Vacancy (2007) Directed by Nimrod Antal
The 2000s had a lot of horror movies that were rather dull or just part of an overblown series like Saw and Final Destination. Vacancy was something different, the idea was somewhat original and genuinely unnerving. Somewhat of a throwback to the 70s exploitation classics, Vacancy plays great homage to that genre as more of a thriller than an actual horror film. While it is generally overlooked, Vacancy is entertaining and creepy.
A couple’s car breaks down on the highway and they walk to a nearby motel for assistance. The manager tells them the two area garages are closed until morning, so they decided to stay in the old motel. While checking out the room, they put one of the movies to find a low budget slasher film, upon further viewing they realize the room in the movie, is the exact room they are in and the scenes are real. They discover hidden cameras in numerous locations. Now they must try to find a way to survive and to not become the stars of the next video.
Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale star in the film as the couple. They do a solid job of acting in the movie but their chemistry together isn’t the best. Beckinsale, I have always thought is gorgeous and I don’t see Luke Wilson being a believable husband, but maybe that’s me. While you can tell they are a couple in movie, I just do see the believable relationship with them. The manager of the motel is genuinely creepy and odd which to me, if I was to walk into that place I would just leave after talking to the guy. You know there is something wrong with this dude and any sane person wouldn’t trust him. The pace of the film is nice and steady. It doesn’t take long for the couple to figure out what is going on so we don’t get too much set up time. For a movie of this type it is nice to have a quick pace and the runtime is only an hour and 25minutes.
The suspense of the film is actually quite nice and you find yourself holding your breath at times hoping to see the couple escape near danger. This reminds me of a lot of 70s exploitation films, especially the story. You get the feel of a low budget thriller in an old motel off route 66 or something. A corrupt small town where everyone is in on the murders and no one can be trusted. The lighting is all dark and gloomy, some what grungy like many of the exploitation classics. The dialogue is decent, not awful and not award winning. There isn’t much in the way of gore or blood, this movie relies on suspense and atmosphere more than shock. I would also compare this to a home invasion style movie like The Strangers, although I think this is actually better. I watched the Strangers again this month and honestly I found myself quite bored with it. Vacancy just packs more suspense and tense moments, plus Beckinsale is much better to look at than Liv Tyler.
I can’t quite understand why this movie doesn’t get mentioned more often. Maybe because it didn’t quite fit the mold of the 2000s horror films. It has very little gore and this time period was in love with torture and gore. Movies like Saw and Hostel dominated the genre and brought about many impersonators like Turistas and The Ruins. Vacancy gets a lot of air time on basic cable, which ironically the two times I’ve seen it were on basic cable. If you have a chance to see it, check it out its an entertaining movie with substance. I would give Vacancy a B. While I enjoy it each time I watch it, there are some strikes against it as well.
