, just my opinion) much more graphic and cringe-worthy; [spoiler] I was especially impressed with the doctor who was butchering his victim alive and cannibalizing the guy's flesh. The effects of the guy's ripped open leg and severed muscles were definitely impressive, as far as special effects/camerawork goes.[/spoiler] I know the last time (I think this marks the THIRD time I've seen it?) I watched it, it must have been the R-rated version because the ending was much less gruesome, and with that in mind, if you have the option of watching the "Unrated Director's Cut", definitely go for it. It's several minutes longer, and well worth it for the effects. All that being said, this was essentially just the female version of the original: three chicks vacationing get talked into going to Slovakia, and the rest is history. Just kind of a mirror image with different kill styles. If you liked the first one, you'll PROBABLY enjoy this one if you don't overthink it. Oh, and the "cover art" (pictured here)...yeah, you're gonna want to see that. :wink: