*What should I cover next? ... Leave a comment below!* Also what's the best MOTEL movie? Go to expressvpn.com/ryan to take back your Internet privacy TODAY and find out how you can get 3 months free
The void, ginger snaps trilogy, repo the genetic opera, suspiria, Salem's lot, the lost boys, byzantium, a girl who walks alone at night, and the ritual.
don't you just hate it when you try to murder a couple who's marriage is falling apart but your serial killing actually brings them back together and mends the relationship
I once stopped at a shady motel in Nevada, and the minute I heard weird sounds coming from behind the desk clerks door, I got the hell out of there and slept in my car for the night.
I work at reception and always great with a smile. Unless I don't like the look of the prospective guest, in which case I say "HOY-EVER!" sans Irish charm.
Vacancy was pretty good. I liked the decision to not show a lot of violence. I think it takes a lot more talent to tell your story through reactions instead of gore.
@@AndreNitroX It was good. I think the movie was really good till the point they discover what is about to happen ? But there after the movie really loses the tension and scares. Its unable to build up on great set up and just keeps going in circles with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale just moving around and giving scared reactions. It seems the movie was just focused on showing them trying to escape rather than them facing the threat that was so subtly yet vividly displayed. There was a plot for one half but there was no plot for the other. The intelligence, the engagement and the suspense that the movie builds up in the first half just gives to cliched set pieces. The ending is a major disappointment defying all the logic and narrative the movie had build. But yes all the actors, there are just 5 do a great job. And Wilson and Beckinsale are really natural. But a very very ordinary and unimaginative second half ruin what could been a truly great horror movie. 6 from me.
@@brajeshsingh2391 I agree with you, because i too found the climax very contrived and not original, despite the build up being very impressive. but the way i see it, one its revealed the threat is tangible, they are just men, then the tension is removed, since now we know they can be killed, but having kate do it all by herself feels too cheap, and i wanted a more unexpected ending.
I always liked this one because I started having some issues with gore as I got older, and the protagonists weren't just bumbling idiots. I found it enjoyable. Thanks for highlighting this one, you've been on a role through my favorites🖤🖤🖤
I want MORE happy endings in horror. I mean, sometimes you turn into an eldritch horror, but what if that happens and you're at one with all knowledge and joy in the universe? There can be many KINDS of happy endings, I just can't do the unrelenting despair endings anymore!
I think they're useful because if we have enough of them, we have hope that for the protagonists of the current horror movie we're watching and it makes it more suspenseful. If every movie kills everyone, we can kind of guess where it's heading and that makes it less scary. I liked the ending of Starfish which is sort of like what you listed.
@@codyw1 Yup- thats the reason I can watch Evil Dead a ton and am good with just seeing Drag Me to Hell once. Though since "happy endings" in horror movies are usually just having one lone survivor I sometimes think dying might be preferable. Like I think the ending where she escapes in The Descent is actually worse than her hallucinating her daughter trapped down there. She's lost not just her family, but all of her closest friends and she even has to live with the guilt of contributing to the death of one. That's awful. At least in the "dark ending" she doesn't feel alone
Yeah, traditional lovecraftian horror no longer work, because we have tangible proofs of the vastness of the universe's scale compared to us, and we had so for decades, so now when something try to scare us by making us feel insignificant, the only reaction now is "yeah, we're not the big center of the universe, so what?".
@@origamifan5515 While I see you’re point, I think you’re kinda oversimplifying Lovecraftian horror and overstating how much we know about the universe
I rewatched it a few months ago and was surprised by how well it holds up. it's tense, the emotional trauma the characters are going through adds to the atmosphere and catharsis of the movie, and the end is way better than what I expected from a movie of it's time period.
@@codyw1 I just meant that, for a movie made around the time torture p*rn was all the rage, its restraint stood out, and still stands out, in a lot of ways 😬😬
@@codyw1 I mean to be fair, a film released in 2000 is almost 22 years old now. Wouldn’t necessarily consider that “new”. I don’t like it either, but it’s the truth.
As someone who had a job that involved a higher than average amount of interstate travel, I can say with great certainty that most motels are terrifying.
Even though it might've been forgotten, it's ironically one of the few that actually hold up because it doesn't entirely rely on the gimmicks and bs of the time.
I'm so glad this video and the comments exist because for years I've been dismissed by other film students when I said that the movie is more clever and self-aware than the reception at the time may indicate. It not only stays away from overdone conventions of that time but it even playfully teases the audience with them. It came at a time where all horror wanted to be was shocking both in gore and twists. Vacancy, refreshingly, used its gore carefully and instead of a last minute ass-pull twist, it realizes that the most unpredictable thing to do in those final moments would be to do something predictable.
