Customer Reviews

Vacancy

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(48)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

If you've seen every horror movie out there, maybe this one won't do anything for you. It definitely kept me watching for these reasons:

1. The couple, Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, are having marital troubles. This is a nice twist on the formulaic "couple is in love, has sex, gets killed" theme. You won't find that here.

2. They end up in a really run-down motel run by a truly whacky guy.

3. Things get very frightening and it isn't the usual slasher flick. There are some nice twists and turns here...well, maybe not nice..but definitely riveting.

4. I was surprised several times and screamed my head off. You don't really want me to reveal much more, do you? If you're looking for a horror film, I assume you want to know if you're likely to get scared silly. Based on my reaction, I'd say yes. I also wanted to know how this was going to affect this couple's marriage. I mean, stick two estranged people in a motel with a psycho and see how that changes their perspective...

I do have to add that this isn't the BEST horror movie I've ever seen but it does the job.

After their car breaks down somewhere off the highway at midnight, a young (and bickering) married couple Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson check into an old motel. When they think they are the only guests staying there that night, strange things start to happen, including some banging noises from the next room.

With its nice opening title back and score that strongly remind us of Hitchcock, "Vacancy" is an old-fashioned thriller that does not rely on gores to raise its tension. That works to some extent with the effective performances from the leads and atmospheric photography by Andrzej Sekula. Hungarian director Nimród Antal ("Kontroll") manages to make us jump with several scary moments at first, but the film's tension slowly vanishes as the story unfolds.

For what "Vacancy" shows remains (for me) very familiar. The story here belongs to the territory of urban legends including disturbing images recorded on old VCRs, but slick as it is, the film fails to show a newer angle to tell this old story told in the past.

The film's second (and weaker) part suffers from the lack of originality in storytelling, making the whole situation which was so far pretty intriguing, just incredible. I cannot reveal too much about it, but probably you will think as I did when watching these characters making worst choices. "Vacancy" has its moments, but overall just an OK thriller.

As an adult horror/thriller film viewer for *&^% decades, I am disappointed in most everything that comes out these days. VACANCY is a pleasant surprise, but I think one's expectations need to be modest. Also, the film requires a mature, savvy viewer who is tired of teenagers getting in trouble and being stupid, then heroic, then stupidly heroic. Adult thrills done with an aesthetic sensibility and yet delivering something palpable and strong are hard to come by these days. If you agree, catch VACANCY. (Also, watch the alternative opening under special features--hard to believe they shot this and had the integrity and audacity not to use it.)

For those that say "this kept me on the edge of my seat" I have to say that I agree. I was on the edge of my seat to leave within 10 minutes of this film beginning. I've seen more intelligent writing on the back of a milk carton. Check into this motel and leave your brains elsewhere.

I want to like these kinds of movies, as they are a unique genre and a throwback to a bygone era. Aside from the gore and porn elements, which I never find all that appealing, the basics of this film pay homage to that class of films about run-down motels and stalker killers. We've seen all this before and done remarkably better. This film is a disappointment from the get go.

The actors are good "A" list people, but, unfortunately, it is their very presence that helps throw this film off as we expect a better film than what we get because of their association with the film. This kind of reminds me of the 70's era when top stars would make "guest" appearances in "B" films for a few extra bucks and keep their names in the limelight, but rarely would they actually "star" in the film.

My next issue is the totally illiterate script that has enough holes to drive a semi through. Hey, I can willingly suspend my disbelief as much as the next guy in order to enjoy a thriller, but I just can't totally shut off my intelligence. From beginning to end one is always thinking, "Why don't they just do this?" or "How come they didn't think of that?" The film's inconsistencies and poor resolution to the story make this film just too silly to be taken in any kind of serious manner. And, yeah, I know it's only a movie.

