Hostel Part II

While the sequel isn't as unrelentingly gory as the original, there are still rivers of blood.

An authentic real-world creep show -- better, if anything, than its predecessor.

An authentic real-world creep show -- better, if anything, than its predecessor.

In this twist-filled sequel, the real shocker is just how smart and satisfying such degradation can be. There's no question "Part II" outgrosses the original "Hostel" in the blood-and-guts department.

Given its premise, it's hard for any Hostel sequel to be little more than a rehash.

Hostel II is far too shrewd and savagely witty to be caught engaging in higher seriousness. Roth could probably go even further with this particular franchise if he wanted to. Yet somehow, I think he's meant for grander, subtler and more intricate distractions than this.

Hostel II is far too shrewd and savagely witty to be caught engaging in higher seriousness. Roth could probably go even further with this particular franchise if he wanted to. Yet somehow, I think he's meant for grander, subtler and more intricate distractions than this.

Basically torture porn.

The problem with Hostel Part II is the same flaw that afflicted Hostel: no tension.

Mr. Roth, part of a new breed of horror directors affectionately labeled the "Splat Pack," is regarded by some as a savior of the genre, though it could be argued that he is more effectively a saboteur. He might have mastered the cheap sadism-as-entertainment gross-out, but he has yet to produce a single genuine, old-fashioned fright.