NO SCARCITY OF FRIGHT IN "VACANCY"
Written: Apr 20 '07 (Updated Apr 20 '07)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: Good acting, logical writing and film directing
Cons: Abrupt ending
The Bottom Line: This is an about average thriller that doesn't get too gory
|
|
|
| mike.holmes's Full Review: Vacancy |
First time director (at least for an American film) Nimrod Antal and first time screenwriter have teamed together for a very convincing, fairly realistic horror/thriller/suspense film. Once again, a film harks back to a Hitchcock classic, "Psycho". While certainly not in the class of that film, "Vacancy" is certainly one of the better recent "horror" films.
THE PLOT
As the movie begins, we find David Fox (Luke Wilson-"The Family Stone", "Old School", "The Royal Tenenbaums") driving down a fairly deserted mountain road while his wife Amy (Kate Beckinsale-"The Aviator", "Serendipity", "Underworld") sleeps. Fox is tired and panics when he sees a raccoon in the middle of the road. He misses the critter but does some damage to his car.
The couple manages to make it to a small town with a service station that is about to close and one motel, The Pinetop. After determining that the car can't be fixed until the morning, they decide to stay at the motel. As they walk in the lobby, they hear blood-curdling screams from a back room but a rather harmless looking clerk (Mason-"Joe the King", "Swing Kids") comes out and explains he watching a film. The couple checks in to the motel as the only guests in this out-of-the-way hole in the ground.
When they get into the room, the phone rings with nobody on the calling end. Someone starts knocking loudly on the doors to the room and David discovers an extremely disturbing "snuff" film which he and Amy decide was recorded in the room they are in.
From this point on, the movie concerns a trio of psychotic killers who can see every moves the couple makes on an elaborate video system and who control their attempts at communicating with the outside world. It appears that the trio's aim is to make David and Amy Fox the "feature characters" in their next snuff film. There is non-stop action for the last two-thirds of the film with a number of surprises and the requisite creepy, scary scenes.
WHY I LIKED THE FILM
While Mr. Antal has not directed in the U.S. before, he won some awards for the Hungarian film "Kontroll". His use of situations and intriguing camera angles to scare us reminds me of Hitchcock. Along with screenwriter Smith, the pair present a set of characters who at least behave in a logical manner. When chances are taken by David Fox, it is for good reason.
For a widely distributed film, this movie has one of the smallest casts that I've seen in a long time. The three characters I mentioned, the Foxes and the clerk share the screentime and dialogue for about 90% of the film. Luke Wilson has made a living in comedic movies for the most part but he certainly proves he can act in a serious role here. Beckinsale is also believable as a miserable wife (due to a recent tragedy in the family) who nevertheless rallies when the time for action occurs. Whaley's depiction of the nerdy clerk turned maniac is excellent although not as good as Tony Perkins in "Psycho."
The cinematographer for the film is Andrzej Sekula who performed that job in "Pulp Fiction" among several other films.
While Antal was not overt in his homage to the classic thrillers, I noted a very subtle reference to "Pyscho" in the hotel lobby (actually I read a professional review that pointed this out.) That attention to detail was what places this film in a higher category than some of the "slasher" films I've seen in the recent past. There is violence in the film, serious violence but it doesn't go over the top and turn into a complete bloodfest.
My only complaint about the film is what I consider to be an ending which is too abrupt and left one important question unanswered for me. But overall this is a good film to receive your quotient of "fright".
Four stars.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Scary Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
mike.holmes
|
 in Music, Movies, Books |
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Mike Holmes
Location: Odessa, Texas
Reviews written: 1242
Trusted by: 359 members
About Me:
TO HONOR TED KENNEDY, CONGRESS SHOULD PASS A MEANINGFUL HEALTH CARE BILL
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.