There are some cleverly directed sequences and photographic angles that genuinely create suspense and even a few chills, but other than that, this is a strictly "paint by the numbers" thriller that offers little if anything at all to the genre. This film is a huge disappointment and attempts to make money over the popularity of its stars, who should be embarrassed to be in this flop, and the recent rash of slasher, gore and porn thrillers masquerading as horror films in our theaters today. For a more memorable night of thrills and chills I highly recommend 1408 and Dead Silence.

My daughter came by for a visit and suggested that we watch a movie together. We selected this film because it had a good cast and was billed as a horror flick. Well, we turned out the lights, and for the duration of the film we were scared out of our wits! It was a truly scary movie!

A married couple, David (Luke Wilson) and Amy (Kate Beckinsale), are on the verge of divorce and their last road trip together. David has taken a shortcut off the highway, and now they find themselves lost on some secondary road with nightfall setting in. To add insult to injury, their car breaks down, but they are able to get a quick fix by an overly friendly mechanic at a roadside gas station.

Unfortunately, the quick fix doesn't hold, and their car breaks down again in the middle of nowhere. They hike back to the gas station only to find it closed. With no mechanic to service their car, they are forced to stay in a seedy, two bit fleabag motel run by a creepy manager, who rents them a rundown room for the night. While in the room, they notice some VHS tapes on a shelf and decide to play one on the VCR. When they do, they get the shock of their lives. Let the games begin!

This is an action packed film that had my daughter and me cowering. The action is non-stop and the plot is quite novel. This is not a blood and guts kind of movie, but rather one filled with lots of tension and nail-biting suspense. Clearly, the Hitchcock influence is at work here, and the director well understands that less is more.

VACANCY may not be the best thriller of the year, though it does provide three good performances from Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley and a surprise serious role for fine comedian Luke Wilson, but it stands apart from many by the fact that it unveils a piece of the underbelly of crime by addressing the creation of snuff films (films made by strange minds that show the death of the actors, and whether or not we like to believe it, there is an audience for that!). The fact that the film (as shown in the very good featurette additions) was filmed entirely on a studio set adds to the admiration that grows after the fright diminishes. And writer Mark L. Smith and director Nimród Antal deserve credit for their project.

The plot is simple: on a night road married couple Amy (Kate Beckinsale) and David Fox (Luke Wilson) are lost and the tension of the night only ads to the fact that this couple is in the throes of a broken marriage, one that fractured at the accidental death of their only son. Frustrated and angry with each other and their plight, they end up stranded in the middle of nowhere and check in to a morbid motel managed by the oily and repulsive Mason (Frank Whaley). From the moment they enter their room they realize something is wrong: the videos on the television are snuff films filmed in the room in which they are staying. From there the action of the film speeds up and is a non-stop ingenious attempt to escape the killers that besiege their room. The trauma of the night makes Amy and David reconsider their history and the film ends with a grande guignol bang.

Beckinsale and Wilson make a credible couple and the writer and director have opted to make the film more about the relationship of the estranged couple than just about horror. It works. This is not a great film, but it is an entertaining one - as well as frighteningly informative...! Grady Harp, August 07

First let me just say that "Vacancy" is not a comedy. Not even a horror-comedy. The fact that this film stars Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale and Frank Whaley, all of whom have a history of appearing in comedies, had me confused, right up until the moment that I put this movie into my DVD player. There is no tongue planted firmly in cheek here. It is a straight-up horror film and it is genuinely frightening. It also happens to be one of the best horror films that I have see in a long time.

Wilson and Beckinsale play a couple on the verge of divorce who stumble upon the modern day equivalent of The Bates Motel when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Shortly after being assigned the honeymoon suite, the couple discover a pile of home-made snuff movies which look as though they have been made in the very room that they are occupying. Knowing the fate that awaits them, the couple realize that they must put aside their differences and work together if they ever hope to leave the motel.

