#260 -- Hostel Part 2 (2007)

Rating: 3 / 5
Director: Eli Roth

I had been wanting to see this for a while, since I really enjoyed the first movie. So when I saw it on Fearnet's VOD, I was stoked. I couldn't wait for Creepmas to end so that I could watch it right away. I guess since I was so excited to see it, I was disappointed with the outcome.

At the beginning, Paxton (the survivor from the first movie) was at home and doing okay considering the circumstances. He was on some kind of medication, and he suffered from nightmares and severe paranoia. He was sure that they were looking for him, and that they'd find and kill him for what he knew. His girlfriend resented him for the way he acted, just because his night terrors kept her awake. That, and the fact that he wouldn't go to the police in fear that it would get them both killed. To me, that was just downright selfish. She had no idea what he'd been through, and honestly, she'd probably be a lot worse off if she'd had to go through the same things. But it didn't last very long, because they did find and kill him. They cut his head off and sent it to the big kahuna of whatever company ran the whole thing.

The movie focuses on a group of three friends. It's pretty much the same as the first movie, except this time they're girls. It was kind of obvious to me that they wouldn't last long at all, since females are usually weaker than males. Except for the "last girl" of course. So there was Whitney (Bijou Phillips), Lorna (Heather Matarazzo), and Beth (Lauren German). They were visiting Rome and getting ready to go on to Prague. While on the train, though, they met a young woman who convinced them to go with her to see some amazing hot springs in...you guessed it--Slovakia. It seemed to me that Beth thought everything was shady from the beginning, and she didn't trust anything or anyone. The other two girls were not so lucky.

Lorna, the sweet and shy one, was lured to the factory by a charming man who made goo-goo eyes at her and made her feel special.

It never showed exactly how Whitney ended up there, but I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that she'd go anywhere with any guy who smiled at her. Beth was more difficult, so they had to take a more direct approach, by chasing her, cornering her, and giving her a healthy dose of chloroform.

Another way this one was different from the first is that it shows the "behind the scenes" stuff. In the first, we weren't really sure what was going on until the end. In this one, we already know that people pay good money to torture and kill people--especially if they're American. It showed just how everything worked, how their names were put into some sort of system when they offered their passports at the Hostel, and how everyone was notified so that they could all bid on the ones they wanted. Whoever bid the highest, got to go to Slovakia and have their way with them. The two men they focus on here are Todd and Stuart. Apparently Todd bought Beth for Stuart's birthday. Todd seemed like the type of person who just didn't care about anyone or anything, but Stuart seemed different. He was extremely hesitant throughout the entire thing, and I was sure he wasn't going to be able to go through with it. But once they got to the factory, it was Todd who couldn't do it, and Stuart turned out to be a nutcase. But not as big a nutcase as Beth, apparently.

You see, Beth's mother died when she was twelve years old, and she left her enough money so that she could have bought Slovakia if she wanted to. This is where the movie lost it for me.
She was pretty much able to buy herself out of the sticky situation. There were some conditions, of course, but they were nothing that Beth couldn't handle (it involved a pretty graphic castration, by the way). I liked Beth because she was an extremely strong woman who could definitely hold her own, but I didn't like that she got out of it so easily.

Hostel Part 2 was definitely a good movie, I won't deny that. But it's not as good as the first by any means. First of all, there was really no suspense, since I knew from the beginning what was happening. I can't really fault it for that, though, since it is a sequel. The torture and kill scenes weren't as violent, and they were far too quick. There were only two, actually. Lorna, and Stuart. They didn't show Whitney getting killed, which was a huge bummer. I think they should have at least given us more kills, more blood and violence, and much, much more gore. It would have helped the movie since it lacked the suspense factor. I did really like the ending--it was disturbing, as it depicted a group of kids (the Bubblegum Gang) playing soccer with a decapitated head. It's definitely enjoyable, it gave us another strong character that we could care for, and the direction by Eli Roth was wonderful as usual. But it just wasn't as strong a movie as the first, I'm sad to say.

Recommended? Definitely yes.

#238 -- Cabin Fever (2002)

Rating: 4 / 5
Director: Eli Roth

I'm starting to really like Eli Roth. I didn't even know who he was until I saw Inglorius Basterds, but then I thought he was someone else. Now that I know him, I'm starting to realize that he's pretty awesome. He's made some pretty great horror movies, like Hostel 1 and 2, and of course, Cabin Fever. Not only has he created good horror movies, but he's a funny guy. He never fails to make me laugh.


