I don't know what filmmaker Eli Roth's been smoking to warp his mind into its sick and twisted form, but some of today's horror directors could do with a puff or two of it. With Hostel: Part II, Roth proves he can create a successful sequel to one of his own creations and make it feel like a deeper exploration into a grander story than simply a quickie cash-in. Though his pictures, including Cabin Fever, are still a little rough around the edges, the man's directing style improves with each successive feature. 

Hostel: Part II spends its first few minutes catching up on the current situation of the original Hostel's sole survivor (Jay Hernandez). Afterwards, the focus shifts to a new trio of doomed vacationers: Beth (Lauren German), Whitney (Bijou Phillips), and Lorna (Heather Matarazzo), American art students on their way to Prague. An encounter with a model (Vera Jordanova) from one of their classes inspires a change of plans, so they opt to soak in the hot springs and lush architecture of Slovakia -- unaware that they're getting deeper and deeper into a twisted business in which those who have the money can pay to torture, mutilate, and kill kidnapped individuals. At the same time, however, the story takes a look at two such individuals, businessmen Todd (Richard Burgi) and Stuart (Roger Bart), as they prepare to indulge in a bit of the ol' ultraviolence themselves, the latter slowly having second thoughts about the mess he's gotten himself in.

Essentially, Hostel: Part II seems much the same as its big brother, only with something of a different slant. The story still revolves around three American college kids becoming targeted by a "hunting club" that furnishes the torture sessions while serving up numerous scenes of such unpleasant dabblings in violence, then leaving the one's left standing to fight back.

But Hostel: Part II isn't to be dismissed as "Hostel with girls" so easily. In the first film, Roth introduced audiences to the "pay to kill" game from the perspective of some poor kids caught up in the game. Here, Roth peels back the curtain just a little more, doing a pretty good job of playing up the torture ring as a business, making the mood even more frightening by having the villains treat the bloodshed and cries of terror as just another day at the office. A great early scene features a bidding war between prospective "hunters," swiftly texting with how much they're willing to pay for a night with the latest prey. The subplot with the two businessmen is also quite well-executed, putting us in the mindset of the men behind the murder, even making a good point or two about the psychology behind a white-collar American man who wants a taste of the world outside of his play-it-safe lifestyle.

Obviously, Hostel: Part II definitely satisfies a gorehound's appetite. Roth proves there's an intelligence behind the nastiness taking place on screen, but he also does a good job playing the story's torture angle to the hilt, featuring a bevy of horrible killings ranging from being slowly eaten alive to a literal "blood bath" that will go down as one of the weirdest (if not nastiest) scenes in horror history.

Still, there are times when Hostel: Part II feels a little old hat, mostly because Roth bases this story on the first film's structure and adds in a couple of extra tricks. The killings retain their nastiness, but the shock wears off a bit too quickly (until the intensely uncomfortable climax); the performances are spotty (German is fine but Matarazzo appears too spacey for her own good); and the prologue with Hernandez's character comes across like a cheap way to shoehorn in a connection to the first movie.

And yet, with The Reaping and The Messengers starting 2007 off to a mediocre start for horror fans,  it's encouraging to see Hostel: Part II offer the same sort of bark and bite that made its predecessor a refreshing genre surprise.

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Lionsgate and rated "R" for sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language, and some drug content.)