Vacancy

David (Luke Wilson), while driving home from his in-laws anniversary party decides to take a shortcut. When his wife Amy (Kate Beckinsale) finally wakes up at 1:45am, they realize they’re lost. Cruising the country side they decide to stop for gas and directions. With the help of a young local (Ethan Embry) they set off again only to realize they have car problems. Checking into the only hole in the wall hotel on this desolate stretch of highway, they try to settle in for the night. The problem is, the hotel manager has a different plan in mind leaving the Fox’s to look forward to the worst hotel stay of their lives.

Ah snuff films. Many times this little nugget has be visited in the horror genre. The one major flaw in Vacancy is that I can start off this review declaring it to be about snuff films, and I’m not spoiling a thing. From the initial marketing onslaught, there was no question what this flick was about. Couple checks into seedy hotel room, couple checks out video tapes to see people killed in their hotel room, they start to fight for their life. The entire plot of the movie was laid out before us as soon as the trailers hit the public. So where’s the mystery here? Where’s the suspense? With these major elements removed, we’re faced with watching this bickering couple attempt to form a character attachment but we fail to care. We already know where they’re headed. Perhaps even sadder, this whole problem could have been redeemed in the ending; but we managed to sap that up as well. Wrapped up all too conveniently and given a ‘happy’ spin, there was no payoff here making that hour and a half feel some what misspent.

With the major issues out of the way, the acting here is actually pretty solid. The chemistry between Beckinsale and Wilson is pretty top notch. Their end of marriage bickering back of forth is both realistic and somewhat funny at times and as they begin to draw back together when the carnage starts, it’s believable. Frank Whaley, our hotel manager cum film producer gives us a believable sleaze bag. Not overtly evil, but the man is slimy. From the inappropriate jokes and blatant attempts at screwing with the customer knowing they’re stuck without any options, it’s not hard to imagine any other roach motel manager. When we grow to his violent outbursts as the film progresses, again, we can see that this is what a snuff film producer would act like.

Overall, Vacancy is not a bad entry into the snuff film genre. The action was there, the brutality was there, but the tension was sadly missing. Had this flick been marketed differently, marketed in a way to leave the entire plot a mystery? This one would have come across far better. The ending was still a wash, but it would have sat better had we not known what we were getting into. Those said, if you have been living under a rock, or are the type to avoid trailers all together, give it a go.

3 Beckinsale is still pretty hot’s out of 5