Customer Reviews

Vacancy 2: The First Cut

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Vacancy 2: The First Cut follows very close to the original, with the main exception being that it's a prequel where we can see the beginnings of the whole motel-as-deathtrap theme. In place of Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson we have a trio - engaged couple Agnes Bruckner and Trevor Wright, and their friend Arjay Smith - that checks into the secluded motel where the psychotic staff runs their own real-life snuff video outfit, utilizing hidden cameras to film the terrorizing and killing of the hotel's occupants.

In the first Vacancy, the premise was deadly effective and seemed believable; here, it comes off contrived. Part of the problem is that it's a prequel and showing how it all came about just felt forced. Prequels often have a hard time because they often over-explain what didn't need to be explained; in horror prequels it often tries to tear away the shroud of mystery that's remained even after the villain or phenomenon had their origins partially revealed in the original. In Exorcist - The Beginning (Widescreen Edition), it worked because when they went into the backstory that had been hinted at in the original, they retained the element of the unknown by hinting at a much broader backstory way further in the past. In Ginger Snaps Back - The Beginning, it added in a much more otherworldy air of eeriness than its predecessors had. In Vacancy 2, we learn that the motel was originally a set up whereby sleazy employees secretly filmed the sexual encounters of tenants and sold the tapes on the black market; as their profit margin begins to fall they accidentally film a murder in one of the rooms, and subsequently they work out an arrangement with the killer that he keep on this track and they film their murders, switching the nature of their black market product to what they hope will be a more lucrative field. This whole angle, in contrast to the first movie, felt contrived and almost campy to me. From then on (this set-up part all gets handled in the first 15 minutes or so) the movie rapidly gets better. It never manages to match the scares and razor-taut tension of the original, but it's pretty good in its own right. The ending, however, didn't feel like it completely synced with what we know comes after it.

Alright, there's the negatives. Here's the positives: judged on its own merits, this is actually a fine horror thriller. While I said it didn't match the scares and tension of the first, that was an awfully high bar, and Vacancy 2 manages some suspense and fright of its own. It's more violent this time (most of the really vicious carnage in the first one was seen in relatively short glimpses - it was a masterpiece when it came to using measured doses of gore and brutality to suggest much more and really ratchet up the fear of what was coming around the next corner), although how much it helps the movie is up for debate. The individual scenes do raise the fright factor a bit, but it doesn't sustain its tension long enough, and after well-done examples of very brutal torture horror like Turistas (Unrated Edition) and most of the Saw series, it didn't have as much shock impact as it might have. Scenes like the victims's desperate flight into the woods, trying to hide in the dark from pursuers who know the forest much better than they do, proved more effective though. The acting in the film was well-done all-around, with frequent horror heroine Agnes Bruckner standing out as usual. The special effects were good and so was the camerawork.

Vacancy 2 had the same writer and the same producers as the original (different director, though), but I feel they may have had more success if they'd skipped the prequel aspect and had it as, say, a copycat situation in a different motel somewhere. Or just done a different horror movie with the theme of an isolated motel, but not attached directly to Vacancy. I'm a big fan of sequels and series - often the more chapters the better - but Vacancy was one horror movie that I'm not sure was really the right pick for a follow-up. It wrapped up pretty definatively, and its lack of a clearly spelled-out origin of its central premise didn't really need to be filled in.

I'm making this movie sound worse than it was. Judged by itself, it's a good horror movie that's definately worth watching, if not necessarily buying. Well made and never boring; I just personally felt it didn't live up to the first one.

If we have learned anything from horror films it is that if you are out on the road and need a place to stay for the night, find a name brand franchise. Deranged killers tend to shy away from Holiday Inns or Motel Six's. Vacancy 2: The First Cut is a prequel to the moderately entertaining 2007 film, Vacancy. This one starts with a difficult to swallow prologue about how authorities found over 200 videotaped murders at the Pinewood Motel. 200? I mean wouldn't you think that at least a few of those 200 victims might have called a friend, family member, or business associate to say, "...hey, I'm staying at the Pinewood Inn and I'll seeya tomorrow..." And maybe once they disappeared, those friends, relatives or co-workers might have told authorities that the last time they heard from them was the Pinewood Motel? I guess I'm just over thinking it...

Anyway the prologue goes onto say that this film is the story of the first victims, virtually giving away its hand as to the fate of the guests. A young couple, Jessica (Bruckner) and Caleb (Trevor Wright), and their friend, Tanner (Arjay Smith), are traveling to North Carolina when they decide to stop for the night at the Meadowview Inn. To call this place a dump would be an insult to dumps suffice to say that if the person of average common sense saw it, they'd keep driving. A quick intro will show how the motel's operators transitioned from filming secret sex tapes to snuff films with this trio as the first targets. Plans go quickly askew however and soon the three young guests are on the run from the murderous trio of motel workers.

