Vacancy (2007)

DIRECTED BY
Nimrod Antal

STARRINGLuke Wilson - David Fox
Kate Beckinsale - Amy Fox
Frank Whaley - Mason
Ethan Embry - Mechanic

Year - 2007

Score - 2.5 Howls Outta 4

What is it about motels that scare the crap out of people? Is it the dirty bedsheets? Is it the non-functioning toilet bowl after a really bad "Number 2"? Is it the ugly ass decor that makes you want to poke your eyes out? Or is it the fact that the shower scene from PSYCHO will forever be engraved in our fragile minds, making us wonder whether or not something like that will happen to us?

While I'm not afraid of motels, I do find them pretty creepy and unsettling. Who knows what could have went on in the same room you've rented in the past? If you go to the motel that Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale go to in VACANCY, you will know what happened since there are videotapes all over the place for your viewing pleasure. But unlike the characters in the film, I'm not scared from what I just watched. But at least I was entertained for 90 minutes.

PLOT
David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale), a bickering couple on the verge of divorce, are lost on a California road after coming back from Amy's parent's anniversary party. Their car breaks down and they end up at a gas station where a weird mechanic (Ethan Embry) works. He fixes their car and gives them some directions, which the couple follow. However, they become lost again and the car engine dies. They end up walking to a hotel run by a strange fellow named Mason (Frank Whaley), where they reluctantly stay the night. Once they enter their room, the couple start to experience strange events - like banging on the doors and shadows running past curtains. David eventually finds a series of VHS tapes of so-called "snuff" films where people who had stayed in that very same room were horribly murdered. Realizing that they're next to die, the estranged couple try to work together in order to survive the night.

REVIEW
While it's not the best film I've ever seen in my life, VACANCY did its job for a 90 minute film. Short and to the point, the short running time helped VACANCY keep my interest. It was very realistic with some decent performances and a good amount of tension and suspense. The whole "snuff film" angle worked for me. It kept the film from going over-the-top by grounding the situation in reality while giving the film a creepy atmosphere. It wasn't exploited to the point where it would have made the whole experience silly, which I appreciated. I do wish it could have been pushed a little bit further to really give this film the horror kick that it needed, because it didn't really amount to much once David and Amy realized what was gonna happen. It was just a set-up device for the rest of the film and it should have been a bit more than that. I also liked that the characters were intelligent and didn't fall for the usual horror cliches that a lot of horror films fall upon. David and Amy pretty much did everything a normal person in their situation would do and did not insult the audience one bit. Even the villain played by Frank Whaley was intelligent enough to take charge and pretty much be on the same level as his victims. It's nice sometimes to have real human beings do smart things in scary situations in a horror film every once in a while. Only for that, I was rooting for their survival.

My problem with this film is that the characters weren't developed enough for me, especially David and Amy. There were things that were acknowledged, like the death of their son and how it probably led to their wanting a divorce from each other to forget the memory of their son's death, but it didn't really go anywhere. I wish I could have learned a little bit both of them as they almost came off semi-unlikable until the end really. But at least they were real people and weren't stereotypes of real people. So there was some level of sympathy for both of them, but not enough for me to truly give a damn whether they survived or not. And we never really know why these snuff films actually take place. I guess it was a business move for Mason to keep his hotel running or something, but that could have been expanded a little bit more too. The last act was pretty much your standard slasher film, meaning it was predictable as hell. And the ending was a bit too clean for me. I was waiting for something to happen but it didn't and the film pretty much just ended as it began. I don't mind "happy" endings, but it was a bit too much. Made the film less memorable in my opinion.

Director Nimrod Antal did a very good job with VACANCY. I loved the small frame shots of Amy and David in pretty much every scene because it created a level of claustrophobia that really set a disturbing mood for the film. The fact that we get these shots of the couple being alone and close together creates a personal feeling with the audience because it's like we're with them during this entire situation. He also kept building tension until the derivative end got rid of all that, but at least the suspense was there for most of the film. And I have no idea who is DOP [Director of Photography] was, but the picture was absolutely beautiful and clear. I loved the dark lighting and the inventive shot compositions. In particular, the scene where the lights in the room start blinking off and on, and then you see one of the masked killers in the room right behind Beckinsale before disappearing when it goes dark again [reminded me of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN with Michael Myers appearing out of nowhere in the dark to scare the audience]. Just really smart filmmaking. I liked it a lot.

The acting was okay. I have no idea what made Luke Wilson want to do a mainstream horror film, since he's more known for his smaller budgeted comedies. But he didn't do a bad job at all and played the everyman hero believably. He was smart, tough, determined, and willing to sacrifice himself for the wife he was about to divorce. Not an Oscar-worthy performance in any way, but it was a good one and I enjoyed the guy a lot.

Kate Beckinsale was pretty much given a throwaway role as Wilson's wife. She didn't do much but lash out and look scared. She's not the greatest actress in the role but at least give her more to do, especially if she's one of the leads.

Frank Whaley was good again in the role of the creepy Mason. Whaley is almost unrecognizable with the mustache and the glasses, but he was okay. I found his moments in the last half of the film almost funny though because he kept screaming and cursing every other line. Just not much of a fleshed-out part to portray, sadly.

And Ethan Embry was again wasted in a film as a creepy mechanic who pretty much sets up the entire thing. We barely see the dude in the film which is sad because he's a real good actor when he's given a meatier role. For only four major characters in a film, none of them were really developed enough. Some people may not care about that, but I do.

THE FINAL HOWL

VACANCY isn't a film you're gonna remember two weeks from now. But it will entertain you as you watch it. If you're looking for a gorefest, look somewhere else. But if you don't mind watching a tension-filed thriller for a short 90 minutes, then VACANCY isn't a bad rental.