VACANCY

Vacancy Movie Review

 Married couple Amy (Kate Beckinsale of the Underworld franchise) and David Fox (Luke Wilson of Zombieland: Double Tap) are on their way to see her family when their car breaks down. They walk back to a motel in the middle of nowhere to rent a room for the night. Once in their room, they pop in a couple VHS tapes and find them filled with snuff films...shot in that very room. We learn early on this is not a happy couple--in fact, they seem to not be able to stand each other, and some of this may be based on real-life, as it was reported that Wilson and Beckinsale genuinely disliked each other during the shooting of this movie. What's worse is neither character is likable in the least, making you, at best, not care about them, and at worst, hope for their demise.

"Well, that's just mean!"

The supporting cast, namely Frank Whaley (The Doors) and Ethan Embry (Empire Records), are much more impressive than the lead duo--Whaley is especially good as the motel clerk. You know how a lot of movies struggle with the whole "Can this person really be that daft?" thing? Amy and David fit nicely into that category...actually, they may be even dumber than most. Just watch what they do when they discover the VHS! The events that unfold from that time on are so unlikely you will find yourself having trouble getting into the movie the rest of the way. There are a few things to like about this flick. The masks the killers wear look cool, and you have to appreciate the practical approach over the use of CGI. I saw this movie soon after it was released in 2007, and upon watching it again, it qualifies as one of those movies that was better in memory than in reality. 

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

Vacancy Movie Trailer