Hostel Part 2 is not only a sequel to the 2006 surprise hit, but it's also the latest entry in the ‘torture porn' genre. Torture porn obviously has a slight negative connotation about it, but for me, the label is meaningless. If a movie is good, it's good. It doesn't really matter what kind of a movie it is. And quite frankly, I thought the first Hostel was a terrific film. What it did, it did extremely well. It was a true work of horror. Sadly, this follow up isn't in the same league, but it's still a much more accomplished work than other recent horror films (i.e. The Hills Have Eyes II) primarily because it's clear that Eli Roth took a hell of a lot of joy in making it.

With the early moments of this film, Mr. Roth sort of pulls a Halloween 2. Hostel Part 2 is a direct continuation of the last installment. As the movie opens, we find ourselves aboard the same European train Paxton (Jay Hernandez) hopped aboard after engaging in a bit of nasty business with one of the first film's chief torturers. Paxton is bloodied and unconscious, and where his story goes from there, is best left unspoiled.

Following Paxton's re-introduction, the film switches gears and takes us back to a familiar scenario, only this time, we get the gender switch. In Hostel Part 2, the leads are Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, and Bijou Phillips, three young American women who've traveled to Europe to study art, and hopefully get some kicks along the way. It isn't long before they too are caught in a sinister web that brings them face to face with the darkest side of human nature.

It would be easy to write Hostel Part 2 off as a mere retread of the first film. A movie created to make a quick buck. And in deed, the heart of the story remains the same. Three characters traveling abroad find themselves duped and quickly ensnared in a horrific situation. However, Roth is more creative than that. Instead, he does take this sick and perverse tale into a few new directions.

For starters, Hostel Part 2 takes quite a bit more time delving into the warped minds of the sick twists willing to shell out tens of thousands for the thrill of the kill. This certainly gives the movie an eerie, unsettling feel, because Roth is showing us that murderers aren't only the creepy rejects and other garden variety sociopaths. No, they could just as well be our respectable next door neighbor.

Hostel Part 2 also shows us the inner workings of this global pay-per-slay operation. Without wasting a lot of time, Roth deftly answers a lot of questions left over from the first film. From the methods of attracting victims and how they are captured, to the network of online bidders who participate in this most macabre auctioning and he even finds a very dramatic way of demonstrating the contractual agreements clients must fulfill - this part of the film is eerily fascinating.

Roth introduces these new elements to the mix because he realizes that we know exactly what's going to happen to these girls. The surprise and shock of the first movie, was in the reveal that Paxton, Josh, and Oli were in big trouble. With this film, we're already fully aware of what goes on at the Hostels, so Roth has to resort to some new tricks.

Of course, Eli is a complete and utter gore whore, so if you're going in for blood and guts, chances are you won't be disappointed (and remember cold water works better on those pesky blood stains). This film does push the envelope in grotesque fashion, unveiling everything from a literal bloodbath, to a mishap with a buzz saw, to a repulsive climax that will certainly shock a majority of viewers (particularly the guys in the audience).

Missing in Hostel Part 2 is the underlining social commentary of the first film. As brutal and in-your-face as Hostel was, it did have something to say. The three young men in that picture, went to Europe to engage in a little excess, and ultimately, they became victims of their own perverse fantasy land. The sub-text in Hostel Part 2 is a little less striking. The message here seems to be that most Americans are boorish, stupid and selfish and that Europeans will do anything for a buck.

Also missing here is the unbridled terror. Yes, there are horrific moments in Hostel Part 2, but much of the film is punctuated by a bizarre sense of humor. I thought Roth did an amazing job of keeping the horror (and violence) in the first film "real." With the sequel, he brings a more gleeful sensibility to the table, and this makes much of the film play like a comedy (such was the case with his first film, Cabin Fever).

As for the tension? Not much. There isn't one sequence in Hostel Part 2 that's as fiercely exciting as Paxton's big escape in the first film. Roth tries to compensate by adding a couple of twists. One deals with Lauren German's character and the other has to do with lead torturers Richard Burgi, and Roger Bart.

Where Hostel Part 2 does succeed is in it's showmanship. Eli Roth loves the genre, and his sense of passion shows in nearly every frame of this movie. True, this is a bloody (and perverse) film, but for some folks, that's entertainment. In the end, it doesn't compare to the first installment, but I enjoy Roth's energy and I'm curious to see what he does with his adaptation of Stephen King's Cell.

Grade: B-