I'm a fan of horror films. I will admittedly watch pretty much anything that comes out that looks remotely scary. When I saw the previews for "Vacancy" I was defnitely intrigued. Then the reviews started coming in and they were actually good reviews, considering the treatment horror movies usually get by critics. Now, it's out on DVD, and I was expecting a pretty damn scary thriller- I never quite saw this one as a "horror" movie. What I got left much to be desired.
It starts with a hackneyed plot about two unhappily married people (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) whose car breaks down and they end up at a creepy motel. Both characters are utter cardboard, with just plain awful dialogue. These early dialogue-heavy scenes sound like they were written by a college freshman- they give no depth or reality to the characters or their situation at all. Tack on an overly emotional back-story, and an unbelievably contrived ending and you've got "Vacancy."
I really can't stand when I 'm watching a movie and I can picture in my head it being pitched as two other movies put together. "Vacancy" seems like some writer thought, "It'll be like Psycho meets Hostel" Problem is, they've been done before, better, and so has just about everything in this movie. Sure, there were a few moments of intensity, but none that weren't given away in the trailer. Also, there are no real peripheral characters - just the couple and the bad guys. That doesn't leave much room for suspense.
Overall, this movie just didn't do it for me. It seemed like a paycheck movie for both Wilson and Beckinsale. Though, I guess it's worth a rental, if you put no credence into other people's reviews, like me.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Bonus- The director of this movie's name is Nimrod Antal... Nimrod.
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