Vacancy

(2007) Vacancy THRILLER/ HORROR

Somewhat scarred married couple, Kate Beckinsale as Amy Fox and Luke Wilson as David Fox attempting to drive away from an unfortunate accident involving there only child. And while driving on an isolated highway, the husband then decides to take a short cut resorting to their vehicle getting damaged, they decide to take up renting one of rooms of a nearby isolated motel for the night, only that it's not what they expected it'd be! Although conventional, everything works which includes hidden cameras and underground tunnels topping it off with a satisfying conclusion.

Vacancy;; Vacancy opens as a typical horror film, following a soon to be divorced couple, Amy and David Fox, driving down a winding road, in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Car troubles lead them to an abandoned motel where the manager informs them the mechanic will be back early in the morning. He seems friendly at first, and offers them a discount on the Honeymoon suite. Amy is resistant, but David convinces her.

Amy's first impression of the Motel was right on target, as a series of creepy events lead David and Amy to watch a video tape in which various guests at the same hotel are murdered. Soon after, David finds hidden cameras in the vents. Suddenly, the lights go out, and David and Amy must fight to find a way to escape... or end up getting slaughtered on tape like everyone else.

I am an avid horror movie fan, although lately I have run into the problem of not getting scared during these so called "scary movies." I am pleased to report, not just to horror film fans, but movie fans alike, Vacancy is actually scary. And that is just about the biggest compliment a movie such as this could get.

Throughout the 80 minute running time of Vacancy, I jumped a few times, gasped once or twice, and had white knuckles for almost the entire time. Luke Wilson and Kate Bekinsale give good performances as the bickering victims, and direction is particularly well-done. Director Nimrod Antal makes a wise choice, veering from torture, blood and guts, and relying mostly on putting these characters we care about in taut, tense situations.

Vacancy is a fun, frightening horror movie. 3 from 4.

This is a typical thriller if you want to have a little scare at night. It is pretty fast-paced and gets to the action almost right away, from a divorcing couple's (Wilson and Beckinsale) issues on the road to ending at a freaky motel with strange banging noises in the room and finally to the mysterious video tapes in the room.

The movie became predictable midway towards the end, where the chase between the bad guys and the good guys begin. The villains take credit for being probably the most clueless I've seen on the screen. Their dialog is very cheesy and campy (I mean, who throws their opponent on top of a gun on the floor?). There's plenty of action, but I think the climax was a little rushed through and too predictable. Otherwise, it's an OK movie for a scare.

So, never check into a motel at night in the middle of nowhere. Sleep in your car instead.

Grade C

Grieving over the loss of their son, David and Amy Fox are driving thru the night heading towards their destination...the signing of the divorce papers!. David unwisely leaves the interstate looking for a short cut and swerves to avoid hitting a raccoon, this causes engine trouble and eventually they have to settle for staying at a grotty roadside motel until the car can be fixed in the morning. Upon attempting to relax in their dirty and poorly decorated room, they are disturbed by loud banging on the doors to their room, this is merely the start of a night of terror as the Fox's will be forced to fight to stay alive in the confines of this Horror Motel!

Seen it before? Yes we all most certainly have, from proto slashers to Euro terrors, the couple under siege formula is as old as the hills themselves. But Vacancy has such a sense of fun and a unique use of its plot setting, that even a terribly formulaic cop out towards the end is mostly forgiven. The setting is one dirty hole of a motel, but the dirt is not merely confined to the structure and basic house keeping of the place, the worst dirt comes in a terrifying form that is fully formed from the moment we meet the creepy motel manager (a wonderfully cheesy Frank Whaley). From here our intrepid couple, very well played by Luke Wilson & Kate Beckinsale, must use the most basic resources to hand, to hopefully escape the clutches of masked assailants intent on gutting them in the name of entertainment.

What follows is the usual jumps and perilous set ups, and a quirky line in labyrinth adventure. But then that ending that almost derails the whole picture, it does hurt it because we the viewers can only feel let down that the makers chose to not stay with what would have been an impacting turn of events. But for a film that's homaging films (and thriller maestros) from the past and clearly doing what it set out to do, it's to me a forgivable error. It's not taking itself too seriously, and you shouldn't too, just check in with the Fox's and get involved with the thrills. 6.5/10

Amy and David are close to ending their marriage, and share one final journey, the pair break down and check into a hotel, one which hides a very bleak secret.

The snuff film thriller was definitely in vogue back in 2007, it's a genre that has definitely died away, but Vacancy is a film that's well worth revisiting.

I'm not sure why, but I've always thought this film has an Alfred Hitchcock vibe about it, even that music in the opening credits seems to fit the bill.

A good old fashioned game of cat and mouse, with Amy and David taking on their captors, fortunately they're noy the brightest bunch.

Genre wise it's pretty much a horror thriller, I only wish they had ramped up the horrors element a little more.

It's not particularly unique, but it's very watchable, it's well paced, and given the fairly short running time it moves along without any lull.

Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson are both very competent in their respective roles.

7/10.