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Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale star in this low-budget thriller that will have you biting your nails during parts of the flick and going “ho-hum” at others. The movie’s premise has tons of potential for an engaging horror/snuff flick but the somewhat predictable plot will leave you wondering why they didn’t take it any further.

The story finds the two main characters stuck on a lonely back road with a broken down car and they end up staying at a flea-bag called the Pinewood Motel. Everything seems just a bit suspicious and off kilter as they check in and try to relax for the remainder of the night. Almost immediately they begin to realize that they’ve checked in to something like the Bates Motel from Psycho after popping a video in the room’s VCR and seeing strange people being brutally murdered, right in the very room they’re staying in. It’s not long before they realize that their every move is being filmed.

Too bad it didn’t really go anywhere, because I’m a big fan of Kate Beckinsale and fell in love with her in her two ultra-vampy Underworld movie appearances. I really wanted to love this one but I was a bit disappointed in the end. Not that the acting was bad, in fact the main characters were very well done and acted with just enough background information to make you care about what happens to them. The writing and story just makes you wonder what the hell happened to the rest of the movie?

Would I recommend going out to see this movie? No, not really, do yourself a favor and wait till it comes out on DVD.

Starring: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry
Directed By: Nimród Antal
Released By: Sony
Theatrical Release Date: 04/20/2007
Run Time: 85 min.
Rated R

Tags: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Vacancy, movie review,horror, crime, mystery