Vacancy

  • Review Date: August 13, 2007
  • R
  • Genre: Horror
  • 2007
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Taut, grisly horror movie has unexpected bite.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this horror movie isn't for kids, even those who like star Luke Wilson based on his romantic comedies. The violence is bloody and, once it starts, incessant. The prelude is even worse (snuff tapes show horrific attacks on victims with big knives, with screaming women's breasts exposed). The female lead takes prescription pills to combat depression; language includes lots of "f--k"s and plenty of other swearing.

  • Murderers are brutal, mostly silent, and implacable; protagonists are surly at first, then generous in their efforts to save each other.
  • Brief discussion of a child who died before the film begins. Horror and chase scenes include scary pounding, a jump scene, and repeated efforts to inflict brutality. Snuff tapes are horrifically violent, bloody, and stark; they're left in the motel room to generate fear in victims to be; violence includes stabbing, neck cutting, kicking, hitting, and car smashing; bloodcurdling screams emerge from behind an office door (presumably from a TV); weapons include knives, a cable, and a six shooter. A horrified woman watches from a hiding place as her husband is stabbed.
  • Naked body parts visible in the snuff tapes (legs, breasts); desperate kissing by couple in danger.
  • Lots of language, including multiple uses of "f--k" (at least 26), in addition to repeated uses of "b--ch," "son of a b--ch," "goddamn," "s--t," "hell," "a--hole," with come colorful phrases too ("Stinky as an old whore," "I'll take care of this prick").
  • Not applicable.
  • References to David's use of "trucker pills" to stay awake and Amy's prescription medication (Zoloft, Prozac); viewers see her take a pill, which causes her to fall asleep while hiding.

What's the story?

The victims are a pair of almost-exes: Driving on a dark, lonely road, David (Luke Wilson) and Amy (Kate Beckinsale) argue about everything, from getting lost on the road to a murky tragedy involving a dead son. They sink deeper into frustration and depression, blaming each other for not handling the tragedy acceptably, unaware that their relationship is about to get a jolt of hard reality. The car breaks down, and they find themselves stuck in a seedy motel run by a thoroughly odious desk clerk (Frank Whaley). It's not long before they realize their bad luck: No sooner does David notice that the videotapes left in the room are snuff killings (which take place in that very room) than someone begins pounding on the walls and doors. Their stalkers are ominous men in black who carry knives and wear masks. Amy and David quickly deduce that they're now the prey, at which point they start plotting a series of escapes, which -- thanks to no cell service, no car, and no civilization in sight -- keep failing. And so they keep getting cornered, which means they must return again and again to the Terrible Room, where they anticipate the gruesome fate they've seen on the videotapes.


Is it any good?

 

VACANCY opens with a bracing credits sequence that's all hard angles, stark colors (red, black, yellow), and terrific, '60s-style score. It's an efficient introduction to a movie that knows just what it is: Eighty minutes of mostly entertaining tension punctuated by violence engineered by a nerdy creep using criminally outdated technology.

As contrived and regular as the couple's situation soon turns (they tearfully reunite in jeopardy, potential saviors don't work out, every door leads to another yucky room, etc.), the movie maintains a nervous pace and a lively look made up of skewed angles, ooky lighting, and all sorts of handheld commotion. Neat in its own grisly way, Vacancy delivers what it promises.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the fact that many horror movies use a familiar formula -- protagonists stuck somewhere terrifying -- to put viewers in another familiar place: being afraid at the movies. Why do people like being scared at the movies? What makes some horror movies better at accomplishing this goal than others? Does it matter that many of them end in similar ways? Families can also talk about how Amy and David's experience in the motel brings them back together, as their past becomes less important than their efforts to survive.


This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
bad
bad

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Fantastically scary and terrifyingly good!
I went to see this with my son, 13, and we both love horror movies, especially when there is lots of gore. We knew we would love this when the rating said "brutal violence and terror". Little did we know that this movie is actually just a suspenseful movie, with a little bit of PG-13 gore in it. The suspense in this movie is wonderful, and the plot is very well written. The characters do not act like idiots, they actually do some smart tactics. The language is somewhat strong, but it is mainly out of desperation and anger that it is used by. The nudity isn't used sexually, it is used to intensify the snuff videos. The most you see are breasts, but only for about 5 seconds. The gore isn't seen until the near end of the movie, maybe a teeny bit in the middle, but other than that, nothing bad at all. 14+.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE!!!
First off I will NEVER rent another movie without checking THIS website! This movie was one of the worst films I have EVER SEEN!!! From start to finish there was NO point to it and the gruesome, bloody and horrific scenes made it a horrible film. This was a HUGE disappointment on the star actors, “Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale.” Definitely NOT an “Alfred Hitchcock” type movie.

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
This movie is soooo cool! It is really, really, really good! Go see it!

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
what the hell what this?
this was not even scary.dont watch it

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Teen, 17 years old
August 4, 2009
 
Wasn
I loved to watch horror movies when I was 12 and 13, and I saw this one with two friends at 1 in the morning. I found no part of it to be scary, which really says something, since I was terrified of EVERYTHING when I was 13. I think the main problem with this movie was the horror was too predictable. This movie

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Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
good movie
loved it soooooooooooo much not for child under 9 or 19 nudity ,legs,breasts, langeas includs f...k enleast 20 d...m over16 times some god and s...t and crap. vilonce includes some gorey montes

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
The movie is vacant of talent...
Let me first say that this should have been rated PG-13, because it's basically the same teen horror that barely supplies any suspense. It's a good thing this movie had Kate Beckinsale and was short, otherwise I would have shut off the DVD player, because the acting was unrealistic, it wasn't scary, and the movie was so wooden and pathetic, it wasn't worth my money. Depending on how much your teen can take, this would be fine for middle schoolers and up. The nudity CSM says is in this movie is barely visible.

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Kid, 13 years old
May 8, 2011
 
Awsome movie
I loved this movie. The only reason it is r is because of the language. There was't that much violence. It has a brief glance of breasts. But it is only for a second.

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Adult
December 11, 2009
 
Gory Frightfest has Good Acting, but Less Resolution
You will never got to a motel again after seeing this frightfest (or possibly after Identity, which is much scarier). This film has good acting, great pacing, and unrelenting terror with a bloody climax. PARENTS: This is an EXTREMELY scary film with much peril and multiple stabbing-related deaths. There are gruesome images, many chases, lots of swearing, and brief breasts. Although this is a good film, it has a little bit weaker ending than normal films. But, it still does have some resolution. So, sit back, and enjoy (if you can, due to the scariness). Thanks for reading - Movie Man

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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Studio:Screen Gems
Director:Nimrod Antal
Cast:Frank Whaley, Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson
Genre:Horror
Run time:80 minutes
Theatrical release date:April 20, 2007
DVD release date:August 14, 2007
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:brutal violence and terror, brief nudity and language.

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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