Remember the 2007 spring chiller Vacancy? Yes-- that one with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. You don't? Oh, it's pretty okay, since no one really remembers it anyway. Not that a whole lot of people saw it : grossing just under 20M$ during its theatrical run (it opened just… More
Remember the 2007 spring chiller Vacancy? Yes-- that one with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. You don't? Oh, it's pretty okay, since no one really remembers it anyway. Not that a whole lot of people saw it : grossing just under 20M$ during its theatrical run (it opened just after the Virginia Tech shooting-- nobody wanted to be entertained by violent killings), it garnered better-than-average reviews but the public's enthusiasm was mixed at best. It was, all in all, a surprisingly competent but empty-headed suspenser; the kind of mediocrity that delivers on drowsy cable-watching nights but wouldn't make most viewers truly satisfied had they paid for it, let alone put their ass in a theater seat in front of it. I think that those that have seen it can agree on that : as creepy as it was, Vacancy was just so damn thin, down the line. Anyway, it looks like somebody thought it would be a pretty neat idea to cap that flick with a prequel.
Hah.
Okay, I can admit the grisly, ambiguous but definitely eerie setup of Nimrod Antal's film is the kind of stuff that, if handled well, can be fleshed out a bit without losing its mystery. And since the straight-to-video market in the horror/thriller genre obtained a reasonable boost lately, there would be no risk of producing a new low-budget entry in the series. But seriously... a prequel to Vacancy? And now, enter I, young cinephile : me played Vacancy 2 thinking it'd be just another run-of-the-mill STV cash-grab... well, color me surprised. Vacancy 2 : The First Cut is actually pretty decent, and for all of its nonsense and near pointlessness... I actually found it slightly superior to the original.
So, what is it that works unusually well here? Well, for starters, it has to be because this setup is EXACTLY the kind of premise that does wonders on a small scale film. With no big marquee names, a reliance on hand-held cameras, murky cinematography and completely anonymous sets, Vacancy 2 rings true almost from start to finish. It doesn't look 'cheap'; it looks exactly like a real life story in that setting would appear. It's not so much about ''horror'' as much as it is about ''suspense'' : even if the script sets up many opportunities for them, the big ''boo!'' shocks are very rare, indeed-- the tension, though, is this close to being uninterrupted. We are given all the pieces necessary to know just enough about what's happening and almost enough to predict what's next-- but not quite. This distinct unpredictability and cleverness in the way important details are shown to us render the film experience thoroughly gripping, and it's something I can say a direct-to-video sequel never achieved for me.
Even better : the characters, while not particularly interesting or well-developped, behave like intelligent and ressourceful people (...FOR ONCE!). It is exciting to watch them try to survive, because a great majority of their actions & reaction are actually convincing. It also helps that the dialogue isn't crap at all and that the performers are uniformly good, but the REAL surprise here is that Vacancy 2 gives almost equal coverage to the victims and their persecuters-- something that I've been waiting for in the genre for a long, long time. Regarding the villains, let me say that director Eric Bross takes full advantage of all the B-movie cliches he can foreshadow, only to dodge them in sometimes weird, sometimes forceful upturns. And for a film that concentrates on the victims' immense torment and panic, you would consequently expect a real bloodbath, right? Well, not here. Vacancy 2 is violent and dangerous, but not gory and graphic. That's refreshing in an era known for its endless string of silly though hard-to-watch torture pornos.
Of course, it's not devoid of all the flaws you could normally stick on productions like this one. It is fairly hollow and routine in its broadest sketches. To some, it could only come across as tasteless exploitation, and the horrifying twists the story pins on us could appear more needlessly cruel than diverting. Even if it handles all the 'prequelling material' quite skillfully, there are elements that don't add up with its predecessor, let alone with its screenplay's first act. Also, despite its unnerving climax, it ends on a finale that really, really makes fuck-all sense.
But you know what? As far as cat-and-mouse games go, I can say I haven't seen one done with that many good elements since last year's The Strangers. It's not a particularly good movie, but it is a successful pulse-pounder, and for that, I can say Vacancy 2 truly caught me off guard. I kept waiting for the moment where something would really suck, and that moment did come, but it was very, very late in the game. Late enough so that I can call it a worthy rental for genre fans and those that enjoy a good fright alike.
