Vacancy (2007)

Director:

Nimród Antal

Writer (WGA):

Mark L. Smith (written by)

Release Date:

20 April 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

How can you escape...if they can see everything?

Plot:

A young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel and finds hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film

Plot Keywords:

Motel | Trapped | Stars | Slasher | Tunnel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kate Beckinsale	...	Amy Fox
Luke Wilson	...	David Fox
Frank Whaley	...	Mason
Ethan Embry	...	Mechanic
Scott G. Anderson	...	Killer
Mark Casella	...	Truck Driver (as Mark Cassella)
David Doty	...	Highway Patrol
Norm Compton	...	Snuff Victim
Caryn Mower	...	Snuff Victim
Meegan Godfrey	...	Snuff Victim (as Meegan E. Godfrey)
Kym Stys	...	Snuff Victim
Andrew Fiscella	...	Steven R
Dale Waddington Horowitz	...	Brenda B
Ernest Misko	...	Snuff Victim (as Ernie Misko)
Bryan Ross	...	Snuff Victim

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence and terror, brief nudity and language.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Ireland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:16 | Italy:T (with warning/VM12) | France:-12 | Australia:MA | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18PL | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Italy:VM18 (tv rating)

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

Sarah Jessica Parker was originally selected for the film, but dropped out and was replaced by Kate Beckinsale.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early in the movie, when David looks out the outside door of the room, he leaves the door ajar while checking the banging coming from the door inside the room. When a long shot shows the whole room, the outside door is closed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
David Fox: [after swerving while driving] Son of a bitch!
Amy Fox: What are you doing?
David Fox: It was a goddamn raccoon in the middle of the road!
Amy Fox: Well, better to kill us than get a little roadkill on the car, huh?
David Fox: Well, we're still alive. I can tell by the pissy look that you're giving me.

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Tense, Suspenseful, and Solid Shocker.

"Vacancy" is a suspenseful horror shocker that follows a young disputing couple on their way home from an anniversary party, Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson), who have just recently lost a child and are about to enter a divorce. The bickering couple end up stranded outside a small service station in the middle of nowhere, and decide to to check into the Pinewood motel, a cheap little place for them to spend the night until they can get help the next morning. The quirky desk clerk gives them their room, and they find it to be a complete dump. But their dingy motel room is the least of their problems, when they find videotapes of homemade snuff movies where previous guests were filmed as they were brutally murdered. With a team of masked killers surrounding the entire motel, and every area under surveillance, Amy and David find themselves in a life-or-death struggle as they try and survive through the night.

If the plot summary for this movie sounds like something that interests you, you will more than likely enjoy this suspenseful horror flick. I went into "Vacancy" with pretty average expectations - I wasn't that wild about this movie when I'd first heard about it, but it sounded interesting enough so I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. Unlike the vast majority of the horror junk that gets released lately, this film actually boasts an original and solidly-constructed premise. Take some elements from Hitchock's "Psycho" (was it just me, or were those opening credits played over with the Bernard Herrman-like score a direct reference to Hitchcock?), throw in some aspects from the "Saw" series, and tie things together in a tense little package, and you get "Vacancy". I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout almost the entire film, and found not one dull moment. Suspense and tension are the real kickers in this movie, and it is done very well. Lots of moody camera angles and some genuinely frightening sequences (take the underground cave scenes for example) add to the tense nature.

Our lead performers are Beckinsale and Wilson, both of whom turn in some great performances. Wilson plays the "husband hero" and Beckinsale is the "damsel in distress-gone fighting machine", and both capture this effectively. Their acting is believable, and I think that the writing has something to do with it as well, because their characters are written really well. They're not your typical genre morons who drop to the floor when the killer approaches, they are much more real. They make good decisions and the right moves, which makes them much more credible and realistic, winning over the audiences sympathy rather easily. There were some heart-pumping fight sequences as well between the heroes and the villains, which were well executed and had you rooting for Beckinsale and Wilson. The ending was a little uneven I have to admit, but compared to the tense hour and twenty-five minutes before it, it doesn't come close to bringing the movie down.

Overall, "Vacancy" is an original horror flick that is heavy on suspense, while not so heavy on bloodshed. The claustrophobic atmosphere and the tense build up in this movie is it's real charm, and it will have you on the edge of your seat, anxious to see what will happen next. It's the way a thriller should be done, and makes for an enjoyable late-night fright fest. Exceeded my expectations and went beyond. 9/10.