Be sure to double-check the amenities before checking into Vacancy, because what may sound like your average gory thriller in which ruthless psychopaths butcher helpless victims is in fact quite a different experience.

The movie first introduces us to David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale), a married couple who checks into an isolated motel after their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Once settled in, they soon find themselves terrorized by killers trying to shoot their next snuff film.

Recent horror spectacles such as Saw and Hostel may have promoted gruesome torture and bloodlust as the only successful ingredients for a suspenseful thriller, but director Nimrod Antal’s Vacancy proves otherwise.

Unlike most films of the genre, Vacancy perfectly succeeds in crafting nail-biting suspense and intense action without any excessive violence or gore. Instead, Antal and first-time screenwriter Mark L. Smith force their characters to carefully think through their every move while they struggle to find a way out of the motel alive.

The claustrophobic setting strengthens the film’s overall sense of terror, especially in the sequences that show David and Amy confined to their creepy room.

But despite its qualities, Vacancy is far from perfect. For instance, some of the characters’ decisions are too moronic to be credible, while many of the stunts are overblown and conform to Hollywood action-flick clichés.

Luke Wilson, in a rare non-comedic role, is surprisingly effective, but with Kate Beckinsale by his side there’s not much that could have gone wrong. The thriller’s top acting honors, however, go to Frank Whaley, exuding menace as the eccentric motel manager.

Plot holes aside, Vacancy is engaging enough to keep your heart pounding for fast-paced 90 minutes. The material seems a little fusty at times, but definitely worth the trip to the theatre.

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