Vacancy begins in a very dated but good fashion, like the beginning of the original psycho back in 1960 the opening score is a thumping but 60’s style track. Add to this the credits as they run across the screen at a series of vertical and horizontal lines; having run through the entire title ... Read review
When David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox's (Kate Beckinsale) car breaks down in the middle of ... more
nowhere they are forced to spend the night at the only motel around with only the TV to entertain them... until they discover that the low-budget slasher movies they're watching were all filmed in the very room they're sitting in. With hidden cameras now aimed at them... trapping them in rooms crawlspaces underground tunnels... and filming their every move David and Amy must struggle to get out alive before whomever is watching them can finish their latest masterpiece.
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Advantages: A decent thriller, which I was not expecting Disadvantages: Lack of loose end collection
Vacancy begins in a very dated but good fashion, like the beginning of the original psycho back in 1960 the opening score is a thumping but 60’s style track. Add to this the credits as they run across the screen at a series of vertical and horizontal lines; having run through the entire title sequence the camera pans out and you see all the titles again in a sort of reverse motion, as has been done before it appears that all the lines are going to ... ...are absolutely no laughs in Vacancy and certainly nothing at any point to even smile at; this is a bitter twisted and dark thriller that echoes the original Psycho in more ways than just the titles, and the more recent horror classic Hostel.
While driving Amy is rudely awoken from her three hour Prozac induced sleep, as David desperately tries to avoid a Racoon sat in the middle of the road; the result of this avoidance some serious ... more
Vacancy begins in a very dated but good fashion, like the beginning of the original psycho back in 1960 the opening score is a thumping but 60’s style track. Add to this the credits as they run across the screen at a series of vertical and horizontal lines; having run through the entire title sequence the camera pans out and you see all the titles again in a sort of reverse motion, as has been done before it appears that all the lines are going to create a map, but this is not the case they converge to form a car number plate. You see this is the nice thing about a major proportion of Vacancy, it sets to surprise you.
Having run through the titles you’re introduced to Kate Beckinsale, and Luke Wilson in the roles of Amy and David Fox as they drive through the night. With two cast members such as this, while I knew this to be a horror/thriller I expected there to be some laughs along the way, again another surprise there are absolutely no laughs in Vacancy and certainly nothing at any point to even smile at; this is a bitter twisted and dark thriller that echoes the original Psycho in more ways than just the titles, and the more recent horror classic Hostel.
While driving Amy is rudely awoken from her three hour Prozac induced sleep, as David desperately tries to avoid a Racoon sat in the middle of the road; the result of this avoidance some serious damage is done to the car. But luckily this damage allows them to just make it to the combined petrol station and hotel sat quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Despite the late hour the garage pump attendant/mechanic is able to fix the car to get them to their next stop, or so they initially believe. This journey to the next stop shows the build up of tension between the couple, who obviously are not on the best of terms with each other. But I’m also left slightly puzzled, as they left the petrol station the attendant gave Amy a sparkler (as in firework sparkler) which she holds it of the window as they make their way on, I expected this to have some sort of significance to the plot, but it never and in honesty this is the first of many such plot devices that seem forgotten.
As no surprise the car breaks down and they are forced to return to the hotel, and elements that had only been hinted on in the past like a picture of Amy with a child, and the tone of conversation lead you to believe what they have recently lost their son.
They arrive at the hotel to the sound of screaming from the hotels office, this turns out to be a television which while giving both the Foxes and yourself a little bit of relief in this already darkened view of life, actually delivers more concerns than it addresses as you are given the time to ponder what was on the television. Mason the hotel manager played by Frank Whalley is unusually odd, and at times incredibly obstinate and contrary; eventually ruling out all chances they have of getting out of this hell-hole; before finally convincing them that they have no alternative but to stay in the hotel.
Having entered their dirty cockroach infested room noises start to occur outside, combined with a constant ringing of the telephone. When Mason is little or no help curiosity gets the better of David who finds some videotapes that to he and Amy’s horror show the murders in the very room they are staying in, without realising they have entered a cottage industry that produces Snuff films.
Vacancy is an incredibly dark movie in two senses both the storyline, and the lighting on the set. Both at times prove annoying, firstly from the aspect that there is never any let up from this terrible trauma that the couple find themselves in; secondly that you can often not see everything that’s going on, meaning that at times you are forced to draw your own conclusions as to what has occurred.
