Why Brett From Pulp Fiction Looks So Familiar

Have you ever stayed at a seedy motel? After your car broke down? With a person you're falling out of love with? Under all of those circumstances, couple David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) hole up at a motel run by an unassuming-looking man named Mason (Whaley) in 2007's Vacancy. It may sound like the basic premise to a rom-com, but the film is about as far from a rom-com as it gets.

It doesn't take long for David and Amy to become uncomfortable at the motel, what with the unexplained screams and cacophonous banging. Until their car is fixed at the repair garage across the street, however, they're not going anywhere: the motel is in the middle of nowhere, and no cell reception means nobody can pick them up. Mason attempts to assuage the couple, but his words do little to reassure them. And soon enough — without spoiling anything — he does the exact opposite of attempting to assuage them. Let's just say he's got a dirty little secret that puts David and Amy in the gravest of danger, and leave it at that.

When looking at most of the roles in Whaley's filmography, his portrayal of Mason makes him seem like a completely different person. That's what it takes to be a good actor, though: the ability to bring out the best and worst aspects of humanity. If he ever quits acting and starts up a motel, though, stay well away – just in case.