Vacancy is a 2007 horror/thriller film, starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. It was distributed by Screen Gems and was released on April 20, 2007. Production was scheduled to commence in August 2006 with Nimród Antal signing on to direct it.
Early in the film's development, 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]
Plot
A couple, David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) are distraught when they take a wrong turn on a remote mountain road. They decide to check into a completely isolated motel in northern California supervised by Mason (Frank Whaley). They soon realize they are in a cell phone dead zone, with no reception.
While in their room, a bored David takes a peek at the video tapes left on top of the television. As he watches the tapes, he realizes they are snuff films, taken in the very room in which they are staying. The couple are alarmed and David runs to the motel's payphone booth, only for their own car to come crashing into it. David escapes and runs back into the room. The couple decide to lock themselves in the room when they notice a truck pull in. They try to warn the truck driver only to find out that he's the buyer of the snuff films and is also one of the killers.
David and Amy then escape into a tunnel that they discovered in the bathroom of their room. Two blue masked people chase them inside the tunnel but the couple evade them. David and Amy end up inside the manager's lair, where they find video monitors taping the entire hotel. Amy tries to make a call to 911 but is interrupted. The couple sneak back into the tunnel, making their way into a storage room. Meanwhile, the police unit responding to Amy's call arrives and David and Amy run to him as he checks the rooms. They all get inside the police car but it won't start and the killers murder the policeman.
The couple run into a motel room. David hides Amy in a space inside the ceiling, whilst he ventures out. The killers catch and stab David and he ends up lying unconscious in the doorway. When morning comes, Amy finally comes down from the ceiling and finds where killers hid their car. As Amy drives away, a killer breaks into the car from the roof whilst another gets pinned to the grill. Amy crashes into a motel room, killing both of the attackers. She runs into the reception area where she is attacked by an apoplectic Mason. As they fight, Mason throws Amy onto the gun, which he dropped earlier. She picks it up and shoots Mason three times, but not in the head. Amy makes another call to 911 and caresses David, who is barely conscious but alive, amazingly after bleeding out on the floor for several hours, while Amy slept in the attic. Meanwhile, Mason is shown with eyes still open and breathing on the floor.
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 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 a "fresh," average of 63%.[2][3]
DVD release
Vacancy was released on DVD on August 14, 2007 in both fullscreen and 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 PSP. Many versions shipped to Australia featured Sony DVD 'anti-piracy' technology, which led to them being unreadable on most DVD players, including Sony DVD players.
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 set. 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).
As of October 6, 2009, the toll free phone number for the ad, 1-888-9-VACANCY (1-888-9-8222629) is still valid. Though instead of it starting off as it goes right to Mason, it says "Hello, thanks for calling. Please press 1 to make reservations at the Pine-Wood Motel, Press 2 to buy tickets for Vacancy off of Fandango, Press 3 for an operator." And if you press two, it is cut from "You've reached Mason at the front desk of the Pine-Wood Motel" to "You've reached the front desk of the Pine-Wood Motel.
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,[4] 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.
Prequel
Vacancy 2: The First Cut is written by Mark L. Smith, the same writer from the first film, and directed by Eric Bross. The film stars Agnes Bruckner and Trevor Wright. The prequel focuses on the events happened before the first film, where it will show how the motel's employees started their crazy intentions.
References
External links
