Vacancy 2: The First Cut

Smith checks into Meadow View Inn and brutally murders a woman he brought with him. The hotel staff, who had hidden cameras to secretly record couples, witness the killing. Rather than contact the police, they subdue him and tie him up, and the hotel manager Gordon begins negotiating a darker deal.

The staff attack Smith and bind him, then propose a plan that avoids police involvement. Gordon agrees to hire Smith to torture and murder motel guests and to sell the tapes as snuff films. The arrangement seeds the motel's hidden horror.

Days later, Jessica, Caleb, and Caleb's friend Tanner check into the motel for a night's rest. Tanner is placed in a room adjacent to Jessica and Caleb, setting up the next tense moment. They remain unaware of the killer’s reach inside the hotel walls.

Turning on the television, Tanner discovers live footage of the next-door room. The trio realizes the hotel is quietly recording their every move. The sense of danger grows as they grasp the extent of the operation.

The group tries to flee, but Smith and two masked men block their exit. They capture Caleb and stab him in the stomach, killing him before Jessica and Tanner can react. The nightmare moves from the TV to the real world.

Jessica and Tanner escape into the woods and seek help at a nearby house. The couple living there are skeptical and do not believe their story at first. The danger lingers as the killers close in.

Smith and the other men arrive and accuse Jessica and Tanner of stealing from them. The wife tries to call the police, but Smith shoots both the husband and wife, ending their resistance. Jessica and Tanner flee once more.

The men recapture Jessica and Tanner and torture Tanner first. Smith declares he wants to kill Jessica himself, while Gordon reveals his plan to let Smith do the deed and then pin it on him.

Left alone briefly, Jessica unties her bonds. When Smith returns, she stabs him in the face and escapes with a gun. The balance of power shifts as she takes control of the situation.

Gordon searches the lake for clues and spots a sweater in the water. Jessica emerges and shoots him as he turns around, ending his complicity in the scheme.

Smith hears the gunshot and rushes to the lake, chasing Jessica. She hides in a nearby trailer and, after a confrontation, starts a fire, leaving Smith to burn to death inside.

The following morning, police arrive but doubt Jessica's story because the cameras and bodies are missing. The motel’s evidence has vanished, complicating any attempt to secure justice.

In the aftermath, a badly scarred Smith informs a trucker that the motel will be up and running again elsewhere, Pinewood Motel. He hands over a snuff film and promises more copies once production resumes.