For me Vacancy is at the top of my list of.. I don’t know i guess ‘under the radar, underrated or not as talked about horrors’. It plays off our normal insecurity of that last stop hotel out in the middle of nowhere, and the fact that it’s two grown adults makes it even better in my opinion. I mean how many horror movies out there are about a couple in their 30’s/40’s actually trying to survive. But I also find that more intriguing that’s it’s silently been tucked away and forgotten making it a far more sought after film when it comes bubbling to the surface of your mind trying to remember it and wanting to go back and watch it and that only you yourself know about this film. Although I feel the sequel definitely was just a cheap prequel attempt to try and explain everything and yeah it’s alright but i like the mystery of the first. So eh, I’m not not going to acknowledge its existence but I’m not going to watch it as frequently
@@AndreNitroX I feel you, but the bickering felt so real that was part of the chemistry, made it more powerful when they started actually working together...
@@jeremysiron9622 You make a good point, usually we see a loving couple go through this situation, but to see a couple on the verge of divorce that hate each others guts, work together to survive, is surprisingly cathartic
11:40 That moment when you realize Kate Beckinsale & Scott Speedman both starred in horror-thrillers about turbulent couples facing masked madmen after doing Underworld: Evolution together. 😆🖤
Agree, it was refreshing and really worked here. I mean, I enjoy some seriously morbid downer endings, but far too often it seems like filmmakers tack on a "bad guy wins" ending just to make people feel like shit.
I know this and The Strangers are not masterpieces but I really like them both especially The Strangers. I think they have a genuinely scary execution which has also aged very well.
@@MrShanester117 We're creatures that thrive on having a sense of community, so little things like having a common saying are cathartic. It might be annoying if you spend a lot of time online so you're seeing it all the time, though.
I remember watching this on tv as a little kid and I found the plot so unique, a motel of death, set up to create real life horror movies for money and also personal enjoyment of the killers, that made it into a business
Such an underrated movie, where the suspense is high and the characters (the two main ones at least) actually make INTELLIGENT decisions. There is a sequel as well called Vacancy 2: The First Cut.
Watched this as a kid and it's basically what got me into horror. Even though I haven't seen it in years, the plot and scenes are still pretty clear in my mind.
I completely forgot about this movie! I remember seeing it shortly after it came out when I was 10/11 years old. Thanks for covering this, Ryan. It brought back some old memories for me.
It is somewhat surreal to hear you talk about the horror zeitgeist of the early 2000's since I lived through it and got really into horror around that time. Cinema changes all the time, it is great.
I saw a commercial for this movie on tv when I was a kid, and it gave me nightmares for literal years. Seeing the title gave me a whole body shudder dang
It's an underrated movie. Glad you covered it. Of course, in real life, no law enforcement agency in the world has ever found a snuff film made for profit (not counting sick home movies made by actual serial killers for their own sadistic satisfaction) so it's an urban myth that lives on.
For some reason the part of this movie I've always vividly remembered is the uncertainty and fear in Kate Beckinsale's voice when she asks Luke Wilson's character why he's watching the snuff tapes. It's such a blink and you'll miss it moment, but it felt so heavy to me the first time I watched it. Just that half-second of doubt and paranoia creeping in. I never really knew if that was just me reading into it (I'm probably reading into it lol) or if it was an intentional fake out, but since all these other red herrings were called out, now I think it genuinely was done on purpose, and that's awesome! Tl; dr, very cool movie! Super well-cast and -executed. Thanks for covering it and bringing the memories back, Ryan! 👏🏼
I think Ryan's uploads really make my Sundays better! I always love to see what you cover next! Could you possibly do a video on session 9? I think that would be interesting.
Very satisfying movie with an excellent premise. Amy and David behaved realistically in a scenario that feels unsettlingly possible. With such a mean-spirited premise, it was awesome to see a karmic ending where the heroes live, the villains die, and the police are roped in so it's not just another "and no one ever found out mwahahaha" horror cliche. And ngl the "door banging + snuff reveal" sequence actually had me curled up in my seat! Not the scariest of moments, but definitely tense and sinister -- even more so when it's repeated with the doomed, well-meaning cop having the same realization.
