Vacancy

Continuing a seemingly endless parade of thrillers in 2007, moviemakers bring two more this week, including Vacancy, a frightening and highly intense ride that doesn't let up for a minute, delivering one jolt after another. The premise is intriguing. A married couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) on the way to sign divorce papers gets sidetracked at an out-of-the-way motel and check into a room they may never check out of. All seems okay at first, until hubby finds a videotape on top of the TV set and discovers it is a snuff film shot in the very same room. When they find video cameras hidden near the ceiling, they realize they have just been cast in parts no one would ever want to play. From this point on, the action comes fast and furious as they try desperately to find a way out as the killers set their trap. This is sleazy stuff, but certainly compelling and exciting to watch. Plus, the movie has undeniably the creepiest motel the screen has seen since Hitchcock let Norman Bates run rampant in Psycho. Director Nimrod Antal is a talent to watch, shooting most of this in tight, unforgiving close-ups, letting the audience share the same closed-in feeling the characters seem to have. Frank Whaley registers the film's best performance as the motel's night clerk, playing the nerdy-looking employee as if he was walking a tightrope. Beckinsale basically just looks terrified throughout the entire film, while Wilson sweats a lot. Impressively shot and edited—and coming in at an economical 90 minutes—Vacancy is one to check out if you want some serious scares.