Review: Vacancy 2: The First Cut (2009)

Director: Eric Bross | 86 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Agnes Bruckner, David Moscow, Scott G. Anderson, Arjay Smith, Trevor Wright, Beau Billingslea, Brian Klugman, Juanita Jennings, Nelson Lee, Gwendoline Yeo, Judy Durning, David Shackelford, Lola Davidson, Don Oscar Smith, Joe Reegan

An insatiable desire for money brings out the worst in people. This is not only apparent from the credit crisis, it also seems to be the moral of the story told in ‘Vacancy 2: The First Cut’. The pair of Otis and Reece run a dilapidated motel situated in a densely wooded no-man’s land. What most visitors don’t know, however, is that the two men equipped each room with a camera. That way, the two can satisfy their voyeuristic needs by watching the sexual escapades and outpourings of the unsuspecting guests live. However, when one of their guests, named Smith, indulges in a gory and revolting massacre, Otis and Reece decide to intervene. Soon, however, the three men make an agreement: hoping to get rich quickly,

Vacancy 2: The First Cut is a prequel to the 2007 released movie Vacancy starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson. In contrast to the first part, ‘Vacancy 2’ did not appear in the cinemas and this prehistory is not graced with famous star actors. That in itself does not have to be an obstacle to making a good thriller or horror film. After all, the best films in this genre are usually obscure productions made for an apple and an egg, prints that are more or less handcrafted and do not primarily parasitize the reputation of the most important leading figures.

However, ‘Vacancy 2: The First Cut’ is a film that mainly shows a glaring lack of originality and creativity. In itself it is a nice idea to reveal the history of ‘Vacancy’ in a new film. The problem, however, is that you quickly know which direction the story will take. The makers use far too many pre-made horror clichés and predictable plot twists. Because the explicit violence is also limited, the film will probably not be very popular with fans of gruesome torture feasts like ‘Hostel’ or ‘Saw’. Moreover, the lack of suspense and psychological horror means that fans of more intelligent horror films such as ‘Psycho’ and ‘Halloween’ will not be so enthusiastic about this print.

Vacancy 2: The First Cut is not a terrible movie. The nice scenes, although sparse and modest in number, are present and the idea behind this production is reasonable. However, the lack of spontaneity and inspiration, the less original elaboration and the routine approach prevent this film from being described as more than a mediocre piece of work. If you want to impress the already very saturated horror and thriller fanatic, then as a film company or producer you have to come up with something better than ‘Vacancy 2: The First Cut’.