If one were to believe everything written in newspapers by moral guardians and concerned Mrs. Grundy figures then our old mate Eli Roth has suddenly turned into a dangerous misogynist intent on cutting up young women onscreen for the amusement of the girl-hating masses. Huh? What movie were they watching? The one I saw was a supremely entertaining horror-comedy that, without giving too much away, eventually settles into a classic female revenge groove.
Yes, some ladies do get tortured, sometimes even by other ladies – check out the glorious grand guignol of the Countess Bathory scene – but this is Hostel Part 2, kids. That’s precisely what’s supposed to go down. We kick off as a fresh batch of backpackers – Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips – are lured from Italy down to Slovakia where, as we know from part one, we find a pleasure factory where the super-rich can kill shanghaied travellers in whatsoever fashion they choose. Rather than reprising the original, Mr Roth cuts between the unsuspecting twentysomethings and two US businessmen there to avail of the service. Hurrah. We’re through the looking glass.
Taking advantage of how bratty rich Americans view the world – Italians are sleazy, Slavs are “Borat” – the hot-shot director has already freaked us out before a drop of blood is spilled in earnest. Marrying the old Hammer horror view of Eastern Europe to base modern prejudices, there’s more than a touch of The Wicker Man about the locals. The hilariously thuggish street kids are back to spit in your eye and ask for “dollar”. A new Slovakian vamp (Jordanova) sinisterly prowls about. Even the dogs lend a hand in the sick conspiracy.
Throughout Mr. Roth treats us to winks and nods acknowledging the glory days of video nasties, a simpler time when teens sought out copies of Silent Night, Deadly Night and Slayer The Scalps. If you can’t spot the airy inverted commas then you have no business with Hostel Part 2 or most of the cinema of the last 20 years.
Paradise Lost is gratuitous. This film plays football with severed heads. Get it?