The approach of seeing the reactions of the characters vs seeing the actual horror in detail is such a brilliant and classier move than just "show show show gore gore gore" which leads to so much unnecessary scenes and has desensitized some people to horror itself. I really like the approach the directors took with how this film was shot. Especially since we could all end up having to crash at a random shady motel for a night. I've done it before. Stuck in Delaware once and it wasn't pleasant. I barely slept and left immediately at the crack of dawn.
I re-watched this movie before watching your review, and boy was it great. It was an experience that didn't feel too unrealistic and the characters made believable actions and choices, they thought through their options and fought back and they had great scenes, without too much gore or blood the movie was thrilling and exciting. Great movie and underrated for sure! Great review video also.
I saw this in theaters and couldn't tell you a thing about it. This isn't intended to sound glib. I remember liking it but only saw it the one time and never got it on video. This was a great reminder of why I DID like it. Thanks!
Back in my college days, this and The Strangers were two of my go to films to throw on for any given night that I wanted to watch something without having to invest a lot of attention. Truly underrated but also simple enough of a premise and presentation for those background viewing kind of days when a hangover makes something else too challenging to bother watching.
A great writing prof. I had put it to our class best: "Write to ignite your audience's imagination. What they come up with will land so much harder than anything specific you try to show them."
*Reads the title* my dude you don't even know how many times I've watched this movie 😂 back in the days when I didn't have wifi or Netflix or any streaming capabilities I watched this on DVD over and over 😂
Imagine being that one couple or family who just goes full Rorschach and says, "We're not trapped here with you: you're trapped here with us!" Sounds like the kind of parody the Black Rifle Coffee Co. guys would love to make.
This film was definitely allot scarier than expected. Also every actor, was casted in a role that wasn't typical of what they were known for. Ethan Embry definitely being one of them!
Thank you Ryan for covering this movie. I am glad that you covered some of the flaws in the movie but defended them at the same time. I can't recall if you covered this one, but Motel Hell is a little gem of a flick. Good ol early 80s corny, but cool stuff with lots of humor.
Always happy to see a horror movie that doesn't plummet into the super grim ending, people in these situations usually go through enough anyway. I get the tragic endings are tempting to leave an impact but there is such a thing as too much misery.
I remember seeing the trailers on TV when I was a kid. It freaked me out. And I remember seeing the movie and actually being scared and felt bad for the characters
I think there's a polar opposite version of this film in the episode of Inside No. 9 "The Devil Of Christmas" where nothing is shown until the end, pulling the rug completely as opposed to this where you are shown a lot and you expect it to go down one way. I'd actually love for you to cover that!
I watched this movie as a 13 year old on vacation in Alabama with my grandparents, which happened to be in a hotel. (I think it was technically a condo, but still. It was small and had some vibes to it.) I've been obsessed with this movie ever since. Horror nostalgia for me.
I put off watching this for over a decade because I figured it would be too torture-oriented for my tastes. But as you said so well, the level of violence in this movie is very restrained, and it's a pure suspense flick. I enjoyed the heck out of it, my expectations were blown out of the water. I think seeing that you had talked about it last year was floating around in my head as a reason to give it a chance. Great video as always.
When I saw the ending for the first time I was actually so relieved that they both survived! Because I honestly thought they would use his death as a way to make it still tragic, like you explained. Glad they surprised me:D
Sidetrack from the film but the bit about the reactions to violence causing more reaction in the audience reminded me of a film I can’t remember the name of. There’s one girl throughout most the run who doesn’t show much emotion, the only glimpses of a smile being when watching bits of a horror film with the rest of the mains (who are all wincing or hiding) at the start and at roadkill I think, but even then they’re faint and only last for a few seconds before she’s bored again. Plot happens, i think one of them is killed and it’s recorded and they’re made to watch it. You can see her eyes light up, proper childlike joy; kid given 2 puppies for their birthday ecstatic as it keeps going on. She’s the only reaction after the first ~3 seconds because the others can’t watch more.
I have never seen this one, but I did see Vacancy 2 because of multiple people raving to me that the characters were actually smart. I would love to hear you talk about that one.
![BRASIL vs. URUGUAY [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-hWBAuxF1eY/mqdefault.jpg)
*What should I cover next? ... Leave a comment below!* Also what's the best MOTEL movie?
Go to expressvpn.com/ryan to take back your Internet privacy TODAY and find out how you can get 3 months free
Psycho is a really good motel movie but i havent seen too many to be sure
Have you heard/ covered homunculus already? It’s a pretty intense horror manga, with some great psychological themes.
Annihilation, it's a great one
The void, ginger snaps trilogy, repo the genetic opera, suspiria, Salem's lot, the lost boys, byzantium, a girl who walks alone at night, and the ritual.
