2008 Woodie Awards
A winning formula occupies Vacancy
Fast-paced horror results in gripping terror
Danny Acosta
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Detour
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Sit back. It's been a long day. You've been on the road all day. Put it in a movie. Watch murders. Be in a movie. Be murdered.
This is what happened to a countless number of travelers at the Pinewood Motel.
Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) and David Fox (Luke Wilson) are the next victims. They are the next stars of a low-grade snuff film, masturbatory material for lonely truckers and sadists.
The Foxes are a young couple on the brink of divorce. Their BMW lives are weighed down by their child's untimely death. An uncomfortable 1 a.m. car ride pushes David to take an obscure shortcut. Car trouble follows and they check in at the dive-bar version of a motel. Actually, that would be an understatement.
The horror begins with a bang. Before the Foxes realize their fate as future snuff film stars, they are already captivated by the shady happenings of the Pinewood. After they play the tape, the film snowballs with action. This is bolstered by the 80 minute running time, which brings constant thrills.
The opening sequence of the film is not indicative of the rest. Beckinsale and Wilson throw around a brick rather than a baseball. They look like a brother and sister asked to be a couple. Only when they become immersed in horror does their acting reach a stellar level.
The small cast allows for identification with the protagonists-an element severely lacking in the nudity-laden bone-twisters of horror. It also amplifies the antagonist; Frank Whaley owns the big screen. He plays Mason, the motel clerk with a bug-catching windshield for teeth. Whaley preoccupies Mason with his passion for snuff films even when presenting his normal facade. The results are chilling.
Director Nimród Antal knows horror. Hitchcock believed the horror was in the anticipation of the bang, not the bang. Antal's attention to every changing second demonstrates the virtues of a successful thriller. He understands every choice in a pressurized situation weighs heavily.
This is what happened to a countless number of travelers at the Pinewood Motel.
Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) and David Fox (Luke Wilson) are the next victims. They are the next stars of a low-grade snuff film, masturbatory material for lonely truckers and sadists.
The Foxes are a young couple on the brink of divorce. Their BMW lives are weighed down by their child's untimely death. An uncomfortable 1 a.m. car ride pushes David to take an obscure shortcut. Car trouble follows and they check in at the dive-bar version of a motel. Actually, that would be an understatement.
The horror begins with a bang. Before the Foxes realize their fate as future snuff film stars, they are already captivated by the shady happenings of the Pinewood. After they play the tape, the film snowballs with action. This is bolstered by the 80 minute running time, which brings constant thrills.
The opening sequence of the film is not indicative of the rest. Beckinsale and Wilson throw around a brick rather than a baseball. They look like a brother and sister asked to be a couple. Only when they become immersed in horror does their acting reach a stellar level.
The small cast allows for identification with the protagonists-an element severely lacking in the nudity-laden bone-twisters of horror. It also amplifies the antagonist; Frank Whaley owns the big screen. He plays Mason, the motel clerk with a bug-catching windshield for teeth. Whaley preoccupies Mason with his passion for snuff films even when presenting his normal facade. The results are chilling.
Director Nimród Antal knows horror. Hitchcock believed the horror was in the anticipation of the bang, not the bang. Antal's attention to every changing second demonstrates the virtues of a successful thriller. He understands every choice in a pressurized situation weighs heavily.