Movie review: Vacancy
Review of “Vacancy”
This is one movie review that I could sum up in three simple words; don’t see it. But since thorough reviews require more than just a simple statement, however true that statement may be, I will innumerate some of the reasons that Vacancy is just one more rental that’s best left on the rental store shelf.
Vacancy is yet another motel thriller in which a crazed set of psychopaths torment a couple of unsuspecting patrons. The patrons in this particular film are Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson). Reeling from the recent death of their young son, a subplot that is never fully fleshed out, Amy and David are an unhappily married couple on the fast track to divorce. When their car breaks down, effectively stranding them in the middle of nowhere, the two begrudgingly decide to check into the Pinewood motel for the night.
Searching for a way to pass the time, other than bickering endlessly with his wife, David turns on the television and pops in an unmarked VHS tape. Far from being a hotel appropriate film, the tape contains snuff footage - footage of people being killed in a variety of violent, bloody ways. Even more terrifying, the footage was taped in the very hotel room in which David and Amy have been placed. Soon loud thumping noises from the adjoining room and flickering lights alert the couple that they are going to be the stars of the next hotel snuff film unless they can find a way to save themselves. The remainder of the movie follows the couple’s frantic attempts to make it out of the hotel alive.
Where to even begin reviewing? The acting is slightly beyond horrible. You can find more emotion in a Britney Spears music video than in this entire film and no, Beckinsale’s inept screams do not count as authentic emotion. Wilson should seriously stick with comedy and Beckinsale needs to resign herself to wearing a corset and slaying vampires, because this kind of film just isn’t working for either actor. The writing and dialogue are equally horrible, the cinematography nothing to write home about, and the plot itself is flimsier than that of a cheap, dime store novel.
One of the special features on the Vacancy DVD is extended footage of the snuff videos the main characters are seen watching in the film. This is the most horrifying part of the entire film, not because it is frightening but because it is disgusting to think that the filmmaker would consider extended snuff footage enticing enough to warrant its own feature. Although “Vacancy” strives to portray itself as a thriller with depth, its little more than another addition to the growing torture porn horror subgenre, and a poor addition at that. The only surprising thing about the entire movie is that there is NOT a surprise plot twist at the end, and the lack of even that little bit of effort to keep the audience guessing provides a sad finale to a thoroughly disappointing film.
This is one movie review that I could sum up in three simple words; don’t see it. But since thorough reviews require more than just a simple statement, however true that statement may be, I will innumerate some of the reasons that Vacancy is just one more rental that’s best left on the rental store shelf.
Vacancy is yet another motel thriller in which a crazed set of psychopaths torment a couple of unsuspecting patrons. The patrons in this particular film are Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson). Reeling from the recent death of their young son, a subplot that is never fully fleshed out, Amy and David are an unhappily married couple on the fast track to divorce. When their car breaks down, effectively stranding them in the middle of nowhere, the two begrudgingly decide to check into the Pinewood motel for the night.
Searching for a way to pass the time, other than bickering endlessly with his wife, David turns on the television and pops in an unmarked VHS tape. Far from being a hotel appropriate film, the tape contains snuff footage - footage of people being killed in a variety of violent, bloody ways. Even more terrifying, the footage was taped in the very hotel room in which David and Amy have been placed. Soon loud thumping noises from the adjoining room and flickering lights alert the couple that they are going to be the stars of the next hotel snuff film unless they can find a way to save themselves. The remainder of the movie follows the couple’s frantic attempts to make it out of the hotel alive.
Where to even begin reviewing? The acting is slightly beyond horrible. You can find more emotion in a Britney Spears music video than in this entire film and no, Beckinsale’s inept screams do not count as authentic emotion. Wilson should seriously stick with comedy and Beckinsale needs to resign herself to wearing a corset and slaying vampires, because this kind of film just isn’t working for either actor. The writing and dialogue are equally horrible, the cinematography nothing to write home about, and the plot itself is flimsier than that of a cheap, dime store novel.
One of the special features on the Vacancy DVD is extended footage of the snuff videos the main characters are seen watching in the film. This is the most horrifying part of the entire film, not because it is frightening but because it is disgusting to think that the filmmaker would consider extended snuff footage enticing enough to warrant its own feature. Although “Vacancy” strives to portray itself as a thriller with depth, its little more than another addition to the growing torture porn horror subgenre, and a poor addition at that. The only surprising thing about the entire movie is that there is NOT a surprise plot twist at the end, and the lack of even that little bit of effort to keep the audience guessing provides a sad finale to a thoroughly disappointing film.