Session 9!
don't you just hate it when you try to murder a couple who's marriage is falling apart but your serial killing actually brings them back together and mends the relationship
Truma bonding ftw
tale as old as time 🥺
Maybe the true snuff film was the relationships we mended along the way?
And they end up killing you instead.
*the killer throws down knife* and then they worked together and shanked me to death!*jason* first time?
I worked in a two star hotel in a rural area. First rule of thumb: If the front desk made you uncomfortable, do not proceed to rent a room!
I once stopped at a shady motel in Nevada, and the minute I heard weird sounds coming from behind the desk clerks door, I got the hell out of there and slept in my car for the night.
@@AndreNitroX was it the sounds of pigs squealing?
@@misterpinkandyellow74 LOl. no it was pennywises laugh
I work at reception and always great with a smile. Unless I don't like the look of the prospective guest, in which case I say "HOY-EVER!" sans Irish charm.
@@mattgilbert7347 Awesome!
Manager: "We have no room in the motel."
Ryan: "HOYEVER."
Manager: "Let me get you a suite."
If only my powers were that strong!
@@RyanHollinger Your Howevers have special powers.
This comment actually made me LOL
I find myself saying hoyever a lot these days
@@RyanHollinger You don’t have those powers. HOYEVER, in this situation, you can get a suite.
This is one of my favorite horror films ever! Plus, my college professor was the editor for one of the trailers for this movie.
That's kick ass
Awesome!!
Your professor must’ve done a good job, because I remember seeing this trailer when I was in 5th grade and it has always stuck with me lol
Your professor lol
@@fishsmell2570 my professor shoots me with his Epik Layz0rz
Vacancy was pretty good. I liked the decision to not show a lot of violence. I think it takes a lot more talent to tell your story through reactions instead of gore.
Agreed rely on solid acting instead of gratuitous gore and violence
@@AndreNitroX It was good. I think the movie was really good till the point they discover what is about to happen ? But there after the movie really loses the tension and scares. Its unable to build up on great set up and just keeps going in circles with Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale just moving around and giving scared reactions. It seems the movie was just focused on showing them trying to escape rather than them facing the threat that was so subtly yet vividly displayed.
There was a plot for one half but there was no plot for the other. The intelligence, the engagement and the suspense that the movie builds up in the first half just gives to cliched set pieces. The ending is a major disappointment defying all the logic and narrative the movie had build. But yes all the actors, there are just 5 do a great job. And Wilson and Beckinsale are really natural. But a very very ordinary and unimaginative second half ruin what could been a truly great horror movie. 6 from me.
@@brajeshsingh2391 I agree with you, because i too found the climax very contrived and not original, despite the build up being very impressive. but the way i see it, one its revealed the threat is tangible, they are just men, then the tension is removed, since now we know they can be killed, but having kate do it all by herself feels too cheap, and i wanted a more unexpected ending.
The deleted tape scenes were VERY violent
@@homelesshannah50late to comment but those were so disturbing they actually looked real
The couples reaction when the realisation dawns on them about the nature of the films is one of the most terrifying moments in the entire film
I always liked this one because I started having some issues with gore as I got older, and the protagonists weren't just bumbling idiots. I found it enjoyable. Thanks for highlighting this one, you've been on a role through my favorites🖤🖤🖤
I want MORE happy endings in horror. I mean, sometimes you turn into an eldritch horror, but what if that happens and you're at one with all knowledge and joy in the universe? There can be many KINDS of happy endings, I just can't do the unrelenting despair endings anymore!
I think they're useful because if we have enough of them, we have hope that for the protagonists of the current horror movie we're watching and it makes it more suspenseful. If every movie kills everyone, we can kind of guess where it's heading and that makes it less scary. I liked the ending of Starfish which is sort of like what you listed.
@@merchantfan It also makes a film very unrewatchable IMO. Who wants to watch a film where you know everyone dies? It's depressing!
@@codyw1 Yup- thats the reason I can watch Evil Dead a ton and am good with just seeing Drag Me to Hell once. Though since "happy endings" in horror movies are usually just having one lone survivor I sometimes think dying might be preferable. Like I think the ending where she escapes in The Descent is actually worse than her hallucinating her daughter trapped down there. She's lost not just her family, but all of her closest friends and she even has to live with the guilt of contributing to the death of one. That's awful. At least in the "dark ending" she doesn't feel alone
Yeah, traditional lovecraftian horror no longer work, because we have tangible proofs of the vastness of the universe's scale compared to us, and we had so for decades, so now when something try to scare us by making us feel insignificant, the only reaction now is "yeah, we're not the big center of the universe, so what?".
