Tag: Motel

For today’s movie I’m watching Screen Gem’s motel horror “Vacancy” from 2007. Helmed by “Predators” director Nimbrod Antal and penned by “Overlord” writer Mark L. Smith. The film stars Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson as married couple on the verge of divorce “Amy” & “David Fox”, with support from Frank Whaley as “Mason” the creepy Motel landlord. This is a short horror clocking in at only one hour and twenty five minutes.

October Review Challenge – Day 10

The story begins with David and Amy somewhat lost travelling back from a family event. The pair are not on good terms and it seems a divorce is likely in their future. They end up a bit lost and seek assistance from a mechanic who points them in the supposed right direction and takes care of a problem with the car. However, the car then breaks down fully and the couple are forced to take shelter in a nearby motel.

Once in the motel they soon discover something is up. The video players in the room they are in seems to be full of horror films, but on closer examination these footage is from the hotel room they are in and they are snuff films. The movie then becomes a cat and mouse story as the couple try and survive the night.

A to B

That’s possibly the shortest synopsis I’ve written for a while and for good reason. This is one of the most straight forward horrors I’ve seen for a while. Motel/Hotel horrors are pretty much a horror sub genre these days with films such as Psycho, The Shining, 1408, Identity, Hostel, The Innkeepers, Motel Hell, Devils Rejects, Eaten Alive, and Bad Times at the El Royale (Which isn’t really a horror but does involve torture and bloodshed so close enough). Indeed just in this October Challenge it’s my second motel based horror after Psycho II (My 1st of October review).

Likewise there is just as long a list of movies about snuff films stretching from the more thriller based “Cold in July” to the outright nope of “A Serbian Film” (If you know, you know). So it was probably long overdue for these concepts to be combined into one (I had a brief hunt to see if there were any other examples but I couldn’t find any).

Regardless of if it’s the first time a horror has been made about a Motel that secretly makes snuff films, the concept certainly doesn’t feel original or even like an interesting novelty. The angle of camera footage isn’t really put to good use of outside of one scene where the snuff film playing on the TV cuts in and out with the rooms power to a decently scary effect. Nor does the motel provide for a particularly interesting backdrop aside from being in the middle of nowhere and largely abandoned.

The Characters

The film has a very small cast and only three of them feel like real characters and even then only barely. There is more of a backstory woven into the couples dispute but it’s not really done in a way that it matters. It’s just there to let us know the pair aren’t on good terms and so when forced to fight for their lives start to realise how much they mean to each other. It’s reasonable character development but it’s also pretty generic and not enough to make the film interesting. Mason however is basically just a creepy dude. That is all we ever really get to know about him. He’s a bad person. Also somewhat stupid considering his gaffs in dealing with the couple (and one in particular when fighting Amy at the end).

Plot Holes

The movie is actually full of horrendous plot holes. When a cop is called out to the area and then killed, none of the psycho’s seem to acknowledge that they can’t possible continue with their motel snuff show scheme after this. I mean a cop goes to investigate the motel and then disappears, that will be logged, the police will thoroughly check the place out.

The motel is full to the brim of hidden surveillance cameras, snuff movies filmed in the motel in every room, a room full of camera equipment and monitors of those cameras and a huge library of snuff movies. Not to mention the secret tunnels and the damage and blood stains. There’s simply no way they can cover it up and keep working but no one acknowledges this. They should be making plans to evacuate and go on the run while still trying to kill the couple.

It’s also odd the police never send out someone else to investigate after their first officer doesn’t check in. Bad enough they sent a lone cop to deal with a “They’re going to kill us” call, but then when they are phoned a second time they respond to news that the cop was killed by saying “We’ll send another officer out”. Like they are just going to keep sending one officer out at a time to the motel until they are all dead.

Conclusion

The actors performances are pretty good however. But then Beckinsale, Wislon and Whaley are all good actors. They also are quite clever in pushing the terror without really showing anything that hardcore. Those positives don’t unfortunately outweigh the fact that the script is weak and the premise is generic. Ultimately the movie is all packaging and no content. Well made, but really a nothing of a movie. As such I don’t recommend this one and so I’m giving it the highest rating I can for a movie that isn’t worth your time, that is a 4.5/10.