Vacancy
by Nimród Antal
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ethan Embry, Frank Whaley, Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, Scott G. AndersonDirector: Nimród Antal
Brand: BECKINSALE,KATE
Cinematographer: Andrzej Sekula
Editor: Armen Minasian
Producer: Brian Paschal
Producer: Glenn S. Gainor
Producer: Hal Lieberman
Producer: Stacy Cramer
Writer: Mark L. Smith
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Unknown
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-08-14
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Vacancy
Movie Review: Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide to Creepy Hotels
Summary: 5 Stars
In the era of what has been dubbed "torture porn," it was only a matter of time before someone tried to take a serious crack at creating a disturbing thriller that's well acted and more about survival vs. watching the victims all die.
Amy (Kate Beckinsale, doing a great job of acting terrified instead of just sitting pretty) and David (Luke Wilson, who earns his acting kudos here) Fox have recently lost a child to an accident. Their marriage is falling apart and they have just come back from a family party where they had to pretend things were fine. Thus we have dramatic tension as the two bicker, driving to God-knows-where in the middle of the night.
(Welcome to Spoilertown! All who fear learning what happens to this couple should leave now.)
When their car breaks down, the Foxs are forced to stop at a local motel. Only this motel isn't ordinary. The guy at the front desk, Mason (Frank Whaley) is clearly a creep. In fact, he's so creepy that he walks out of a video room to a rising crescendo of a woman's shrieks. Refreshingly, there's nothing hidden here; everything about Mason screams "I am a serial killer" but our protagonists are running out of options and are too distracted by their own personal grievance. So they stay at the mostly deserted hotel.
Agitated by their circumstances, David pops a video into the VCR and discovers that he's watching a snuff film. A snuff film takes place in the very room they're in.
And thus our protagonists are thrust into a life-and-death struggle. Refreshingly, David has a level head on his shoulders and works through each step. If the killers left the video in the room, they knew whoever stayed there would see it, so they clearly have the upper hand. If the killers appear from off camera in the film, then clearly there's a means of entering the room they're not aware of. And since there's so many videotapes laying around, these guys have been at it for a while.
Vacancy does toy with our sensibilities, be it the cop who never calls for backup, the ability to survive gaping stomach wounds, or loaded pistols hanging in the lobby...but it's easy to forgive. Every twist and turn, every desperate attempt, is riveting. Best of all, sometimes our protagonists' gambits simply fail, with horrible consequences. Despite the premise, there really isn't much gore.
Vacancy is a particularly disturbing breed of horror. I've been at hotels where someone banged on the door in the middle of the night. I've been at hotels where the people in the next room sound like they're doing something illegal. I've been at hotels where the front desk is behind Plexiglas with cameras everywhere. Vacancy's premise blends the perfect cocktail of emotional and physical isolation with the fact that some hotels are just plain nasty.
In a way, Vacancy is a riff on the entire genre, because that's precisely what our protagonists end up doing...watching snuff films over and over to see what NOT to do.
Summary of Vacancy
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