Vacancy (2007)

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

Director:

Nimród Antal

Writer:

Mark L. Smith

Stars:

Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, Frank Whaley

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Beckinsale	...	Amy Fox
Luke Wilson	...	David Fox
Frank Whaley	...	Mason
Ethan Embry	...	Mechanic
Scott Anderson	...	Killer (as Scott G. Anderson)
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	...	Brenda B (as Dale Waddington Horowitz)
Ernest Misko	...	Snuff Victim (as Ernie Misko)
Bryan Ross	...	Snuff Victim

Storyline

David and Amy Fox find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere when their car breaks down. Luckily, they come across a motel with a TV to entertain them during their overnight stay. However, there's something very strange and familiar about the Grade-Z slasher movies that the motel broadcasts for its guests' enjoyment. They all appear to be filmed in the very same room they occupy! Realizing that they are trapped in their room with hidden cameras now aimed at them filming their every move, David and Amy desperately find a means of escape through locked doors, crawlspaces and underground tunnels before they too become the newest stars of the mystery filmmaker's next cult classic!

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Plot Keywords:

slasher | motel | trapped | remote place | sadistic horror | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Pinewood Motel was actually built specifically for the film and was not a pre-existing location. Moreover, the Pinewood Motel was actually two entirely separate sets, one interior and one exterior. Director Nimród Antal remarked that the attention to detail by the production designers was astonishing, since they were able to take an entirely new structure and make it look like a run-down dive motel. He remarked that, after shooting each day, he felt that he needed to "shower off" the feel of the set despite it actually being quite clean in real-life.

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Goofs

When David ejects the first tape from the VCR, it is a different tape than the one he put in. The tape he then puts in is the same one he put in the first time.

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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.

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

User Reviews

Old story but good thriller

The story is really old about a couple driving and their car broke down, so they booked a room in a motel. They seen a few video tapes of people getting tortured & killed very brutally in the exact same room they are in and now they are trapped. But it was so thrilling throughout the whole film that it made my heart beat faster and kept me in the edge of the seat and its been a long time since a horror movie is made about a evil motel/hotel e.g. Psycho in the sixties. Kate Beckinsale was not looking as beautiful as she was in the Underworld movies but her acting was terrific. Vacancy is quite similar to an episode of a cartoon called "Courage the Cowardly Dog"; the 10 minute episode is called "A Night at the Katz Motel" which was also good.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 April 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vacancy

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,603,376, 22 April 2007

Gross USA:

$19,363,565

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,442,935

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, Hal Lieberman Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1