Vacancy (R, 2007)

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.

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is: Eighty minutes of mostly entertaining tension punctuated by violence engineered by a nerdy creep using criminally outdated technology.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.

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