The movie is very claustrophobic with most of the key scenes being set in limited space, and most of the movie is literally carried on the backs of Wilson, and Beckinsale. This type of two handed approach either works incredibly well or fails miserably, luckily for Vacancy this is a success especially when you consider that two largely comedic characters are taking the roles in a deeply disturbing movie.
There are some quite graphic murder scenes and a lot of terrified people baited by their assailants on the TV screens around the hotel. The interesting thing about this is that I always thing scenes shown on a TV screen rather that as “live” or as part of the bigger picture always add menace to a story, and the addition of these will only heighten the terror of viewers unfamiliar with this kind of movie.
The downside of Vacancy is that after 70 minutes of promise the last 10 minutes are a let down, it has a rather wretched Hollywood style ending, after an almost art house approach to the rest of the movie. This combined with the loose plot devices that are never followed up and the rather sudden ending that almost paints the impression that the production company ran out of money and wrapped filming early. If you can excuse the final 10 minutes then Vacancy is a gripping edge of your seat thriller that is bound to generate a lot of interest when it hits the cinemas.
Vacancy is released in UK nationwide cinemas on 15th June 2007, from the recent publicity that has surrounded the movie I’ll expect this to be a blockbuster even if nobody else agrees with my views, simply for audiences attendance on the strength of advertising. Personally I’d recommend a visit to your local cinema if you get the chance to go, or are a regular cinema goer.
Advantages: good plot, good acting, not dragged out Disadvantages: bit predictable
...I did while at home. Vacancy was just released here on the 15th of June so I went to the cinema as after seeing the trailer on the Apple site it looked like it would be an ok film and the cast seemed quite good too. There are a lot of thriller/horror films being churned out at the minute but I tried to go for one with less gore more plot and I think I picked ok.
So the film begins as most horror’s do, in a car, David Fox (Luke Wilson) and his wife ... ...road. The idea with these two seems to be that something happened to their son and they are getting a divorce so of course they are not getting on well and having a go at each other over the slightest thing. David as the driver has decided to take a different route to avoid the traffic on the motorway but his map reading skills are clearly not very good as they seem to have no idea where they are going since they haven’t passed certain towns by a ...
ms19 28.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
Advantages: Well paced, Good performances, Keeps You Gripped Disadvantages: Not the most original concept
...titles, you can tell that Vacancy is striving to be a modern day Hitchcock style thriller. I have to say that it pretty much succeeds in it's intentions and becomes a very surprising little thriller that kept me gripped. The great thing about it is that it's short and sweet, at around 77-minutes you get a brief set-up before the fun starts and just keeps going. Director Nimrod Antel handles the action with flair and doesn't resort to in your face ... ...deleted scene is not very interesting to be honest unless you like racoons.
Finally there's some trailers including some for a few direct to video howlers.
- Finally-
If there is a vacancy in your entertainment schedule then Vacancy is a good way to fill the slot. ...
utero 28.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
Advantages: Surprisingly good acting in different roles for Wilson & Beckinsale - suspense throughout Disadvantages: Slightly cliched horror film but doesn't really have an effect on the film
David Fox (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) are a married couple on the verge of divorce, and are driving through the night after a family gathering. Trying to save some time by getting off the busy interstate, David narrowly misses hitting a racoon in the middle of a deserted off road and in turn damages the car. As they continue they spot a garage and a mechanic offers to take a look, and reassures them they can make it to the next big ... ...down and Amy and David are forced to walk back to the garage to get help. The garage is deserted, and so they try the creepy looking motel next door. Unable to get help that night David and Amy decided to check into the motel, but are in for a shock. The room is a mess, and very soon loud banging on the front and interlocking doors begins - when David complains to the hotel manager he is told it will be taken care of. Back in the room David finds ...
emmajt81 25.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
Vacancy was a film I actually only saw a few months back, even though the film had been out for some time prior to this. Vacancy starts the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale, and Luke Wilson, brother of Owen Wilson. The film opened in April 2007; however it wasn't a smash hit horror film only ranking in as high as number 4.
