Vacancy 2: The First Cut (2008) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

USA 2008
Director: Eric Bross
Cast: Agnes Bruckner, Arjay Smith, Trevor Wright, David Moscow, Gwendoline Yeo, Brian Klugman
Rating: R
Release Date: 24 October 2008
Running Time: 1 hour 25 minutes 50 seconds

The Movie Review

Vacancy 2: The First Cut film still 1


VACANCY 2: THE FIRST CUT
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

Easy, simple, cheap and relatively comfortable, those are what defining a Motel. But dangerous, deadly, frightening and trapped, those are what a Motel looks like according to the first entry in the Vacancy franchise and how great that horror film to have given us that feeling of fear of what a Motel could do. Thinking that the first one was so good of a horror movie, we might think that the sequel will be available on the cinemas nearby. But Vacancy 2: The First Cut is distributed only as Direct-to-Video. While Vacancy 2 The First Cut is not the best horror movie of the DTV realm, it is still better than most average DTVs out there.

Vacancy 2 is definitely not a sequel, it's a prequel, but strangely not to explain what has happened before Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale (in Vacancy) ever get to that motel. It's more likely a combination of prequel and spin-off, it tells you the history of the motel but in the end, the characters are not connected to the first Vacancy. So probably it's best to view it as a different movie but sharing the same theme as the first Vacancy.

This thriller movie is about a motel named Meadow View Inn run by the owner, Gordon (David Moscow) and his assistant Reece (Brian Klugman). However, it turns out that Gordon is putting cameras in selected rooms, and this is not some sort of extra-cautioning in the name of security, but merely trying to score extra profit. The evil-minded Gordon and his assistants are making real-life killing movies, of course by killing unsuspected guesses who simply want to rest. Caleb (Trevor Wright) and his girlfriend Jessica (Agnes Bruckner) along with his irritating but kind-hearted friend Tanner (Arjay Smith) are on their way to Jessica's house when Tanner suggests that it will give Caleb bad impression from Caleb's future in-laws if they knock on Jessica's home in 3 o'clock in the morning. And so they make a turn to quiet Meadow View Inn to stay just for a couple of hours until morning comes. But will these friends ever get to see the morning sun?

Vacancy 2 is a regular thriller movie but is also not entirely predictable. If you have ever seen the first Vacancy, surely the opening scene will trick you, it's a good first twist, but if you haven't seen it, then that scene is perfect to set up our mood. The story and the editing are a good combination to build this creepy atmosphere. We are following what the villains do as if we are there with them and also what the victims are experiencing. And for this the camera angles play a big role in giving us that feeling. It may be too shaky at times and probably even confusing, but as I said before, it gives us different view which is creepier to witness.

Agnes Bruckner, Arjay Smith, and Trevor Wright deliver strong acting and convincing performances as the victims. And from the early scenes of the film, the chemistry among them makes us care for them. Funny thing is, it is more believable for Arjay and Trevor as friends than to Agnes and Trevor as lovers. The addition of Arjay's character is a good addition to this horror movie. Gordon and Reece are the ordinary horror personalities where they are seem to be nice but little-off. And in personating these characters, David Moscow and Brian Klugman are acting quite well. But if I have to make comparison with Mason the owner of the motel in the first Vacancy, thinking that Mason and Gordon share the same trait, then Frank Whaley performed much better than David Moscow. While Frank Whaley's character gives us this uncomfortable and hatred feeling towards him, David Moscow's character could be said as simply being a bad person. But I realize, this flaw from David Moscow has to be shared with the script.

The first Vacancy's script employs great suspense in its storyline, and that's one of the strongest aspects from that movie. Vacancy 2 won't be able to fully give us that suspense, because from the beginning we already know who the bad guys are, their methods, their motives and even their history. However Vacancy 2 still could retains a few of that element of suspense, but it trades it with shocking gore and very intense chase scenes. But for that trade, Vacancy 2 gives us thrilling chase scenes using the interior and exterior of the motel including the woods nearby. But one thing that I do admire that it's effort to put on some little twists that will not distract us from enjoying the movie but presents us with storyline that doesn't lost entirely in the world of clichés. Such as the number of the villains, who survive and who's not from both hero and villain sides and little things like that. Of course, for new horror fans this may not seem too noticeable, but for moviegoers who often see horror film like this, it's quite refreshing. Although I couldn't hold my self from grumbling over one useless twist/scene, a bathroom scene where Jessica enters the bathroom wearing nothing but towel, implicitly enticing the audience to expect something more from her, well you're not going to get it, cause shortly after, the scene is end. Probably to the screenwriter's defense, that bathroom scene is to give us the chill of "stalker at the window" (worry not, that's a minor-minor spoiler), but I could say why don't just send Caleb to go pee for instance, instead of pretending to try to give what will not be given.

Finally, just a note though, if you ever feeling creepy of any peeping toms that might lurk somewhere, here is a link to practical devices that we can use to trace or locate hidden camera, Anti Hidden Camera. I haven't purchased any of them yet though, but I think it'll come in handy.

For horror fans, let it be known there are many movies released in cinema which have lesser quality than Vacancy 2. However Vacancy 2: The First Cut falls in between the quality of good movies released in movie theater and usually crappy DTV. And for what it is, which is a DTV, Vacancy 2 is a decent rent.

Vacancy 2: The First Cut movie screenshot 6

Vacancy 2: The First Cut movie screenshot 7