@@origamifan5515 While I see you’re point, I think you’re kinda oversimplifying Lovecraftian horror and overstating how much we know about the universe
I rewatched it a few months ago and was surprised by how well it holds up. it's tense, the emotional trauma the characters are going through adds to the atmosphere and catharsis of the movie, and the end is way better than what I expected from a movie of it's time period.
"It's time period", isn't it like a 2000s movie? WTF.
@@codyw1 I just meant that, for a movie made around the time torture p*rn was all the rage, its restraint stood out, and still stands out, in a lot of ways 😬😬
@@joshuaortiz4886 lol Okay. I thought you were one of those weirdos who think a 2000s movie is old! My bad. :p ;)
@@codyw1 not at all! and no worries :)
@@codyw1 I mean to be fair, a film released in 2000 is almost 22 years old now. Wouldn’t necessarily consider that “new”. I don’t like it either, but it’s the truth.
This is one of my favorite movies!!! When I saw “creepiest motel movie you’ve never seen” my immediate thought was “is it Vacancy?” and it WAS
Same here! 😄
@@lamargordon6017 Ditto!
The movie is in the title of the video lol
@The Sage Millennial I don’t know anyone else that’s seen it, save 1-2 people, and most of my friends are at least a little on the film buff side.
There was a VACANCY in my subscription box until this banger Horror Daddy video showed up
Damn you’re good at these!
@@RyanHollinger I'm gonna keep it up until I run out of ideas
Ahem, excuse me, but CZsWorld is the one and only horror daddy ❤
@@mikahong we can have multiple Horror Fathers
First "high-yevver" drops at 1:22.
Now this is one i never hear about anymore. Good pick ryan.
Making brownies at 2:30 am while listening to Ryan is a mood. I love it. Brownies anyone?
It was 2pm over here & I made cookies. Shall I join you? 😊🍪
Was 4:30am same time in Australia. Cookies I wish! 🙂Where are you, our times are what 2hrs appart? ,🍪🍪🍪🍪
It’s 9pm in Brazil kinda early but shall i join?
It's 9am here in the Philippines already. I'm happy if you guys can join me for desserts after breakfast ♥️♥️
@@monetted4692 oh that would be nice, i am late but i can make some eggs
As someone who had a job that involved a higher than average amount of interstate travel, I can say with great certainty that most motels are terrifying.
Even though it might've been forgotten, it's ironically one of the few that actually hold up because it doesn't entirely rely on the gimmicks and bs of the time.
I'm so glad this video and the comments exist because for years I've been dismissed by other film students when I said that the movie is more clever and self-aware than the reception at the time may indicate. It not only stays away from overdone conventions of that time but it even playfully teases the audience with them. It came at a time where all horror wanted to be was shocking both in gore and twists. Vacancy, refreshingly, used its gore carefully and instead of a last minute ass-pull twist, it realizes that the most unpredictable thing to do in those final moments would be to do something predictable.
Coincidentally I showed this to my girlfriend just about a month ago because she likes these kinds of thrillers. It's a totally solid movie.
For me Vacancy is at the top of my list of.. I don’t know i guess ‘under the radar, underrated or not as talked about horrors’. It plays off our normal insecurity of that last stop hotel out in the middle of nowhere, and the fact that it’s two grown adults makes it even better in my opinion. I mean how many horror movies out there are about a couple in their 30’s/40’s actually trying to survive. But I also find that more intriguing that’s it’s silently been tucked away and forgotten making it a far more sought after film when it comes bubbling to the surface of your mind trying to remember it and wanting to go back and watch it and that only you yourself know about this film.
Although I feel the sequel definitely was just a cheap prequel attempt to try and explain everything and yeah it’s alright but i like the mystery of the first. So eh, I’m not not going to acknowledge its existence but I’m not going to watch it as frequently
That's an interesting point about the age difference in genre victims!
@@RyanHollinger thank you!
Does he live at the end you think. It kinda leaves it open ended I feel like
@@youngche8226 from my recollection the husband did live
“The peen inflicted on his victims” damn that made me laugh out loud
*pieyne, pls
I like how he chose to not give this one a heart 🤣
That's my new catchphrase, "Inflict the Peen!"
Does anyone use a hammer in this movie? If so, it makes more sense.