Plot:
David and Amy fox, a married couple are driving back from a counselling session, when during the middle of the night their car ... ...region. After a few minutes of arguing the couple decide that rather than staying in their car the whole night, they check into a local motel for the night, the comfort of a bed and somewhere warm soon takes over their minds. They approach a local motel, which is run by the local manager Mason (Frank Whaley), and request a room for the night, the run down motel looks dismal, however with no other choice they lay down for the night.
Its whilst in ...
jaygami1986 24.10.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
Advantages: At least the main characters aren't nubile teens. Disadvantages: The writing, direction and acting are all lazy.
When their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, David and Amy are forced to spend the night in the kind of nasty old motel you thankfully don't see much anymore. The place is crawling with cockroaches, the tap water is brown and the sheets don't look like they've been changed since the 70s. With nothing else to do, David starts flicking through a pile of dusty video tapes he finds by the TV. They all appear to show a series of low budget stalk-and-slash ... ...- they all seem to have been shot in the room that David and Amy are currently staying in…
"Vacancy" is one of those new back-to-basics horror films that dispenses with little things like plot and characterisation in favour of terrorising and torturing its characters. There's absolutely no preamble; we open on the bickering couple lost in their car on a lonely road. There's no character development (the slightest sniff of a subplot is quickly snuffed ...
afy9mab 27.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
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Advantages: Good, solid acting, interesting story, very atmospheric, not too gory, Disadvantages: Some flaws in story, somewhat predictable
! and thats before ive put the DVD on! (lol) definately check online, there are already copies being sold on Ebay and of course there's always Amazon, Play.com hmv.co.uk etc.
Vacancy is worth a watch, even if only to see Luke in a different kind of a movie role, though it isn't without its minor flaws, so I recommend it and rate it as good but not excellent.
I hope this review helps you decide if this movie/DVD would interest you or not, thanks for reading my review! ...
IzzyS 17.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
Vacancy is a movie which has Luke Wilson and Kate Beckingsale as its main parts David and Amy. The film is supposed to be a horror/thriller, but when I first saw it advertised on the television I really could not take the time to go down to my local cinema and watch it, for the following reasons: -
• There is a different horror movie realized every week and three quarters of them are pathetic and I don't enjoy.
• Films come out on DVD so quickly that even if I wanted to watch it that much, it would be so much that I can't wait for its DVD release.
• Kate Beckingsale is lovely and very beautiful, and Luke Wilson is one of my favourite actors (he and his brother Owen) but I couldn't personally see them pulling of the thriller story, especially not as a stage couple, don't ask, I just had a feeling!
• The story ...
amyloop 30.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vacancy (DVD)
Contains sustained terrorisation and strong violence
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Plot
A couple's car breaks down, stranding them at a very dangerous hotel. The hotel turns out to be a snuff film operation, with cameras everywhere and lots of truly horrific videos of past murders (shot in the same room) lying atop the TV set. The couple needs to think fast before they become the next victims.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Languages
Main Language
English
Dubbed Language
Italian
Technical information
Special Features
Alternate opening sequence , Checking In - The Cast and Crew of Vacancy featurette, Deleted scene , Mason's Video Picks - Extended Snuff Films featurette,
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian
Professional reviews
Review
A tight and terrifying tale (News of the World, 13/09/2007)
DVD Description
This riveting thriller features Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale as a couple whose car breaks down, stranding them at a very dangerous hotel. Director Nimrod Antal carefully builds the suspense as the film gradually leads to horror when the hotel turns out to be a snuff film operation, with cameras everywhere and lots of truly horrific videos of past murders (shot in the same room) lying atop the TV set. The couple needs to think fast before they become the next victims. Beckinsale and Wilson play down their star wattage and get truly involved in their change-of-pace roles, sucking the audience into their situation far deeper than one might think possible. Meticulous use of the tawdry, low-rent motel setting--lots of rotted wood, stained wallpaper, and ugly sofas--provides a realistic sense of space. Intelligently crafted and unfolding practically in real time, VACANCY is edge-of-the-seat all the way. Other strong points are the punchy score from Paul Haslinger, a PSYCHO-ish credit sequence, a creepy Frank Whaley as the hotel clerk, and lots of references to films like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. Thanks to all this care and attention, the scares linger longer than you might expect, so don't watch it alone.
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