‘It’s waiting for you…’
The Sublet – aka The Resident – is a 2015 Canadian horror film directed by John Ainslie (writer of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer) from a screenplay co-written with Alyson Richards. The movie stars Tianna Nori, Mark Matechuk and Krista Madison.
Plot:
Joanna is a new mother attempting to cope with her baby alone in an odd sublet apartment. While her husband continually neglects her and the baby to focus on his career, Joanna begins to questions her sanity. Moreover, she also discovers the apartment has a violent history and suspects that the building may be haunted…
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Reviews:
“The Sublet succeeds in creating a creepy, psychological suspense film. It doesn’t just toy with your feelings but dives right into them as you question what is and isn’t real alongside Joanne. Tianna Nori’s excellent performance helps makes Joanne’s journey into isolation feel earned by the film’s conclusion.” Flickering Myth
“While you can describe this movie as a psychological thriller, make no mistake that the anxiety, pressure, and dread that build up are indeed horrifying to watch, culminating in a bloody ending that is both sad and chilling to watch.” Geek Chic Elite
“After a 70-minute simmer, Ainslie brings the whole thing to a boiling point, rendering a relentlessly feral finale and, despite the sudden volte-face in favour of some serious bloodletting, it makes for an impetuous and fitting conclusion. Nonetheless, the film’s most potent facet is its cutting depiction of the baby blues and the underlying postulation that everything could, in fact, be a terrifying manifestation of Joanna’s postpartum psychosis.” Scream magazine
“Tianna Nori gives a great performance and deserves the acclaim she’s gotten for this role, she carries and makes the film credible. A slow burn up until the climax, there’s little to distract from her performance, and thankfully she nails it. One of the better recent haunted house films…” Beneath the Underground
” …business as usual in every respect with only the conviction of Nori holding viewer attention as the film fails to fully explore the potential of its scenario in favor of blue-tinted nightmares, darting shadows, and jump scares.” DVD Beaver
“It’s pretty obvious where this is going, but it doesn’t draw things out too much and the finale is effectively gruesome – then haunting, with the usual next-tenants-arrive ending (and a nod to Burnt Offerings) […] has a nice central location and sterling work from Nori as the cracking-up protagonist … the scenes of domestic irritation are perfectly staged and played, setting up abrupt slips into ghostliness or psycho violence.” The Kim Newman Web Site
Release:
The film was released on DVD in the UK on May 22, 2017 by Second Sight.
Film Facts:
This film should not be confused with the 2011 film directed by Antti Jokinen, also titled The Resident.
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