Vacancy
Steve Peto reviews Vacancy staring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson and finds a fairly decent movie.
Movie:
Amy and David fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson) are in an unhappy marriage. They are travelling home from an anniversary party at her parents which is ironic as after the recent death of their son Amy and David will soon be in the process of divorcing.
When an accident blocks the interstate David decides to take a short cut through secluded country roads whilst Amy sleeps. Their car suffers some engine damage when David nearly crashes the car and they are forced to stay in an old motel, hoping that in the morning they can call a repair company out to fix the car so that they can be on their way. In the motel they meet the creepy manager Mason (Frank Whaley) he gives them room four, the honeymoon suite.
Once in the room David shows finds some disturbing videos, initially thinking that they are horror films he is shocked to find that the murders that he see’s on screen seem to take place in the very room which they are staying. It would seem that Mason is into making snuff films, using the unsuspecting guests as the main stars, and David and Amy are supposed to be the next victims.
Vacancy is a tightly edited movie that delivers some tense moments throughout its short 82 minute running time. The beginning of the film where we see Amy and David in the car allows us to get to know the characters more, we can detect that they do not get on because they are constantly sniping at each other. This part of the film is paced quite slowly. Once the car breaks down and they book into their unhygienic motel room things happen so quickly they almost leave you breathless.
Despite its running time the film never felt rushed, in fact I would go as far to say that it is down to good editing that the film is relatively short but is still able to tell the story that it wants to tell. Although that is not to say that the film is flawless but the few points that I felt were questionable did not spoil the film for me at all.
One thing that I do believe is worth mentioning and stood out (for me) were that they actually make decent “real-world” decisions when trying to get out of their situation. How many times have we watched a film only to point an accusing finger at the screen and say “there is no way you would do that”. I cannot recall a single moment in Vacancy when I had that thought.
In fact everything progressed naturally, from David’s reactions to the loud knocking next door, to the slow realisation and creeping fear when events progress from bad to worse. As well as superior directing, this is also down to the actors and what they bring to the table. Luke Wilson (Brother of Owen Wilson) is great as David, the things he says, when he says them, how he says them everything I felt was believable, never over acted or understated but played spot on, he took this role and he ran with it, giving a very good account of himself in the process.
Kate Beckinsale too was very good as David’s wife. The digs and sarcastic remarks that form both of their dialogues at the beginning of the film seem natural, they look like they could be a couple who’s marriage has fallen apart and they are just going through the motions until they can divorce, and likewise as the events of the film continue they are pulled closer together when they realise that they do in fact care for each other.
Frank Whaley as Mason is a great bad guy. The reason I think that he is a great bad guy is that he looks harmless, creepy yes but harmless. But in fact is a bit of a lunatic. He is the brains behind the operation, distributing the snuff videos out and setting up all the cameras and recording all of the grisly goings on at the motel.
Once the film pans out and ends I felt satisfied. I had been entertained by a short, but tightly edited and entertaining film, I had gripped the edge of the sofa a few times wishing David and Amy to get away and I had cringed at a few gory bits. I can certainly recommend it as a purchase and I know that I will be adding this to my collection.
Presentation:
The 2.40:1 picture was pretty good. The blacks were really dark without destroying all the details and the colours were rich and sharp using a lot of earthy colours such as browns, through to yellows and greens, the picture was sharp and there were a couple of nice alternative camera angles that were not overdone but did add a nice look to the movie. There was the odd bit of grain here and there in the dark scenes but nothing excessive.
The lighting in places was intentionally quite harsh, at the beginning when David and Amy are in the car there is a lot of black and then a sharp pool of light where we could make out details, it made for interesting watching as I was expecting to be a little blooming of the white but there wasn’t any that I could detect. Although where this light was supposed to be coming from I am unsure, I don’t think that the valet lights were on in the car and if they were the light would not be as defined.
Another point was the use of handhelds, in the beginning of the film we see more traditional camera shots, then as we get into the horror parts of it we see more use of the handheld, after seeing a few of the grainy snuff videos I started to think that we were in the middle of actually making one of these films, it was a little creepy.
Sound wise we are sadly let down a little, the dialogue and music from the 5.1 Dolby Digital track is clear enough but there is hardly any use of the surrounds. Maybe an occasional sound effect but on the whole it is heavily weighted towards the fronts
Extras:
Alternate opening:
This seemed off to me, id this had been the actual opening of the film then I don’t think that I would have enjoyed the film so much as it gave away clues about what happened, thank god that the director edited this out, if anything this could have been appended to the end, but wither way, I am glad it was left out.
Checking-in – the cast and crew:
An approximate 20 minute making of. I actually found this quite interesting, we talk to the crew, the director and the main actors about their views on the film and was well worth a watch.
Mason’s video picks: Extended snuff films:
A disturbing eight minute set of snuff films made by mason, I didn’t actually like watching these, and it felt as if I were watching something that really happened.
Racoon encounter:
Another Racoon encounter for David. I am glad this scene was not used as well, it added too much humour to a film which didn’t need it.
Overall:
I think that Vacancy is a superior thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat for its short running time. It is a bit short in the tooth on extras but if you like good horror films then I think this one definitely has re-watch value, purchase recommended.
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