This past Friday, the suspenseful film "Vacancy" hit theaters. The film, which stars Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, chronicles the misadventures of a bickering couple on the verge of divorce whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and is forced to stay at a shady motel. Moments after the two enter their room, they discover that they are trapped and have hidden cameras aimed at them filming their every move. In the tradition of "Hostel" and "Saw", the couple must fight back to make it out of the room alive.
Although this might not seem like the most original of horror plotlines, what is fascinating is the fact that Wilson, whose recent acting credentials include "My Super Ex-Girlfriend", "Hoot," "The Family Stone" and "Anchorman," takes the lead in this film.
In a recent interview, when asked his opinion of America's newfound obsession with ultra-violent, cannibalistic films, Wilson explained that he felt he missed the boat.
"They're just a little too gory for me, but I think it's just one those things. It's just kind of titillating to watch stuff like that. It's just like kind of a sex scene or a murder scene. It's just kind of a voyeuristic quality," Wilson said.
Wilson added that he believes modern American audiences like to be scared as much as they like to laugh.
"I'm not knocking those movies at all. I just can't watch them. Obviously 'The Shining' is an example. It's made by somebody genius like Kubrick, but it just seems like there's more skill involved in telling a story like that that's really scary," Wilson said.
"It's more about what's going on in your own head, as opposed to watching somebody get their arm sawed off.
When asked where he thought that "Vacancy" ranked among such violent movies as "The Hills Have Eyes" and the like, Wilson defended the film, claiming it possesses the psychological edge that most modern horror films lack.
"It brings you into the story more if you are scared about what's going to happen or what's happened, as opposed to seeing it happen. I do not think that 'Vacancy' is in the same class as its con.temporaries," Wilson said.
"At the same time, I am not saying it is above it. I am just saying it's different," he said. "'Vacancy' to me almost seems like kind of one of those scary movies from the '70s, where you've got the couple who has a car break down and they check into a motel."
Wilson expressed his excitement to star in a horror film. With an impressive career and wide range of performances from high brow dark comedic fare such as "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore" to the bubbly "Legally Blonde" and "Charlie's Angels" franchise, Wilson was never really given the opportunity to try his hand at horror.
"I just kind of never had the chance to do horror. I really like all kinds of genres of movies from action to horror to comedies," Wilson said.
"I like all kinds of different genres, but this is obviously not the kind of thing that comes my way that often."
Wilson urges horror fans to check out "Vacancy" and promises that it has the suspenseful cerebral edge unparallel to any of the current slew of gruesome films emerging from the neo-slasher genre.
