To sum this film up in just one word, I would have to say “confusing”.
Vacancy 2 is the prequel to the original Vacancy
, which was a film about a hotel that doubles as a snuff film factory where unsuspecting travelers check in and are videotaped while being murdered. It’s sort of like Hostel
without all the fun toys and pretty people.Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the very word “prequel” denotes that the film is about what happened before what was shown in the previous film. Given the nature of the story, that would also imply that the black hats come out on top and everything you may have been wondering about the first film is brought to light, right?
Yeah, I thought so too. Unfortunately, I don’t think the writers got the memo.
In the beginning, the story is plausible enough. A couple of blokes in charge of running a hotel in a remote location make a few bucks by videotaping honeymooners in action and then find themselves catching some very different antics on tape when a serial killer checks in for the night. After being advised that snuff outsells voyeuristic porn, they bring Mr. Killer in as a business partner and wait for the next batch of travelers to arrive.
You would think the outcome would be easy enough to predict, given that this is a prequel and all.
My best guess is that the writers and/or filmmakers decided that sticking to the tried-and-true formula of bad guys get their just desserts and at least one heroic good-guy needs to ride off into the sunset. The result being a lot of huge gaping plot holes that leave the viewer wondering how in the world the action of the first film ever got a chance to happen.
By the end of the film, I was left with the distinct impression that right before they wrapped up shooting someone on the set remembered that the film was supposed to be a prequel. That would certainly explain the quickly slapped-together ending to try to plug up some of those aforementioned plot holes.
If they do a “Vacancy 3”, it had damned well better include a few job fair scenes to show us exactly how the murderous hotel restocked itself with employees (especially after what I can only imagine would be a whopper of a lawsuit brought on by surviving guests). I’d also like to see a scene where the local police station is shut down for gross incompetence.
Oh, and one more thing… I almost fell asleep while watching it. To be honest, the only thing keeping my eyes open was my curiosity as to how they would possibly “fix” the ending.
Film information: Vacancy 2
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