Kate Beckinsale’s Overlooked R-Rated 2000s Thriller Will Make You Think Twice About Stopping For The Night

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 14 seconds ago

Films set almost entirely at shady, run down motels are a dime a dozen, and once you’ve seen about a dozen of them, you’re pretty much set for life. I keep looking for them, however, because every so often I stumble upon hidden gems like Identity (2003), Looking Glass (2018), or Strange Darling (2023). I’m now adding 2007’s Vacancy to the list because, despite some clear logistical issues I have with the film, it remains a fun, tight survival thriller about a broken-down couple who just need to make it through the night after checking into the worst possible place to rest before getting back on the road.

If you’re hypercritical about continuity or the use of plot armor that allows a story to move toward its logical conclusion, there will most certainly be moments where you roll your eyes at Vacancy. But I say to heck with it, because it’s acted well, shot well, has a unique enough premise to keep you interested, and delivers enough close calls to make you forget about most of the logical shortcomings you’ll run into.

Couple Breaks Down In Both A Literal And Figurative Sense

When we’re first introduced to Amy (Kate Beckinsale) and David Fox (Luke Wilson), Vacancy makes it very clear that their marriage is on the rocks. They’re on the way back from a family gathering, and Amy doesn’t mince words when she talks about how unhappy she is with how everything went, mostly due to David’s attitude (author’s note: she’s not a joy to be around either). David is preoccupied with using a map he doesn’t know how to read while navigating the backroads because the interstate is jammed up due to a car wreck.

Familiar setup aside, we’re brought to our central conflict when the car breaks down (after seeing a mechanic, no less), forcing David and Amy to stay at a motel run by Mason (Frank Whaley), a man who looks like he only experiences two emotions: menacing rage, and sometimes not. Their introduction to him involves hearing what sounds like somebody being brutally murdered in the back office, only for Mason to casually explain that he likes listening to snuff films when he gets lonely.

Figuring they’re only going to be laying low until they can get their car into an auto shop the next day, they vow to sleep with their clothes on, with David even suggesting they keep their shoes on so they don’t contract any diseases from the bedding. While flipping through a stack of unlabeled VHS tapes provided in the room as a form of entertainment, or something, David and Amy are horrified to learn that the screaming they heard probably came from the kind of videos they’re now watching: footage of people being murdered in the exact room they’re staying in.

From this point forward, Vacancy goes into straight-up survival mode as Amy and David learn what Mason is really up to, which is made worse by the fact that he’s clearly not working alone. Masked men are also on the premises, surveying the other, allegedly vacant rooms. Knowing this may be their last night alive if they don’t act fast, Amy and David have to set aside their differences, hatch an escape plan, and outsmart the violent men waiting on the other side of the door.

Some Of This Makes Zero Sense, But It’s Fine

When you see the lengths Mason and his goons take to terrorize Amy and David, certain things about Vacancy stop making sense. For one thing, Mason has a key to every room, so what’s stopping him from entering theirs whenever he feels like it? It’s even suggested that he already did before things got crazy (but I won’t reveal any spoilers here). What’s more, this is a cheap motel that likely doesn’t have bulletproof glass, so it makes little sense that Mason wouldn’t simply drive his truck through the front of the building if he truly wanted to murder his new guests before they escaped and contacted the authorities.

On one hand, I fully understand why a repeat offender who’s likely been operating as a serial killer for years doesn’t want to damage his base of operations or draw attention to himself. But the night depicted in Vacancy is different because his would-be victims aren’t sticking to the script. At some point, the idea of doing whatever it takes to keep his operation intact, structural damage included, should have at least crossed his mind, but it never really does.

At the end of the day, though, this minor nitpick doesn’t really matter because the acting is on point across the board. Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale are believable as David and Amy because they look genuinely terrified, and they grow through that terror together, realizing they need to join forces despite their initial animosity toward one another. David steps up, and Amy is either receptive to his plans or offers constructive input that benefits both of them when they run out of options.

Frank Whaley as Mason is the real deal maker if you’re on the fence about giving Vacancy a chance. He’s got this Norman Bates energy, sans mommy issues, and he’s generally just creepy all around. But he’s creepy in that “Ned Flanders has finally snapped” kind of way that makes for an entertaining watch because you don’t know if he’s simply an eccentric loner. He’s clearly a bad guy from the moment you meet him, but he’s also set in his ways and seems generally nonthreatening until there’s a compelling reason to believe he’s about to cause some serious problems.

Vacancy, currently streaming for free on Tubi, is in many ways a by-the-numbers creepy motel thriller, but it stands on its own thanks to its small but reliable cast, setting, and tight runtime that keeps it from wearing out its welcome. If I had to call it anything, I’d call it reliable, and if you’re simply looking for a passive watch that burns through the usual tropes you’re familiar with, you’ll feel right at home here.