He’s no Norman Be’ets
Vacancy and The Strangers are some of the first ‘scary’ movies I remember watching growing up, and they both still hold up so well
So good...elevated by Luke and Kate’s chemistry
At first I hated their bickering but when they worked together I liked them
@@AndreNitroX I feel you, but the bickering felt so real that was part of the chemistry, made it more powerful when they started actually working together...
@@jeremysiron9622 You make a good point, usually we see a loving couple go through this situation, but to see a couple on the verge of divorce that hate each others guts, work together to survive, is surprisingly cathartic
@@AndreNitroX well said
@@jeremysiron9622 thank you, i like your comments as well
I’ve seen Vacancy quite a few times and I love it every time. Definitely an overlooked gem. Identity is another overlooked hotel horror movie.
Overlooked? K
11:40 That moment when you realize Kate Beckinsale & Scott Speedman both starred in horror-thrillers about turbulent couples facing masked madmen after doing Underworld: Evolution together. 😆🖤
Also one of the posters for the movie looks really sick, just a motel sign with the word "vacancy" lit up
I really like how you talk about these mostly forgotten films. I remember liking this movie, might rewatch it
Vacancy is such an underrated gem! I had never heard of it until a couple years ago when I found it on a 4-pack DVD in the $5 bin at Wal-mart.
Haven't even watched this and it's my favorite horror movie.
SPOILER
What kind of modern horror movie has a happy ending? It's really refreshing.
Agree, it was refreshing and really worked here. I mean, I enjoy some seriously morbid downer endings, but far too often it seems like filmmakers tack on a "bad guy wins" ending just to make people feel like shit.
@@thehitherto5348 Exactly! If anything it's more annoying than scary.
@@thehitherto5348 True, I think US is the only exception to that rule in recent years, where the ending gives a reasonably fresh take on it.
The Hole in The Ground? I don't wanna spoil too much, so just let me say that at the end everything turns out fine
Couldn't help but cheer when ol' David stirred to life. A very pleasant surprise.
I forgot how much I love the way he says however
I know this and The Strangers are not masterpieces but I really like them both especially The Strangers. I think they have a genuinely scary execution which has also aged very well.
Watched this so much back when it was on dvd
I’m a simple man, I see a Ryan Hollinger video, I click it within moments! I love this movie and I’m real happy it’s being covered!
Why does everyone online have to sound exactly the same
@@MrShanester117 theres no originality anymore. Look at Tik Tok for proof of that (its not copying, its a 'trend')
@@MrShanester117 We're creatures that thrive on having a sense of community, so little things like having a common saying are cathartic. It might be annoying if you spend a lot of time online so you're seeing it all the time, though.
Well done on being a boring trope
I remember watching this on tv as a little kid and I found the plot so unique, a motel of death, set up to create real life horror movies for money and also personal enjoyment of the killers, that made it into a business
Such an underrated movie, where the suspense is high and the characters (the two main ones at least) actually make INTELLIGENT decisions. There is a sequel as well called Vacancy 2: The First Cut.
actually not a sequel it’s more like a prequel , but yea that one was underrated as well .. i had got both in dvd
This movie is so good. I still get tense just watching the clips in this video even though it's only small sections and I know what happens.
Watched this as a kid and it's basically what got me into horror. Even though I haven't seen it in years, the plot and scenes are still pretty clear in my mind.
While not a literal hotel, Green Room is so viscerally real that I just couldn't shake the nausea I got from it, for hours.
That movies so good but the situation is unrealistic honestly, what are the odds of performing at a Nazi place in the first place
I completely forgot about this movie! I remember seeing it shortly after it came out when I was 10/11 years old. Thanks for covering this, Ryan. It brought back some old memories for me.
I remember the sequel being iffy but playing some with the "Well, it's a prequel so you know what that means" tropes.
It is somewhat surreal to hear you talk about the horror zeitgeist of the early 2000's since I lived through it and got really into horror around that time. Cinema changes all the time, it is great.
I saw a commercial for this movie on tv when I was a kid, and it gave me nightmares for literal years. Seeing the title gave me a whole body shudder dang
It's an underrated movie. Glad you covered it. Of course, in real life, no law enforcement agency in the world has ever found a snuff film made for profit (not counting sick home movies made by actual serial killers for their own sadistic satisfaction) so it's an urban myth that lives on.
What about daisy's destruction?
@@lucamp1 That story is do fucked up. Eleanor Neale has a very comprehensive video on it if you want to be real upset.