"Cabin fever" is what happens when someone is locked up, or isolated, for a long period of time. They become antsy, bored, depressed, and maybe even crazy. It happened to me a couple of years ago when we got snowed in. I was going insane, not being able to do anything but sit around all the time. I ended up walking to the gas station--on terrible ice--two different times just to get out of the house. But in the movie, they take that temporary mental disorder and turn it into an actual sickness. Which is pretty cool.

So here's what happens. A group of friends--Paul (Rider Strong from Boy Meets World), Bert (James Debello, Dorm Daze), Karen (Jordan Ladd, Club Dread), Marcy (Cerina Vincent), and Jeff (Joey Kern)--go to a cabin for a little bit of rest and relaxation, and possibly some beer and sex if the mood strikes (which, of course, it does). They don't have a whole lot of time for relaxation OR partying, though, because the party is crashed by a crazy hermit. We first meet him when Bert, thinking he's a squirrel (whether he's just that stupid or that drunk, I'm not sure), shoots him. The man is very sick, and Bert is afraid of him, so he just leaves him in the ditch and says nothing. But the man shows up at the cabin later, begging for help, because it's obvious that he needs medial attention. A few of the kids want to help him, but a few others are terrified of contracting whatever disease he is carrying. The man gets a little rough, tries to break into the cabin, and a fight breaks out. They beat him with bats before lighting him on fire. He staggers away, only to fall dead into the lake. The shitty thing is, the cabin's water supply comes from the lake. So that dead guy floating around in there is contaminating their water. The friends know nothing about this, of course, so there's no way for them to know that they killed him for no reason--because they're all going to catch the "fever" anyways.

The first to get it is Karen, which sucks because there was a relationship blooming between her and Paul. But this ain't no chick flick, so I can't take points away for that. Since the fight with the hermit destroyed their car, they have no way of getting to a hospital or anything, so they just lock her in the shed so they don't catch it. She's left in there to rot, and meanwhile, they're all still catching it anyways. As a viewer, we know everything that's going on, so it's easy for us to call them stupid for not seeing it sooner; but, really, how were they to know?

A couple of the friends find neighbors, but they are absolutely no help at all. One is a crazy hillbilly lady (who happens to be the cousin of the hermit they killed), so they're terrified that she's going to gut them like that pig hanging in her barn. The other mistakes Paul's presence (he thinks he's a peeping tom) and kicks him off his property. Bert eventually does get the car to start (magic?) and gets back to town. But he gets bitten by a crazy kid named Dennis, Dennis's father gets  pissed at him for giving his son his disease, and he and his redneck friends chase Bert back to the cabin. So...No cell reception, broken down car, unhelpful neighbors, an incompetent police force, and crazy hillbillies. Sounds like a typical horror movie, right? That's because it is, but oh well.

There are a couple of things at the end that confused me (like, why Paul sees a giant rabbit at the hospital, I'll never know; maybe hallucinations due to the cabin fever?), but it picks up and everything makes sense at the very end.

So, here's what I like about the movie. What drew me to it when I saw it years ago was Rider Strong. Maybe it's a little lame, but I've always been a big fan of Boy Meets World, and I always loved him on the show. It was weird seeing him in this situation, and being all naughty and whatnot, but I thought it was great. I also really loved Eli Roth's small role. He was a strange pot-smoking camper that the friends met briefly, and he was hilarious. He was found by one of the friends later on, and he did not look pretty at all. It was wonderfully gruesome. That brings me to the effects; they were pretty impressive. There was a scene where Marcy was shaving her legs, and her skin was coming off with her razor, which was also wonderfully gruesome. That, plus Eli Roth's dead body, and a girl with half her face missing, and this gore whore is pretty happy.

Cabin Fever takes something we know and are familiar with (I'm talking about both the phrase cabin fever, and camp-based horror movies in general) and switches it up on us a little bit, which I like. Though I love seeing maniacs chasing dumb teenagers through the woods (who would'a thunk, right?), it's nice to see something different happen out in the wilderness. A little tidbit of trivia: the events in the movie were actually based on Eli Roth's life experiences; he got a skin disease somewhere in Iceland, and he also suffers from psoriasis, so he knows a little something about weird things happening with his skin. He knows his shit, that's why it's good. It also makes the movie more disturbing, knowing that things like that can actually happen to you.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, both times that I've seen it. It's gory, it's interesting, and it's funny thanks to Mr. Roth. And we get to see Shawn not being Shawn for a change, so that's a big plus.