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Average User Score: 6 (84 sources)

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CaptHowdy666

-1

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Vancancy is an alright thriller. Kate Beckinsale is as hot as ever...shame they pay her for movies that she doesn't drop her kit in. It should be a mandatory thing.

Frank Whalley was funny.

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Posted sep 1, 2008 8:34 am pt

stevemcginn

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This movie can be very starry the first time you watch it. Only reason why i don't think the movie is good is because the acting is kinda cheezy but it adds to it and you really can't re watch it because you know exacly what is gonna happen.

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Posted may 15, 2008 1:30 pm pt

StarBlade_0_0_9

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When a couple finds that their car is not working, they decide to spend the night at an old motel where the owner and his fellow "friends" are trying to kill them.

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Posted mar 25, 2008 2:50 pm pt

Ghrthfh

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A soon-to-be divorced couple finds their car not working. They find an old motel and they decide to spend the night there. But unknown to them, the owner is watching them and is planning to make another movie for his victims who spend the night in...
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A soon-to-be divorced couple finds their car not working. They find an old motel and they decide to spend the night there. But unknown to them, the owner is watching them and is planning to make another movie for his victims who spend the night in his motel.

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Posted mar 12, 2008 5:39 pm pt

lsburton

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I don’t even know where to start with this silly movie. It was almost unbearable to watch. Me personally I would have slept in my car, because I aint walking miles to a motel in the dark for nobody. The whole time I was watching this...
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I don’t even know where to start with this silly movie. It was almost unbearable to watch. Me personally I would have slept in my car, because I aint walking miles to a motel in the dark for nobody. The whole time I was watching this movie, all I kept saying to myself was "Who does that?" Horrible!

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Posted mar 12, 2008 4:58 am pt

faToe

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Roadside motels are given a whole new meaning as "Vacancy" checks in with bone-rattling horrific thrills in a nice, 85-minute package with enough blood and language to fill an R-rating.

But does the time and rating give the...
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Roadside motels are given a whole new meaning as "Vacancy" checks in with bone-rattling horrific thrills in a nice, 85-minute package with enough blood and language to fill an R-rating.

But does the time and rating give the film an extra punch or is it just limping behind its other scary brethren?

This small tale chronicles the journey of David and Amy Fox (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale), a disgruntled couple who can't seem to get through a conversation without trying to scratch each other's eyes out.

As fate would have it, their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and both are forced to spend the night at a small roadside motel. Trying to calm down, the pair try to find some entertainment in some unnamed low-budget horror films. After watching the videos for a couple of minutes, they make a horrid discovery that the location in the films is their exact room.

Finding hidden cameras shelved away in every part of the room, the frightened couple must put their problems aside and work together to escape this nightmare before they become another one of the snuff director's grand masterpieces.

Being only an hour and 25 minutes long, the film jogs at a steady pace as it delves into the main characters' personal lives and the problems with their relationship. It's more than enough to keep the audience's attention while trying to move the story along with the couple figuring out new ways to disrupt their host's plans to erase them out of existence.

The musical score of the film emphasized the intensity of the story greatly with its use of the quick, strong chords of the violin and the whispered bumps and thumps of electronic synthesizers.

The special effects, however, felt a little short-lived. The use of blood was very realistic but minimal as there were few major scenes that employed it, not to mention the small clips of fictional snuff films. But the infrequent use of blood was made up with intense action and chase scenes including a sequence that dealt with the couple crawling through an underground tunnel infested with rats while trying to escape their predators.

It was interesting to see Wilson and Beckinsale as two frustrated, potty-mouthed civilians forced in a terrifying situation. From experience, Wilson "The Family Stone" was shown as the romantic, funny type while Beckinsale "Underworld" was shown as the strong, courageous, "won't-back-down-from-a-fight" type.

Though the film has its moments of horrific scenery and "edge of your seat" thrills, it should be considered as a quaint beginning to a list of the season's short-lived thriller flicks.

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Posted jan 4, 2008 12:07 pm pt

Gas0linedream

-1

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Gay

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Posted sep 13, 2007 6:44 am pt

supercin721

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Phew! That was a ride...a heckuva ride. I rent...ALOT. And I've been waiting to see this movie. Though the running time is only 1hr25min, I must say you wouldn't want it any longer because, as it is, you're full of anxiety from moment one. First...
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Phew! That was a ride...a heckuva ride. I rent...ALOT. And I've been waiting to see this movie. Though the running time is only 1hr25min, I must say you wouldn't want it any longer because, as it is, you're full of anxiety from moment one. First off, stylistically speaking, this movie was impressive. Each shot utilized interesting angles, shadows, and reflections, all in hopes of bringing you to the hectic pace and stress that the characters are going through. The reflections confuse and the slowly emerging shaky camera scenes only increase your viewing anxiety. Second, the story was well done. At this point, if you don't like spoilers, stop reading.

