The 2000s contains a goldmine of nifty genre pieces, andVacancy, a motel-set horror flick with a twist, remains a highly enjoyable example of compellingHitchcockiancinema from that era. One of the greatest things aboutAlfred Hitchcock’s (arguable) magnum opus,Psycho, is its entrancing score and title sequence. Enormously influential, the crisscrossing text and hyper-dramatic music draw the viewer into a world of pulsating thrills and mind-boggling plot twists. It’s sterling cinema. InPsycho’swake lies a vast swathe of films that have been directly inspired by the former’s flair and verve. The shadow of the director’s outstanding filmography looms large.Nimrod Antal’s 2007 thrillerVacancykicks off with a similarly cool sequence, and the rest of the flick is an ingeniously crafted dive into genuinely freaky territory.
Director Nimrod Antal certainly has an eye for style.Vacancywas his sophomore film and first Hollywood venture following his debut feature,Kontroll. Later, Antal would direct the underratedAdrien Brody-ledPredatorsand the well-receivedMetallica: Through the Never. Antal also directed 2023’sRetribution, starringLiam Neeson,Noma Dumezweni, andMatthew Modine. Throw inArmored(a flawed but entertaining heist flick with an ensemble cast) and you’ve got a filmmaker who isn’t afraid to keep the plot spiraling forward with gleeful abandon.Vacancysucceeds on its own merits as it does a great job at establishing mood and setting. An effective location is so critical in horror, especially when its protagonist is trapped or made to feel static, and the seedy motel at this film’s core is laden with grisly surprises as a fractious couple (played byKate BeckinsaleandLuke Wilson) learn the hard way.
Vacancy: A young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel where they discover hidden cameras in their room. As the unsettling reality of their situation unfolds, they must find a way to escape, realizing they are targeted to become the next victims of a sinister scheme.
What Is ‘Vacancy’ About?
Vacancykicks off on a thrilling high as its titles tumble, slide, and dart about the screen in what amounts to a wonderfully unabashed tribute toPsycho’sSaul Bass-conceived sequence. As far as opening title designs go, it’s a winner. Set to a similarly frantic score by composerPaul Haslinger(who would later provide the music to another Hitchcockian slice of twisty terror in theunderratedThe Perfection), it’s a charming opening gambit from the Hungarian-American director. Perhaps the cleverest bit about the first few minutes is how the title sequence ends, each and every word combining to form a maze-like pattern which, as the camera pans out, becomes the license plate attached to David and Amy Fox’s car, presently zooming down a dark and lonely Californian highway.
The audience is then formally introduced to the couple at the heart of the tale, Luke Wilson’s David and Kate Beckinsale’s Amy. They bicker and allude to a tragedy from the past, as well as their fast-unraveling marriage. They trade many a passive-aggressive barb, especially when David swerves violently to avoid an audacious raccoon. On the way back from a trip to Amy’s parents, David’s decision to take a detour (as it’s a supposedly faster route) only plunges him and his wife into a futile battle with a deserted strip of road.The dialogue here lays things out pretty clearly; this is a partnership on the rocks.
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When their Sedan starts to make worrying sounds, they cruise into an ancient gas station to seek help. Looming beyond the refilling relic is the flashing neon edifice belonging to the Pinewood Motel. Jutting out of the darkness like a demonic arm — the Foxes yield, opting to stay the night there after their car buckles a secondtime following the failed efforts of a curiously inquisitive mechanic (Ethan Embry). The motel inVacancyhas all the trappings of a great horror movie locale. While it doesn’t contain the terrifyingly iconic manse of the Norman Bates setup inPsycho,its out-of-the-way ordinariness somehow renders it all the more chilling. To the average traveler, the place could be any run-of-the-mill pitstop. Look a little closer, and the drab curtains and beige sameness are fronts for shadows and secrets missed at first glance.
‘Vacancy’ Has a Compelling Cast of Characters
What makesVacancywork is the reasonably well-put-together characters the audience is saddled with for the movie’s duration. Just like LB Jefferies (James Stewart) who favored intellect over brute strength inRear Window, Luke Wilson’s David means well, and never purports to be anything other than a concerned and eventually ultra-protective everyman. He’s prone to error, yes, but when push comes to knife-wielding, masked maniac, he is resourceful. Wilson is well-cast in the role. His initial frustration and fatigue ultimately give way to adrenaline-driven strategizing. Likewise, Kate Beckinsale is solid as Amy. Initially quarrelsome, her pain manifests in her defensiveness. Ultimately, she and her husband are forced to become indomitable again in spite of their problems. Without each other, in their given circumstance, the terrifying threat outside prevails.
And what a threat it is. The psychopathic manager (played byFrank Whaley) has more in store for the imperiled couple than a middling night in the motel’s unkempt “honeymoon suite.” He and his mysterious offsiders make snuff films wherein hapless motel guests become victims.What’s similarly effective aboutVacancyis its commitment to the art of anticipation. Nothing truly horrific happens at all until at least 25 to 30 minutes in, so in a sense, the film eschews grindhouse fare in favor of a more pronounced buildup, à la Hitchcock. Before then, it’s all muggy suspense as the Foxes withstand murderous rappings on the door (only to find no one outside), and watch a series of disturbing videotapes depicting terrifying events that occurred, you guessed it, in their very room.
Initially, David and Amy assume the hotel manager is a harmless coot bored by a lack of workplace activity. But it’s not long after the initial disturbance thatthe couple realizes something seriously sinister is afoot. The master of suspense would surely applaud some of the sequences threaded into the plot. At one point, the Foxes discover the bloodied apple (which Amy had left in the car) casually and inexplicably sitting near the basin in the bathroom (a MacGuffin of sorts). There’s perhaps another quick little nod toPsychoas well later on. When an ill-fated patrolman arrives to investigate Amy’s urgent 911 call, he is seized and his car pushed off by masked madmen into the darkness. Perhaps it was a swamp not unlike Marion Crane’s vehicle’s final resting place?
‘Vacancy’ Does Hitchockian Cinema Right
Not prepared to be taunted all night, the Foxes seek to outwit their tormentors using whatever means necessary. There is an ingeniously shot chase sequence that arrives too as the duo discover a subterranean tunnel connecting many of the motel rooms together. Hitchcock was, among many things, renowned for unique and at times disorienting camera angles and for his skillful command of light and shadow (chiaroscuro). The roving camerawork inVacancyvery much harnesses the terror of such a scenario. And while no shot quite rivals the reflection on the glasses inStrangers on a Train,there are some vulnerable vantage points captured (such as when Amy is forced to watch on through the slats in the roof helplessly). With the audience led to believe one thing regarding the fate of one of the film’s chief characters, there’s a last-minute gasp of surprise just before the conclusion arrives. And in a most welcome move — that truly effective score is reintroduced as the morning light fades. There have been a lot of great overt Hitchcock homages over the years, and as far as the 2000s offerings go,Vacancyis a laudable thriller that builds genuine suspense and anxiety-inducing tension. Check in!
Vacancyis now streaming on Starz in the U.S.
WATCH ON STARZ
