"Luke Wilson's 'Vacancy' Is Very, Very Frightening... Cover Your Eyes... " 145 Pageviews...
Written: May 27 '07 (Updated Apr 21 '08)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Beckinsale and Wilson are convincing as a divorced couple, headed toward disaster.
Cons: Any flaws are minor, and worth overlooking.
The Bottom Line: Take one part 'Psycho,' add one part 'Halloween,' then add one part 'The Shining,' puree in blender, serve in chilled glass.
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| sfarmer76's Full Review: Vacancy |
Vacancy (2007) was a horror film that had me jumping. Luke Wilson's performance surprised me, because he rarely tackles dramas. Kate Beckinsale was believable as the shrew wife; I can’t believe Sarah Jessica Parker was initially offered this role. I’ll commend Mark L. Smith for his script; I’ll also praise Nimrod Antal for uncomplicated direction. The opening credits are menacing -- names rotating and interlocking at forty-five degree angles -- until the camera recedes, revealing a maze. This thriller is also noteworthy for foreboding, suspense, and tension built upon a minimal cast and short runtime.
As the movie begins, we meet Amy (Beckinsale) and David Fox Wilson. The couple is driving through barrens -- on winding roads -- late at night. Amy sleeps while David drives. Then David swerves off road to avoid killing a raccoon. This jolt damages their car, but they limp along until they find a small enclave, complete with gas station, hotel, and phone booth. As they pull under the station’s overhang, they bump into a helpful mechanic (Embry) as he’s closing up for the night. He assesses the damage, renders aid, and gets them roadworthy.
Can their luck be worse? One hour outside of town they stall out again, thus forcing the duo to abandon their vehicle and walk back. I savored the dialogue exchanged by the pair after the engine failure; husband and wife appropriately bitter, loathsome of each other, their coping frustrated but their chemistry intact. Arriving back at the gas station the attendant can’t be located, so Amy and David inquire within at the adjacent Pinetop Motel. There they meet a clerk named Mason (Whaley) running the desk, who convinces them to stay overnight.
After they get acclimated in Room 4, and let their guard down, strange things start occurring. Calls are placed to the room, but when Amy or David answer them, nobody replies. Additionally, the occupant in Room 3 starts banging violently on the door that connects the two rooms, while someone else bangs on the outside door, and even the windows, spooking the couple who are cornered in a dark box-like room. Things go promptly downhill after David discovers chilling VHS snuff films (shot in Room 4) stacked on top of the TV set.
Now, can you imagine yourself in this situation? You’re in a remote location, cell phones don’t work, you’re trapped in a hotel room without a back door, you’re have no car, and three masked men are trying to get into the room to kill you. You also have evidence that the people directly outside your room have killed at least eight other people. Then you realize there are cameras inside the hotel room, recording your every move. What would you do to survive? David studies the tapes to find mistakes other victims made.
Cannily, David uncovers the trio’s method of entrance -- a disguised trap door in the bathroom floor above a skinny tunnel running underneath the motel -- and the couple attempt their escape through it. Emerging into Mason’s room behind the office, Amy manages to place a 911 call that will draw heat to the scene, but the couple hastily retreat down the tunnel again, back to their room. I can’t divulge more without spoiling everything, but when the Highway Patrolman (Doty) arrives -- he nearly steals the movie out from under Beckinsale and Wilson.
You’ll find Vacancy is scary but not a bloodbath. Antal’s directorial restraint is admirable compared to movies like Saw. This homage to Hitchcock is Nimrod’s first American release (he’s directed three in Hungary.) While reviews for Vacancy seem to be running fifty-fifty, I found myself rooting for its sympathetic protagonists. I admired the film’s craftsmanship and Antal’s reliance on anticipation, claustrophobia, fear and dread. Moviegoers appreciated the film; in three weeks the horror flick grossed $17M against a budget of $9M. Antal will have a new release called Armored out in 2009. I’ll be there.
(77/145)
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The Movie:
Vacancy
Screen Gems
MPAA Rating:
R for crude language, on screen nudity, terror and violent action.
Running Time:
1 Hr. 20 Min.
Sound:
Dolby Digital
If You Like Vacancy (2007), you might enjoy:
Brahm Stoker's Dracula
Frailty
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Kalifornia
Memento
Mothman Prophecies
Natural Born Killers
Poltergeist
Rosemary’s Baby
Scream
Taking Lives
The Thing
Visit the studio’s Official Websites:
www.sonypictures.com/movies/vacancy
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Scary Movie
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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sfarmer76
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