Occupant 2011 “If you need anything just ask Joe.”
Hello ya creepy little bastards. I return with a review for 2011′s Occupant directed by Henry Miller (Anamorph, Late Watch) and written by Jonathan Brett (Turbulence, Tales of Erotica).
The whole sorted story starts with Grandma having an orgasm. I think. Then we see a stalker girl who is doing a web blog approach our hero Danny Hill on his way to identify Grandma’s corpse (poor girl’s heart couldn’t take it).
Danny shows up at Grandma’s apartment building, and he meets the reason to watch this movie, Joe the creepy Russian accented door man. Joe clues Danny in that Grandma’s apartment is 3500 square feet of rent controlled heaven and if he stays in the apartment for 12 days Danny would be able to get a new lease at the rent controlled rate. If Danny needs anything just ask Joe.
BOOM. DAY ONE. In big white letters. Yes you get this every time it is a new day.
Anyway you get to watch Danny go a little mad while he sees things and hears things in the apartment…. or does he?
The problem with this movie is it is intended to be a slow burn. To be a slow burn it needs to build tension, and have a growing feeling of dread. It doesn’t have either of these components so it just plods along, and you watch, not really caring about what is happening. The movie was just too damned slow and there was NO pay off. I would’ve even welcomed a jump scare or two to wake me up a little.
All in all a couple of clever camera tricks, too many filters, and a completely predicable and too tidy story line.
PASS.