For some reason the part of this movie I've always vividly remembered is the uncertainty and fear in Kate Beckinsale's voice when she asks Luke Wilson's character why he's watching the snuff tapes. It's such a blink and you'll miss it moment, but it felt so heavy to me the first time I watched it. Just that half-second of doubt and paranoia creeping in. I never really knew if that was just me reading into it (I'm probably reading into it lol) or if it was an intentional fake out, but since all these other red herrings were called out, now I think it genuinely was done on purpose, and that's awesome!
Tl; dr, very cool movie! Super well-cast and -executed. Thanks for covering it and bringing the memories back, Ryan! 👏🏼
I think Ryan's uploads really make my Sundays better! I always love to see what you cover next! Could you possibly do a video on session 9? I think that would be interesting.
Very satisfying movie with an excellent premise. Amy and David behaved realistically in a scenario that feels unsettlingly possible. With such a mean-spirited premise, it was awesome to see a karmic ending where the heroes live, the villains die, and the police are roped in so it's not just another "and no one ever found out mwahahaha" horror cliche.
And ngl the "door banging + snuff reveal" sequence actually had me curled up in my seat! Not the scariest of moments, but definitely tense and sinister -- even more so when it's repeated with the doomed, well-meaning cop having the same realization.
I remember having this movie on dvd I didn’t know ppl knew about it lmao
The approach of seeing the reactions of the characters vs seeing the actual horror in detail is such a brilliant and classier move than just "show show show gore gore gore" which leads to so much unnecessary scenes and has desensitized some people to horror itself. I really like the approach the directors took with how this film was shot. Especially since we could all end up having to crash at a random shady motel for a night. I've done it before. Stuck in Delaware once and it wasn't pleasant. I barely slept and left immediately at the crack of dawn.
I remember watching this when it first came out, I loved it and always wished more horror would go this route than what was happening at the time.
This is why I love this channel, always highlights films that are under appreciated!
When Ryan uploads, I click
Senpai noticed me 🥺🥺🥺
showing the snuff film via the characters expression is also used in true detective when Marty watches the Tuttle tape
I don’t think I’ve ever been this early to a video I’m excited
I re-watched this movie before watching your review, and boy was it great. It was an experience that didn't feel too unrealistic and the characters made believable actions and choices, they thought through their options and fought back and they had great scenes, without too much gore or blood the movie was thrilling and exciting. Great movie and underrated for sure! Great review video also.
I saw this when I was a kid and was appalled at the depths of human depravity.
Something about horror/thrillers based on sketchy motels always gets me. Another good one is Identity
Hit me with that “HOYEVER” Ryan
The scene of the couple discovering the snuff tapes is so effectively scary and unnerving.
I was interested in it when it came out but did not see it. Then, during quarantine in 2020, I watched it, I think on Tubi, and loved it.
This is one if my favorite thriller movies, tense and engrossing. Thank you for highlighting it.
What makes it real scary is you just know things like this really happen.
I saw this in theaters and couldn't tell you a thing about it.
This isn't intended to sound glib. I remember liking it but only saw it the one time and never got it on video. This was a great reminder of why I DID like it. Thanks!
Never heard of this one before. I enjoy a solid thriller/horror every once in a while.
I appreciate that you cover movies that I watch yet not many others have seen. It's like chatting with a friend :)
This is one of my guilty pleasures ! Was always on the Syfy Chanel growing up
Back in my college days, this and The Strangers were two of my go to films to throw on for any given night that I wanted to watch something without having to invest a lot of attention. Truly underrated but also simple enough of a premise and presentation for those background viewing kind of days when a hangover makes something else too challenging to bother watching.
I own the dvd to this movie and have never seen it because it’s scratched to all hell and I’ve always just wanted to see the movie
You coulda spent the lockdowns buffing and polishing the dvd with peanut butter and white toothpaste.
skylx08 Well if they didn't know then....!
@@skylx0812 at that point I would’ve rather risked it and pirated it; I legit forgot it exist for like 3 years until this video.
A great writing prof. I had put it to our class best: "Write to ignite your audience's imagination. What they come up with will land so much harder than anything specific you try to show them."
Me: Wanting to support Ryan.
Also me: Has Vessi and ExpressVPN...
Yesss I loved Vacancy! Glad to see you covering all these underrated films.
*Reads the title* my dude you don't even know how many times I've watched this movie 😂 back in the days when I didn't have wifi or Netflix or any streaming capabilities I watched this on DVD over and over 😂
Dvds are sometimes the best option
Excellent as always. Particularly liked the reference to a couple already pushed to breaking point .👍
Imagine being that one couple or family who just goes full Rorschach and says, "We're not trapped here with you: you're trapped here with us!"
