HOSTEL/HOSTEL PART II: New Reduced Rates!

HOSTEL

Starring Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Jennifer Lim, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasak, Rick Hoffman. Directed by Eli Roth. (2005/94 min). 
HOSTEL PART II 
Starring Lauren German, Bijou Phillips, Heather Matarazzo, Jordan Ladd, Vera Jordanova, Roger Bart, Richard Burgi, Milan Knazko, Jay Hernandez. Directed by Eli Roth. (2007/95 min). 

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO FROM
MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Whether Eli Roth likes it or not, he'll probably always be considered the godfather of the subgenre cheekily known as torture porn. He didn't invent it, of course, but his gleefully-nasty Hostel films arguably dragged it kicking and screaming from the basement. Roth has since moved on and branched out (sort of), while mainstream horror retreated back to the safety of reboots and franchises for thrill-seeking mallrats.

During the subgenre's brief moment in the sun, Hostel was the most influential, the sick standard by which all others were compared. It also remains the most notorious, due to being regularly exemplified by detractors as representing everything ugly about modern horror. Such is its legacy, dubious as it may be.

Still, both of Roth's films (forget Hostel Part III) have an undeniable visceral power that remains potently punishing today. Part of that is due to the wickedly audacious premise - a secret club in which wealthy patrons pay to torture tourists to death - but also because - love them or hate them - they are very well constructed. Both films follow a distinct narrative pattern: a deceptively-mundane first act, lulling the audience into a false sense of security, so when the blood spills and body parts fly, the sudden shift in tone is jarring.

"Take him."

Roth would rely on that pattern for several other films, including The Green Inferno and Aftershock (the latter of which he wrote but didn't direct), but it was most effective in Hostel. The opening 30 minutes of the first film are almost embarrassingly juvenile, a non-stop parade of gratuitous nudity, sex and partying in the company of three obnoxious douchebags. Then just when you think Porky's Goes to Amsterdam would've been a more accurate title, the sudden about-face into brutal, uninhibited sadism hits like a ton of bricks. What's more, that level of violent intensity is maintained throughout the rest of the film. We still don't like any of the main characters, but damn, nobody deserves that kind of torment.

Maybe because such a premise is most effective the first time, Roth was forced pour more creative effort into his characters for Hostel Part II. The young protagonists are women this time, who are far more fleshed out and likable (and as it turns out, not completely helpless). Screen time is shared by two American clients looking to assert their male dominance by killing hapless women. One of them (Richard Burgi, in a scenery-chewing performance) is such an arrogant, apathetic and hateful bastard that we're cheering against him from the get-go. While just as violent and gory as the original, the most disturbing - and intriguing - scenes are those which show how the Elite Hunting Club actually works. It's ultimately these elements that not only justify Hostel Part II's existence, they render it a more well-rounded film.

These films have been released on Blu-ray before, separately and packaged together. In fact, this is the second time Mill Creek Entertainment has released the unrated director's cuts as a single-disc double feature. The only difference this time is the cover art and an additional DVD copy. Unlike more comprehensive individual releases, no supplemental features are included, so there's no need for collectors to double-dip here. For others, like curious newcomers, it's a cheap way to grab two highly-influential horror films at once.

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