A couple on the road to divorce checks into a shady motel in the middle of nowhere after their car breaks down miles from the interstate.
Their bitterness, sarcasm, and profanity towards one another reveal well-developed characters in desperate need of couples counseling and possibly rage management. It's no surprise that one of them is already popping pills for depression.
At least the audience can breathe a sigh of relief that, for once in a horror film, the protagonists are not mindless, shallow teenagers, but adults with major baggage.
Director Nimr??d Antal wastes no time, using the first ten minutes of this 80 minute movie to introduce creepy hotel manager Mason (Frank Whaley), whose mannerisms resemble that of a geeky peeping tom. Before wife Amy (Kate Beckinsale) and husband David (Luke Wilson) have time to settle into their "honeymoon suite" - full of roaches, brown tap water and dirty sheets - they receive mysterious phone calls and knocking on the door. Annoyed at first, the couple is soon frightened as the knocking turns into sledgehammer banging from all sides of the room.
Whether the villains are human or supernatural is initially uncertain, but one thing is for sure - someone doesn't want them to sleep. They pop untitled videos into the VCR, which turn out to be all-too-real screamfests full of sadistic murders and agonizing torture. Soon Amy and David recognize the furniture and upholstery in the snuff film - they are the same as those in their very room.
Scared yet? Apparently someone meant for Amy and David to see the films - to possibly warn them of their soon-to-be bloody demise. With hidden cameras recording their every move and no weapons or outside communication, "Vacancy" creates the perfect isolated atmosphere. Clever camera work and heart-pounding, drum-like music evokes a sense that death is just around the corner.
Although this film's plot seems to emulate "Saw" (2004) and "Hostel" (2005), those with weak stomachs can rest assured that "Vacancy" doesn't use cheap methods to cause a scare, and is not as predictable as one would think. We are offered no guarantee of the couple's survival; a high-intensity, cat-and-mouse chase leaves us in a constant state of tension. Though a perhaps unnecessary scene of "re-kindled love" will make many roll their eyes, director Antel is commendable otherwise, for keeping everyone at the edge of their seats.
Antel purposely incorporates music that almost drowns out any conversation, which is both effective and infuriating. When the music occasionally does quite down, all we hear is the couple's thunderous breathing and loud "whispers." One cannot help but feel powerless, yet at the same time enraged that the protagonists make stupid blunders and never shut up.
Amy is a whiney, old-fashioned depiction of a weak female who is dependent on her "macho" husband for protection. Her incessant crying, moping and whining are completely pathetic and difficult to sympathize with; she decides to delve into self-pity at the most inopportune times, almost as if to purposely aid the killers. Because she's so frustrating to watch, one cannot help but love to hate her.
An important note about the ending: it's unexpected, and may seem a bit abrupt, but again, Antal doesn't want to soften up the edges or create one more unnecessary minute than he has to. Fans of horror movies will at least appreciate "Vacancy" for staying within its genre; there are no higher meanings, no morals and no rationale. "Vacancy" has one goal: to scare you.
