Hostel: Part II (2007)

Part one (the beginning) of Hostel: Part II is mundane while part two, at least, brings a few surprises to the denouement. I liked seeing Heather Matarazzo in a horror film as well as Bijou Phillips, Roger Bart (of Broadway and The Midnight Meat Train) and Jordan Ladd (in a small yet non-pivotal role) but ultimately, the whole thing seemed like it was done before; like in part 1. Watch it while folding laundry as it doesn't really demand your full attention to get what's going on.

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Cabin Fever (2002)

I'm not sure if Cabin Fever is a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic, a treatise on society's transformation into selfishness or a horror film about a latent skin virus with no ulterior motive but it's interesting nonetheless. It offers the usual inbred redneck hicks, unethical mountain cops and partying college students so is not very original but an appealing cast (including Cheryl Ladd's daughter Jordan) does manage to bring it to life. Eli Roth should be proud of his directorial debut and it does imply one important point we should all remember for the coming viral apocalypse: keep a bottle of Listerine on hand.

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