You have an almost divorced couple, still grieving the loss of their son, getting lost on a "short cut" (never take those!) and stopping at a gas station. There, the smiley attendant, played by Ethan Embry, damaged the car so that they would be forced to stay at the motel. Embry playing a psycho killer was a little shocking to the senses. He's the goofy sidekick in movies not the mass murderer snuff maker. I may not be able to watch Sweet Home Alabama without skizzing out during his scenes. They stay and, as a viewer, you figure he might be bad but, no, that actor never plays the roles. Then, you meet the desk clerk and you think, no, he can't be bad...that's too cliche. But, once they get in the room and realize what's going to happen to them unless they use their intelligence and rebond, the movie goes boom, boom, boom...and you're heart is literally in your throat. Now, as for the ending, they leave it a bit ambiguous. I figured that studio execs made it be so in hopes of subpar sequels. An alternate beginning and DVD extras gave me the closure I needed as it is intimated that they survive and reunite. By the by, I have to say this. Luke Wilson is an ok actor in my opinion. I loved him in Old School but, to be honest, I haven't really been wowed by anything he's done other than that. Here, I was so impressed with him, particularly with his near death scene. Wow. I don't need to say anymore. Just watch it. Maybe he just needs to pick better roles and maybe I'll give him a chance next time around. Great movie. Great for a night of popcorn and tension!

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Posted sep 10, 2007 7:57 am pt

DarkManiaN_1979

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Take it with a grain of salt. You'll enjoy it if you leave your cynicism in the car. I enjoyed it alot and thought the acting was great and the plot was generally original. Would liked to have seen more gore but then again i've never seen a movie...
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Take it with a grain of salt. You'll enjoy it if you leave your cynicism in the car. I enjoyed it alot and thought the acting was great and the plot was generally original. Would liked to have seen more gore but then again i've never seen a movie like this before and personally anyone who says its not original is just a critic. It was gripping and scary without huge budget monsters and computer generated demons jumping out at you. Well done in my opinion.

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Posted aug 12, 2007 8:08 pm pt

lolipoper696

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Although the reviews for this movie were disapproving, I really enjoyed the movie! I though it was exciting and dramatic, as apposed to scary. Kate Beckinsale was one of the main reasons I watched this movie. And even though I was expecting a...
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Although the reviews for this movie were disapproving, I really enjoyed the movie! I though it was exciting and dramatic, as apposed to scary. Kate Beckinsale was one of the main reasons I watched this movie. And even though I was expecting a scary/thrilling film, I wasnt too disapointed at the end because it was fun. It might have been the movie theater that made it more exciting, but over all I thought it was great movie.

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Posted aug 8, 2007 7:29 pm pt

• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  75
  Vacancy is a schlock surprise: a no-frills motel-hell slasher film -- with a bit of soul.

  by Owen Gleiberman | Read Full Review »
• [+] ReelViews
  
  75
  For the most part, this movie hits the right notes and gives its audience a dose of white-knuckle tension.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  75
  It's a sordid but expert shocker.

  by Michael Wilmington | Read Full Review »
• [+] TV Guide
  
  75
  Stylish and surprisingly effective thriller.

  by Ken Fox | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Post
  
  75
  The acting is solid, especially Whaley, whose nasty variation on Norman Bates is his showiest role since he memorably played Kevin Bacon's assistant in "Swimming With Sharks."

  by Lou Lumenick | Read Full Review »
• [+] Miami Herald
  
  75
  Succeeds where so many other recent horror pictures have failed: It consistently scares you silly.

  by Rene Rodriguez | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  70
  A ruthlessly efficient stalk-and-slash machine.

  by Sam Adams | Read Full Review »
• [+] Village Voice
  
  70
  Antal smartly adheres to the no-frills demands of B-movie horror, eliciting impressive chills from old-fashioned suffocating dread rather than the now usual gore. And Wilson and Beckinsale superbly execute everything that's required of their characters--namely, yelling and running.

  by Tim Grierson | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  67
  Making an assured transition to Hollywood after his Hungarian cult sensation "Kontroll," director Nimród Antal gets his business done with an efficiency that recalls "Red Eye," another thriller that clocks in under 90 minutes. But efficiency isn't everything, and Antal sacrifices too much in order to sustain tension.

  by Scott Tobias | Read Full Review »
• [+] Baltimore Sun
  
  67
  A mangy-looking mongrel with a lot of familiar markings and a little more on the ball than you'd expect at first glance.

  by Gene Seymour | Read Full Review »
• [+] Boston Globe
  
  63
  At its worst, Vacancy is merely the kind of taut B-chiller they don't make any more, other than to riff on them in "Grindhouse."

  by Ty Burr | Read Full Review »
• [+] Premiere
  
  63
  Vacancy could have been some sort of satirical masterpiece had this whole scenario been finally revealed as an extreme form of couple's therapy designed to get Beckinsale and Wilson back together.

  by Glenn Kenny | Read Full Review »
• [+] USA Today
  
  63
  It isn't the Bates Motel, but the Pinewood Motel has enough creepy visitors and creaky floors to make Vacancy worth checking into for 90 minutes.

  by Scott Bowles | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Daily News
  
  63
  Short, sharp and to the point, Vacancy has a single goal, and that is to scare the hell out of you.

  by Elizabeth Weitzman | Read Full Review »
• [+] Film Threat
  
  60
  It's rare to see Luke Wilson in such a serious role. He does an admirable job of ignoring his mostly comedic background but the real scene-stealer is Frank Whaley.

  by Michael Ferraro | Read Full Review »