Vacancy
Starring: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry
Directed by: Nimrod Antal
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
2007
Times Seen:
Tim: 1
Summary: A husband (Luke Wilson) and wife (Kate Beckinsale) reluctantly stay at a motel after their car breaks down. They soon discover that a series of murders have occurred in the room they're staying in, and they are next.
Review:
Tim: This probably should have been a silly, forgettable horror thriller. It certainly has a number of flaws. However, for reasons not entirely clear to me, I found myself enjoying it. Some of this comes from the unlikely casting of Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale in the lead roles, some comes from the fact that in a very simple and basic way, this movie keeps you in a state of suspense.
Wilson and Beckinsale actually are more believable than I would have expected. They aren�t the most likeable of characters, and they spend a good portion of the first half of the movie making snide remarks towards each other. They truly seem like a couple that has fallen out of love, and are just trying to put up with each other. I give them both credit for making this believable. Frank Whaley is also good because he could have so easily made his role over-the-top. However, he manages to be both creepy and odd without ever approaching the realm of silliness. This is a credit to his acting skills and his intelligence. I was disappointed Ethan Embry had only a worthless role�I�ve always liked him, and I wish he had more to do.
I was struck by how simple this entire film was told. There weren�t any special effects, the villains didn�t seemingly die only to defy logic and remain alive. This is a straightforward thriller that gains credibility because something like this could actually happen. Director Nimrod Antal (wow, what a name) does great work behind the camera by keeping the story small and realistic. He wasn�t trying to make the horror-movie-to-end-all-horror movies, and because of that, his film can be forgiven for some of its flaws.
I do want to spend just a minute or two clarifying that while I was pleasantly surprised with this film, it�s not exactly great. Horror thrillers are so often terrible movies, and I was impressed that this film (which, quite frankly, didn�t seem to have a whole lot going for it) wasn�t al that bad. There are still some large gaps in logic and plot holes, but these aren�t of the glaring variety. While the movie is thrilling, it never really gets to the point where you�re hanging on every word and movement. Your heartbeat might get raised, but by a nearly imperceptible amount.
Still, Vacancy is better than it had any right to be. I found myself with minimum negative feelings toward it, and shocker-of-all-shockers�I wouldn�t mind seeing it again.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Van Helsing, Psycho, Soul Survivors, Underworld