“With the whole #Rothtober project that I just finished up, I had to make sure I included an Eli Roth film.
Why did I pick Hostel? Part II specifically? Roth helped revolutionize horror with Hostel. The first one is fantastic. It sets up a great premise and brings the gore and the thrills. But Part II expands on the story incredibly well. It did what a good sequel should, which is take the groundwork from the original and go one step further to enhance it. I talked about it a bit on the Rothtober post, but I particularly love how Roth adds to the story by bringing you the buyer’s perspective as well as the victims. It also completes the story from the first, instead of just tacking on a new cast of characters. The ending is so unexpected and perfect.
The cast is also a lot of fun. Heather Matarazzo is someone who I’ve kept an eye on since Princess Diaries. Random note: for years, before I knew her name, I referred to her in my head as Tweety, her character in All I Wanna Do. And Roger Bart, OMG, iconic role in The Producers. Not just in the movie, but on stage too. I saw him reprise his role at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. Fabulous! My jaw dropped when I was watching Hostel Part II and recognized him in the cast. As a baddie, no less!
Random trivia, the decapitated Paxton dummy from early on in the movie was reused for Roth’s Thanksgiving trailer. Filming was happening around the same time. Fun.”