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Two out of Five stars
Running time: 100 mins

This is a well-made sequel but the violence is extremely sickening and it's not nearly as much fun as the first film.

What's it all about?
Jay Hernandez reprises his role as the survivor from the first film, only to meet a grisly end within the first five minutes. The action then switches to three holidaying American girls (Lauren German as Beth, Bijou Phillips as Whitney and Heather Matarazzo as Lorna), who get lured to the titular Hostel by a beautiful model (Vera Jordanova), when she invites them to join her at an exotic natural spa.

Once they arrive, the girls get captured and discover that they have been auctioned off as victims to be tortured and killed. Meanwhile, two thrill-seeking American businessmen (Richard Burgi and Roger Bart, both from Desperate Housewives) arrive in town having won the bidding war on Beth and Whitney.

The Good
The focus on the businessmen provides the film's only interesting element, even if the twists in their story can be seen coming a mile off. The three leads give decent performances but their characters are under-developed and the script doesn't really allow you to get to know them before the torturing starts.

The Bad
It's impossible to discuss the film without mentioning the gory details, so if you don't want to know, please look away now. The problem is that the film's key sequence (involving one of the girls naked and hanging upside down from a chain, then scythed open while a naked woman bathes in her cascading blood) is both sickening and genuinely repulsive. It's hard to watch the scene without feeling anything other than pity for the actress involved.

That said, there are really only two other squirm-inducing sequences, so devotees of the burgeoning torture porn genre are liable to feel a little short-changed.

Worth seeing?
Put simply, Hostel: Part II will make you feel sick, whether it's physically, mentally or both. Avoid if you value your stomach contents.