Vacancy

Antal is talented. He’s got the craft down pat, and he gets by just fine on a minimal budget. He doe just fine so as long as there’s banging on doors and people watching battered VHS tapes of somewhat bizarre home videos. Then the banality of the story he tells starts to suffocate him and he has to unwittingly weave the viewer through a thick layer of clichés that escalate into a very stupid finale. This film will fade into oblivion soon enough, but I don't want to condemn it completely given the occasional disturbing moments. I give it a weaker three stars. (22/03/2010)

Half an hour of total boredom with all manner of – above all predictable – clichés, with no jump scares, lots of logical blunders, and terrible acting from Kate Beckinsale. The climax came during the prolonged scene of banging on various walls and doors, when I almost turned red at her absolute dysfunctionality. And then suddenly, a few blinks, a few scares in a short time, and I'm looking at everything differently and honestly rooting for the main duo (or rather the likable Luke Wilson). Now there were impressive shocks, some resistance to clichés for a change, and a creepy atmosphere. The contrast with the first part of the movie is almost unbelievable. (15/07/2007)

Even though you know what will happen in the next minutes and there are no surprises, Vacancy is quite good. Nimrod Antal knows how to scare and the whole thing moves along quite nicely. Plus, Luke Wilson shows that his versatile acting face really works in any genre. Definitely not for more than one viewing though. (23/06/2007)

Vacancy belongs to B-movies, but to those really honest, pure, and hardworking. Both main characters were exceptionally likable, and to my surprise, their actions were logical throughout the whole time, and I really wanted to root for them, I even felt sorry for them. The motel environment felt dirty, dark, and from the very beginning you know that something twisted is going to happen there. The story is not boring at all. The ending is pleasantly suspenseful, although I might have welcomed a little more distinctive villains. Otherwise, a very decent piece from the undemanding sphere of invasion horror films. (30/03/2017)

A pretty gripping B-movie that never gets boring and, more importantly, won’t make you shake your head at the stupid behaviour of the characters. The protagonists act in a surprisingly realistic fashion, which makes their fight for survival very believable. That very important good thing compensates for the shortcoming that is the main villain, who’s not precisely brimming with charisma and who feels contrived instead of scary. Although figuring out the ending wasn’t hard, I had good fun, which is something I appreciate in films. 71% (15/08/2007)