The main thing that Vacancy 2 lacks is that it doesn't have suspense of the first film. In Vacancy, we weren't sure what was happening to the characters. Was someone merely watching them? Messing with them for fun? Here, we already know what the antagonist's intentions are so it fails to build any real tension. Other than the psychopathic Smith, the other two guys are a couple of bumbling idiots who couldn't find their toes in the dark if you removed their shoes for them.

The one definite star of the film is Agnes Bruckner. Here again we have a female hero who proves to be far more courageous and resourceful than her male counterparts. She's also far smarter than her hunters as you'll see when you watch the film. Smith (Scott Anderson) is the lone returnee from the first film as the killer and you'll see what happened to him that necessitates that he wear a mask.

Vacancy 2: The First Cut is not a great film but it's ok for a 90 minute diversion.

Vacancy's prequel is just your average Horror-thriller actually. In my opinion, it's not as good and suspenseful as the first one. I had higher expectations for this one, so it fell a little short for me. What I did like is that it adhered right to it's endeavor of making more sense of the original's premise, like a prequel should (not always the case with prequels and sequels). There's not much character development however, so you don't care much about them (just a lot of arguing); but there is decent acting, effects, and cinematography here. Overall I thought it was ok.

"Vacancy 2: The First Cut" is not a "sequel" to the thriller "Vacancy" (2007) starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson. This direct-to-DVD film is a "prequel" that chronicles the origin of the horrible events at the lonely roadside motel called "Meadow View Inn." Agnes Bruckner, Trevor Wright and Arjay Smithplay are the hapless travelers from a big city, who choose the wrong place to rest for the night.

About 10 or 15 minutes in, "Vacancy 2: The First Cut" shows us what kind of "business" the motel owner Gordon (David Moscow) and his partner are really engaged in. This deprives the film of urban legend-like mystery and suspense considerably, though there are still a few twists and turns in the storyline.

All in all the film is watchable with nice photography and production designs. The suspense set-pieces themselves are decent, but it is slightly irritating to see all characters - "both good" and "bad" ones - constantly making stupid decisions. Why don't they just run into the woods? Why doesn't she finish off the guy when she has a chance? While the screenplay by Mark L. Smith (who also wrote for the original) tries to develop characters (and it doesn't work much), it never explains some parts of the film that look very silly.

Unlike such terrible products as "The Cell 2," "Vacancy 2: The First Cut" remains watchable throughout. Among the many direct-to DVD sequels/prequels that attempt to cash in on the more famous originals, "Vacancy 2: The First Cut" is a better one. How much better depends on your expectation, though.

I enjoyed "Vacancy 2"
and found it to be quite believable .I also love that scream queen vixen Agnes Bruckner was the heroine.
I actually liked it as well as the first one. there was plenty of action and some good kill scenes nothing over the top but it's very well done.
Your not going to find lots of gore but you will see believable kills and it's not mindless teenagers you don't care about being killed but well established likable characters except for one at the beginning we know nothing about, that makes it all the more disturbing but effective to watch. The acting is superb and the movie entertaining from start to finish.
Again the power play at the end of the movie is really a good one and makes for a tense and exciting watch I give it thumbs up.

almost as good as the first one, but really ''on the edge'' from the beginning to the end. very underrated movie

This film was directed by Eric Bross (mostly with a history in TV but is now working on The Boy Who Cried Werewolf so this must have somehow gotten him some attention) and Written by Mark L. Smith (Who wrote the original Vacancy and The Hole.)

While I enjoyed the first Vacancy in a slasher film with a twist kind of way it didn't lend itself too well for a sequel. It made it clear that it was a story that took place at the end of an era of horror where people were being killed at the hotel where the killings occurred. Clearly with so much history the film left itself open for a series of anti-climactic sequels with knowing how it would end. Picking up on this without wanting to ruin the feel of the film Mark wrote the one prequel that would make sense - an origin story that still had a slight twist in it. Ideally he will stop here as it still plays out decently enough without ruining the idea of Vacancy though turning it into a franchise between the origin and end of the film would kill what he's put together so far.

I'm going to start by saying if you enjoyed the first Vacancy you will probably have a good time watching this one, if you haven't though you are going to hate it. I say this because the film mirrors the story of the first one in many aspects even while being an origin story.

SpoilersWhat we get is how the owner of the hotel because involved in making snuff films of anyone who comes alone to the hotel as well as how they end up picking their victims. After this point it's pretty stable that it follows the concept of the original movie with the change of 3 victims instead of 2. You do have to give the director credit for making the three friends both likable and believable as people who have known each other and been friends together for years. Knowing how the movie has to end (with the fact that this is exactly what happens in the first movie) kind of lowers the suspense level. We know the patrons of the hotel are destined to be killed just as we know that there will continue to be people who are killed in the hotel for years.

