Vacancy (film)
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| Vacancy | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Vacancy |
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| Directed by | Nimród Antal |
| Produced by | Stacy Cramer Hal Lieberman Brian Paschal |
| Written by | Mark L. Smith |
| Starring | Luke Wilson Kate Beckinsale Frank Whaley |
| Music by | Paul Haslinger |
| Distributed by | Screen Gems Sony Pictures (UK) |
| Release date(s) | April 20, 2007 June 15, 2007 (UK) |
| Running time | 80 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Vacancy is a 2007 horror/thriller, which stars Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. It was distributed by Screen Gems and was released to the public on April 20, 2007. Production was scheduled to commence in August 2006 with Nimród Antal signing on to direct it.
Early on, it was thought that Sarah Jessica Parker was going to be in the film. A September 2006 article in The Hollywood Reporter announced that Kate Beckinsale had signed on to replace Parker.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox's (Kate Beckinsale) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The bickering couple decide to spend the night in a motel, home to a creepy manager named Mason (Frank Whaley). Soon after they discover that the low-budget slasher movies they're watching on the room's television are not fake and were filmed in the very room in which they're staying. They are afraid they'll become a part of a similar snuff film. After lots of in-between bickering, they crawl through an underground tunnel to escape from their room, which leads to the lobby of the motel. David and Amy struggle to get out alive while cameras watch what is going on. They are able to make a 9-1-1 call, which summons a police officer to the premises, but he is killed by one of the accomplices who helps make the films, David is eventually stabbed by one of the accomplices as Amy watches from a secure hiding spot. In the end, Amy kills the thugs with her car and, after a long battle to defeat the manager, succeeds in killing him. The film ends with David regaining consciousness after Amy makes another call to 911.
[edit] Reception
Vacancy opened at #4 in its first week at the box office grossing $7.6 million at 2,551 locations. In its second week, the film had a 45.9% drop-off, falling to a #8 position. The film has grossed $18.9 million domestically and $9.5 million in foreign countries, making a total of $28.4 million worldwide. The film received mixed reviews with Rotten Tomatoes giving the film an average rating of 55%. "Vacancy's restraint with gore is commendable", said one critic. The Rotten Tomatoes "Cream of the Crop" raters scored it an average of 25%.[2][3]
[edit] DVD release
Vacancy was released on DVD on August 14, 2007 in anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Special features include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, the full versions of the snuff films, and a trailer gallery. It was also released on Blu-ray Disc and UMD for the Sony PSP. Many versions shipped to Australia featured Sony DVD 'anti-piracy' technology, which led to them being unreadable on most DVD players including, embarassingly, Sony DVD players.
[edit] Advertising and promotion
The advertising strategy for the film has made use of the Internet as well as a toll free phone number. In addition to the TV spots and trailers shown in theaters and on television, the toll free number is made to sound as if one is actually calling the motel in which the film is placed. In the background, screaming can be heard accompanying the voice of the proprietor, who informs callers about "slashing" prices and the "killer" deals that the motel has--that is, if it is not vacant. The toll free phone number for the ad is 1-888-9-VACANCY (1-888-9-8222629).
In addition, the phone call also refers the caller to the film's website, which is also set up to be the site of the actual motel. After calling, one is given a "promotional code" (8889) which can be entered at the website http://www.1-888-9-vacancy.com/, which then shows previews of the snuff films that the motel proprietor and various people created, taken from the set. It was assisted and directed by Julie Tsaruhas.
[edit] Sequel
A sequel is now being made. It will be written by Mark L. Smith, the same writer from the first one, and directed by Eric Bross. It will be starring Trevor Wright as Caleb. For other cast members, go to the link "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204979/."
