Coming to DVD Tuesday, January 20th
Cast:
Agnes Bruckner as Jessica
David Moscow as Gordon
Scott G. Anderson as Smith
Arjay Smith as Tanner
Trevor Wright as Caleb
Brian Klugman as Reece
Directed by Eric Bross
Review:
2007’s Vacancy is an effective little chiller for about an hour, at which point it completely self-destructs with a cop-out ending that manages to tarnish everything that preceded it. On the surface it is ideal for a direct-to-DVD prequel. It was a modest box office success but hardly a smash hit and isn’t exactly regarded as a classic by horror fans. Recent follow ups to Boogeyman and Wrong Turn demonstrated that a sequel, even one that bypasses a theatrical release, can surpass the original and then some. So a template was there. Sadly, the filmmakers chose to ignore it. Vacancy 2 is a pedestrian and uninspired effort.
A prologue informs viewers that authorities shut down the Pinewood Motel in April of 2007. In doing so they discovered the videotaped murders of over 200 people dating back to September 2004. What we are about to witness is the story of the first victims.
Gordon (David Moscow) and Reece (Brian Klugman) are voyeurs who film couples having sex and sell it. They operate the Meadow View Inn, not the Pinewood Motel, which will be explained later. When young, horny newlyweds make a pit stop at the Meadow View for a quickie and safely leave, it is clear that these are just a pair of perverts but not killers.
After the newlyweds depart they focus their attention on another room. A mysterious man named Smith (Scott G. Anderson) has taken a young woman into a room and covered the bed with plastic. It looks like they are about to see some freaky stuff. She assumes the position, but this guy is not interested in sex. He proceeds to brutally stab her to death. Gordon and Reece, who appear slightly perturbed but hardly distressed, ambush the unsuspecting Smith and tie him up.
Rather than call the police, Gordon and Reece decide to go into business with Smith. “Nobody buys porn anymore,” they are told. They have stumbled upon a new, lucrative revenue stream. Smith will conduct the dirty work and they will sell it. It is all a tad too convenient. For starters, Gordon and Reece are two nerdy-looking guys who would probably scream at the sight of their own blood. Being a peeping tom is a far cry from being part of a murder. Also, Smith is about the least menacing serial killer ever put on film. He looks more like a traveling salesman than anything. Not once are you ever truly scared of these guys, despite their actions. It is too difficult to buy any of them actually partaking in cold-blooded murder.
It is here, a good twenty minutes into the movie, when we are finally introduced to our lead trio. Jessica (Agnes Bruckner) and Caleb (Trevor Wright) are moving from Chicago to North Carolina. She is pregnant and he is going to start working for her father. His best friend Tanner (Arjay Smith) is along for the ride because apparently they need help moving. It is more likely that another victim was required due to a small cast. Nearly at their final destination, they decide to catch a few hours sleep and not wake up their hosts in the middle of the night.
When Tanner sneaks into the room next door in order to give Jessica and Caleb some privacy, he flips on the TV and finds himself watching them get it on. Quickly realizing that they are being watched, the threesome attempts to escape the Meadow View. Unfortunately for them Smith, Gordon and Reece are ready and waiting.
Unfortunately for the viewer, none of this is suspenseful or engaging. It all plays out in a very by-the-numbers manner. How many times have we witnessed the goons looking in through a window at unsuspecting victims by now? Plus, a large portion of the movie takes place away from the motel. The trio escapes and a foot chase through the woods ensues, which never feels like anything but padding the running time. The routine storytelling would be a lot more forgivable if there were a few inventive kills on hand. A little creativity in the gore department can go a long way to salvaging an otherwise mediocre effort (i.e. the aforementioned Boogeyman sequel). Vacancy 2 is light on the bloodletting though and the few onscreen kills are dull.
While Eric Bross’s directing is competent, he makes the mistake of shooting everything in extreme close up. It is overdone and creates a pseudo-claustrophobic that feels forced. Writer Mark L. Smith, who also penned Vacancy, seems to merely be collecting a check this time around. In fact that is how the entire production feels, like an attempt to turn a quick buck on the name of the original.
At one point Smith quips that “this moviemaking shit is a lot harder than it looks.” He has no idea how right he is.