Although only about 85 minutes in length, director Nimrod Antal manages to fill every one of these minutes with suspense while making the audience genuinely care about the fate of the two protagonists. This is also a function of good script writing. Unlike most horror films, the script is not filled with disposable characters, making you focus on the few characters that are in it. The script is also not as predictable as some of its genre counterparts. The acting is also surprisingly good. Wilson demonstrates that he is just as effective in a serious as he is in comedies, but for me, the true star of the show was Frank Whaley as the creepy, Norman Bates inspired motel manager. Hopefully this film will pave the way for more horror roles for Whaley because I have been a fan of his since "Swimming with Sharks" and he doesn't seem to have been getting many film roles recently.

"Vacancy" went straight to DVD in Australia, which suggests that it probably didn't do all that well at the US box office, which is a shame because it is a really great film. Here's hoping that it develops a cult following on DVD.

I'll write a short review since I don't have the time. I liked how the director set the mood for this film it also has a stylish opening credit sequence, it was an intense thriller but wasn't particularly that scary but it still works as a thriller and the pacing was great anyone who says that this film was too slow or boring probably suffers from ADD and likes watching crappy Michael Bay films. Both Kate Beckinsdale and Luke Wilson are good actors especially Kate who's very talented and their roles were believable and have some depth. A couple who are traveling at night to visit some relatives end up having car trouble in the middle of no where so they decide to stop bickering for a while and check in a motel, this motel unfortunately has a dark secret and it seems like some of its guests have appeared in a snuff tape that Luke's character watches in one of the videos. How are they going to get out of this situation? well you'll have to watch it in-order to find out. Overall this was a very solid thriller which has some nice and suspenseful moments to it like a Hitchcock film......

The plot of this movie was quite unique, and for that it deserves credit -a couple, Amy [Kate Beckinsale] and David Fox [Luke Wilson] are on a road trip, and find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. Things are made worse by the fact that they are experiencing marital difficulties [over losing their only son]...anyway, they find themselves at a motel, managed by a sleazy guy, Mason [Frank Whaley]. It doesn't take them too long to figure out that the room that they've been given for the night is the setting for 'snuff' movies, and they are the next victims. The rest of the movie deals with how they try escaping being snuffed out.

The movie could have done with better editing, but the action is almost non-stop, and the acting is above average, esp Kate Beckinsale's agitated & horrified Amy, and the creepy night manager Mason [Whaley] whose tics and weird mannerisms really bring out the psychopath in him. Even Luke Wilson, whose acting history leaves much to be desired so far, manages to give a decent performance.

The ending was rather weak in my opinion,and almost abrupt in the way the filmmakers tried to wrap things up, BUT...a decent effort overall, and worth a watch.

Vacancy is a suspenseful horror film. From the beginning score during the credits it's like something from a Hitchcock film and like Hitchcock's psycho were back at a Motel on another suspenseful thrill ride. Instead of Norman Bates we get Mason a desk clerk played effectively by Frank Whaley, however during Psycho we as viewers find ourselves almost nervous for Norman as when the car stops sinking in the bog, there is no sympathy for this desk clerk, only anger and hatred.

The plot is simple enough a couple with issues perhaps on there way to divorce car breaks down and they find themselves at the above mentioned motel. The couple is played by Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale who in my opinion have never been better, they are a relatable and believable couple and there is character development. They get there room from the awkward desk clerk and soon after that there is banging at the door and the phone rings but nobody is there. These subtle things are real, can happen and can be terrifying however the horror comes when Luke Wilson's character inserts the videotape in his room to find something shocking and disturbing.

The Film is 80 minutes long and is filled with suspense, particularly the beginning when they are driving, every shot you feel like something is about to happen and you are on edge, it loses itself a bit towards the end but the 80mins does go by fast.

As Laura Kern states in this months Film Comment Magazine "it's no Psycho - but what is? Still, with its perfectly eerie sets, stark lighting, inventive camerawork, and jarring frights, Vacancy comes closer than any other thriller in recent memory." I would agree 100%.

**THE DVD**

The transfer looked great and the soundtrack was very effective and played well on the 5.1 dolby digital track.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

-Checking in: Behind the scenes of Vacancy

-Extended Snuff Films

-Deleted Scenes.