The Resident (aka The Sublet)   Starring: Tianna Nori, Mark Matechuck, Krista Madison and Rachel Sellan Distributor: Second Sight RRP: £15.99 2NDVD3319 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 22 May 2017

A young couple and their baby move into an apartment complex. With her partner working much of the time, Joanna is left alone with the baby. Her own depression and paranoia are exacerbated by a series of strange occurrences. Heavy knocking sounds from the walls at various times of the day; federal agents force their way in to interrogate her about her supposed disappearance, only to mysteriously vanish themselves; Joanna becomes convinced that her partner is having an affair with a work colleague who is also his ex; the baby will only sleep in a locked room which contains a cot; and a strange woman watches the apartment. Nothing seems to make sense until she finds an old diary. But will it help her prevent history repeating itself...?

Not to be confused with the Hammer Films release from 2011, starring the immortal Christopher Lee, this film with the same title also goes by the name The Sublet. They have no connection aside from both being horror movies. Now that I’ve got that straight, let’s cut straight to the heart of the matter. Although this is constructed competently enough in terms of acting, production and direction – with reference to origin of plot it’s nothing we haven’t seen before…and more than once, come to that. The idea of a woman virtually trapped with a small baby in an apartment or remote house while her partner is away working much of the time is rooted in psychological horror. So it has pretty much made the leap from suspense thriller to supernatural horror. Then the question becomes: Is everything seen and heard in the protagonist’s head? Or is it real in the context of the story, in which case why is nobody else noticing?

If you’re a casual viewer and not a horror aficionado, then you might very well enjoy this outing. Everything’s in place, including the right balance of anxiety and terror. However, again you have to wonder why it takes Joanna practically the length of the entire movie before thinking to go to the apartment next door to see who’s there. Additionally, I realise some people would have nowhere else to go, but I’m pretty certain in their place, if my life or the lives of my family were threatened that severely by malevolent supernatural elements, I would choose anywhere else rather than remain in the heart of it.

5

Ty Power