While Hostel (2005) was beautifully twisted with a compelling story of survival, it is hard to say that writer, producer and director, Eli Roth, effectively closed the story on Jay Hernandez’s Paxton. Hostel: Part II picks up right where its predecessor left off and effectively sums up its story for those who have forgotten or needed a simple refresher and then, just as quickly, draws the first film to a close. Audiences are quickly introduced to the film’s new protagonists, Beth (Lauren German), Lorna (Heather Matarazzo) and Whitney (Bijou Phillips), and their story of impending despair and death. Like Paxton and Josh in the first film, the three ladies are on a trip through Europe when they begin running into eerily familiar faces (familiar to the audience) and experiencing many of the same things as the previous film’s protagonists. They, too, will face realities that they never believed to be possible, and their strength, both mentally and physically, will be tested as they are introduced to the Art Show.
Roth created a story similar to the first, but with added twists. In order for the series to progress, new obstacles had to appear and new elements of horror needed to be implemented. Roth took these steps forward, and he was able to intensify an already fierce situation by bringing it closer to home. As the obvious story progresses forward, audiences are invited into the homes and businesses of members of Elite Hunting from across the globe, including America. Making connections between what, by many, would be considered far-fetched and completely out of the realm of possibility, allowed viewers to accept that anything is possible, even the most demented of experiences. Audiences begin to accept the potential reality of the Art Show and the disturbing actions of those that are involved.
Roth, as he has done so many times before, plays on people’s paranoia and uncomfortability regarding the unknown. He builds on those ideals more and more as the film progresses and successfully keeps viewers on the edge of their seats and wanting more. Roth, again, delivered a beautifully constructed film with little downside. His story-telling ability is top-notch and his demented delivery is superior to most, and those aspects of Roth’s craft are apparent throughout this film.
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