Vacancy

A vacationing couple makes a terrifying discovery about the motel room they have just checked into in this thriller directed by Nimrod Antal (no, I've never heard of him either). Their car broken down and their prospects for finding a tow-truck driver slim to none, David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) decide to make the best of their situation by resting out the night at a nearby motel. Left with few choices of entertainment for the evening, the pair soon settles down to enjoy one of the low-budget slasher films playing on the motel-room television. Upon realizing that all of the films seem to have been shot in the very same room they currently occupy, David and Amy suddenly become the stars of a particularly sadistic fright flick. Now, as hidden cameras track their every move, David and Amy attempt to turn the tables on their would-be killer before they meet the same grim fate as the poor souls being butchered on television. (all movie guide)

Fun!! I had a really good time seeing this flick. Simple story, confining locations, and nothing too off the wall to make you scrunch up your face and say, "Now wait just a minute." Also, the movie's only about 90 minutes long so everything is concise and to the point and it never feels like things are being stretched or scenes are going on too long. Luke Wilson was extremely convincing as an average every-day-kinda-guy and Kate Beckinsale more than adequately conveyed the emotional gamut required of her character (and I'm not just saying that because I'm a big fan of Kate's).

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a 'great' movie but it is good and, as I said, it is fun. There seems to be so many movies with similar premises and many of them try too hard, go to extremes that aren't necessary, or simply become tedious with no palpable tension. Vacancy never crosses any of those lines while keeping an above average tension level throughout the course of a disturbingly plausible scenario. In fact, I've already made a mental note regarding checking for hidden cameras if I ever find myself having to stay in a secluded motel.