Sounds like the kind of parody the Black Rifle Coffee Co. guys would love to make.
That already exists, it’s called The Strangers 2: Prey at night
Ryan is genuinely one of my favorite RUclipsrs. Every video he makes is excellent.
*CIRCLE* (2015) would make a great video analysis
Circle is one of my favorite movies EVER
Great movie!
I’ll admit after seeing this movie, I avoid shady motels and everytime I do. I check for cameras and secret entrances.
shame that Kate never became a proper horror icon.
I guess you never heard of Underworld
@@homelesshannah50 That is not so much horror for me as fantasy.
This film was definitely allot scarier than expected. Also every actor, was casted in a role that wasn't typical of what they were known for. Ethan Embry definitely being one of them!
I thought I’d seen this but I just realized it was actually a similar Criminal Minds episode. I’ll have to actually give it a watch.
I rewatched this one tonight and it seriously holds up way better than many of the films from that trend
This movie goes hand in hand with The Strangers, glad you covered it
I remember waiting for this to be available on DVD, and watching it many times over the next few years. Quite satisfying.
YES! I saw this movie on a whim way back in 2009 and loved it. This is probably the only time I've ever heard anyone talk about it.
Thank you Ryan for covering this movie. I am glad that you covered some of the flaws in the movie but defended them at the same time. I can't recall if you covered this one, but Motel Hell is a little gem of a flick. Good ol early 80s corny, but cool stuff with lots of humor.
The Strangers and Vacancy are my all time favorite horror movies. Thank you for making this video! I love a good home/motel invasion movie
Always happy to see a horror movie that doesn't plummet into the super grim ending, people in these situations usually go through enough anyway.
I get the tragic endings are tempting to leave an impact but there is such a thing as too much misery.
I remember seeing the trailers on TV when I was a kid. It freaked me out. And I remember seeing the movie and actually being scared and felt bad for the characters
Just watched it again tonight after 10+ years.
Still an amazing movie. Just wished they showed the couple living a happy life at the end.
A top-notch thriller with more tension than gore, and excellent performances that had me biting my nails right up to the end. An 8 out of 10.
I think there's a polar opposite version of this film in the episode of Inside No. 9 "The Devil Of Christmas" where nothing is shown until the end, pulling the rug completely as opposed to this where you are shown a lot and you expect it to go down one way. I'd actually love for you to cover that!
Hands down, my favourite thriller ever! Discovered it in that time after high school with nothing to do and wld rewatch every night, best if times!!
Just saw this yesterday on a whim after seeing this post, really enjoyed it! It’s pretty standard but still works.
I watched this movie as a 13 year old on vacation in Alabama with my grandparents, which happened to be in a hotel. (I think it was technically a condo, but still. It was small and had some vibes to it.) I've been obsessed with this movie ever since. Horror nostalgia for me.
I put off watching this for over a decade because I figured it would be too torture-oriented for my tastes. But as you said so well, the level of violence in this movie is very restrained, and it's a pure suspense flick. I enjoyed the heck out of it, my expectations were blown out of the water. I think seeing that you had talked about it last year was floating around in my head as a reason to give it a chance. Great video as always.
When I saw the ending for the first time I was actually so relieved that they both survived! Because I honestly thought they would use his death as a way to make it still tragic, like you explained. Glad they surprised me:D
I didn’t think I could like your channel anymore, and then you make a Saul Bass reference. You’re awesome!
I remember watching this movie as a kid and never knowing the name until recently, thank you for doing a video on it!!
This looks ace! Shout out for making me appreciate the ambiguity of storytelling!
Haven’t seen this movie in years but I remember the first time watching it. Really tense and kept me on the edge of my seat it’s well done
Sidetrack from the film but the bit about the reactions to violence causing more reaction in the audience reminded me of a film I can’t remember the name of. There’s one girl throughout most the run who doesn’t show much emotion, the only glimpses of a smile being when watching bits of a horror film with the rest of the mains (who are all wincing or hiding) at the start and at roadkill I think, but even then they’re faint and only last for a few seconds before she’s bored again. Plot happens, i think one of them is killed and it’s recorded and they’re made to watch it.
You can see her eyes light up, proper childlike joy; kid given 2 puppies for their birthday ecstatic as it keeps going on. She’s the only reaction after the first ~3 seconds because the others can’t watch more.
I have never seen this one, but I did see Vacancy 2 because of multiple people raving to me that the characters were actually smart. I would love to hear you talk about that one.
This is one of the first horror movies I've seen as a kid. Safe to say until today I have a bad feeling against motels.