I have to admit the premise for this prequel was a pretty weak thought in the fact that we know the bad guys win and the innocents are killed by the end. It was however almost as entertaining as the original and easily is a fun romp for the slasher flicks who want something a little bit different to watch. It is by no means groundbreaking but it's not a bad film in the slightest. The directing, acting, and script are all standard horror film quality though you have to give it credit for having high production value. Honestly where it falls short is anyone who has seen the original knows who the bad guys in the film are. The not knowing for part of the first film on who the killer was is what gave it suspense where in this one the end was a given and the suspense

"Vacancy 2: The First Cut" attempts a prequel of the original film, "Vacancy". The result is a decent film that pretty much accomplishes what it sets out to do, albeit, without the acting of the original. Basically, the Meadowlake Motel was originally used to videotape its guests having sex with one another. One night, the owners of the motel discover something they believe to be far more profitable. Eventually, three people come to the motel for a night, but they get a little bit more than they wanted out of their visit, and the movie turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse from there.

Nothing special about "Vacancy 2". It has a decent plot, but the acting is clearly inferior to that of the original. On the other hand, there is more overt violence in this film than the original. "Vacancy 2" is better than most of the trash we see today, but it's nothing special. Basically, this is a "C-" film which may be worth watching if its on or if you are a big fan of the original. The objective of this film is to inform the viewer how this business of videotaping violence started, and it does do this to a certain extent, but it fails with the characters in general. There is no explanation about how the managers of this particular hotel relate to the managers in the original film. I guess the creators of this movie felt that wasn't important, but I like to have a little more continuity from my sequels. Today's Hollywood seems to think otherwise.

Watch this movie BEFORE you watch the original 2007 "Vacancy" movie starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsdale. This movie is actually a prequel and helps you understand why the killers in "Vacancy" do what they do. I actually like this movie better than "Vacancy" and having Agnes Bruckner ("The Woods"/ "Blood and Chocolate"/ "Murder By Numbers") in the lead role makes it all the better. The killings in this movie are realistic and only one of them is a little gory. I especially like the ending. This movie is definitely worth a rental and if you like it as much as I do its worthy of adding to your DVD collection.

The original Vacancy (2007) was a tense gripping thriller, directed by Nimrod Antal (Predators), that featured Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, as a married couple being terrorized at a motel, by a group of killers filming snuff movies. As the filmmaking career of the degenerates at the Pinewood Motel came to an end in the first film, the direct to video Vacancy 2: The First Cut (2009) is a prequel of sorts, set some three years before the events in the original Vacancy.

With a totally different cast from the first film, Vacancy 2 is also set in a new location, the Meadow View Inn in North Carolina. Aside from the theme of filming victims being killed, there are very few connections between the two films. Gordon (David Moscow) is the manager of the motel, which has hidden cameras placed in one of the guest rooms. With his buddy (Beau Billingslea), Gordon surreptitiously videos couples having sex, and then makes videos to be sold. When a "Mr. Smith" checks in with a woman, the pair get an eyeful when they witness Smith (Scott G. Anderson) plunge a knife into a hooker, and bathe in the rapture of the kill. They knock Smith out, and tie him up, but are unsure what to do with him. Smith is released, when he manages to convince them that there is money to be made selling videos of people being murdered. The new operation then goes into trial mode.

Caleb (Trevor Wright), his fiancé Jessica (Agnes Bruckner), and buddy Tanner (Arjay Smith), pull into the motel for the night. During check-in Gordon advises Caleb to scream if he needs anything, but Gordon's plan to murder the couple are put on hold, when he discovers that Tanner has sneaked into the room. Killing a third person is no impediment to Smith, who forges ahead. After Tanner discovers the hidden cameras, the trio attempts to leave, but is not prepared for the violence that erupts.

Sequels can be tricky, and with the cat already out of the bag, Vacancy 2 takes a different approach, focusing on both the criminals and the victims. Partnering with the psychotic Smith, Gordon is playing with fire. Tanner's presence is a variation from the typical couple in danger scenario, and feels a bit odd at times. The dynamic evolves further when Tanner and Jessica are teamed together. Smith is a bad dude when the victim is helpless, but he finds the going much tougher, when the prey is running loose.

Vacancy 2 is a serviceable enough suspense thriller, but with only faint ties to the original, and a somewhat ambiguous ending, it is rather disappointing as a prequel. The story has potential, but it isn't realized as well as it could have been. Instead of laying a solid foundation and filling in the gaps, it is unclear how what happens in Vacancy 2 really relates to future events.