13 Cameras (2015) User Reviews

Average but some nice touches.

[MattyGibbs · 6/10 · 20 February 2017]

A young couple move into their new home but their new neighbour takes prying to a whole new level.

This film isn't going to win any awards for originality but it isn't a bad film for its genre. Neville Archambault is perfectly cast as the ultra creepy landlord. In his case you really can judge a book by it's cover.

Although the pacing is maybe a little slow and repetitive it does at least build up the tension with a couple of really well done and creepy scenes.

The film never really goes anywhere but the ending at least tries something different.

This is just an OK film nothing special but not terrible either and being pretty short maybe worth watching once if you're at a loose end.

Good use of duct tape.

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 20 December 2017]

Ryan (PJ McCabe) has it all: An expecting wife (Brianne Moncrief) a new residence, a beautiful mistress (Sarah Baldwin) and a voyeur landlord (Neville Archambault) into fiber optics and smells likes septic. Neville Archambault managed to come across as a creepy voyeur in a league of his own. He watches over his tenants as we await the "twists" which are not really remarkable.

For me the voyeur feel seems to be missing without a hole in the wall. With that perv aspect lacking, the horror/thriller aspect didn't pick up the slack. I didn't know why he didn't install all the cameras correctly in the first place or how he installed one in the pool liner. That locked door thing didn't make any sense either. Good use of duct tape.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Sarah Baldwin)

"Creepy people in creepy situation" is disturbing at best.

[quincytheodore · 5/10 · 17 May 2016]

In order to immersive audience in stalker / home invasion horror, the movie needs to have a sympathetic protagonist, invitingly bad antagonist and a condition to set up the ordeal. "Slumlord" only presents half of that as none of the characters are appealing. The wife is constantly complaining and babbling, the husband is a pathological liar and the villain doesn't have much personality aside from a few sentences and a lot of grumblings.

Story revolves around the couple and their Quasimodo-like stalker. This antagonist is lacking on backstory or motivation, it's actually amazing that he becomes a handyman with his verbal barrier. The movie portrays him as personification of a freak, and this can get a bit frustrating as it spends hefty amount on his close up, grunting and mumbling. The supposedly protagonist couple is also appalling, bickering for nearly the entire movie.

It's understandable that the movie wants to have problematic couple for more identifiable character, but they come off as whiny and deceptive. The least unsavory character is the supporting role and he's only there for a few scenes. There's also a mix of found footage in the stalker gig, but it doesn't provide much aside from a couple of decent angles and this also plays out one or two times too many.

There's not much horror to be found here, any sense of dread is merely disturbing instances, which is not entirely bad. it knows how to play on this premise. There's a particular eerie ambiance that a person can just enter one's home. However, it might repeat itself too much and the use of blaring sound effect feels forced.

The thriller moves with a dreadful setting, it may not be terrorizing, yet it's eerily repulsive enough for a few moments.

Slightly better than a kick in the balls

[hellhound8 · 1/10 · 23 August 2016]

To say this movie is garbage would be an insult to garbage. I've watched pieces of rotting banana peels that have a more thought out plot and better written script. Every character in the movie has the IQ of a lobotomized turnip. The director was likely Kim Jong Un using an alias, who realized that unleashing this piece of crap on the world would cause more long term devastation than simply nuking us.

If you're considering watching this, I recommend getting a large tub of ice cream, swallowing it as fast as possible, and enjoying the brain freeze instead. Your head will be better off.

... Apparently I still need a few lines of text in order to submit this review, so I'm going to make a list of things that are better than watching this movie: - Small paper cuts - Having a little bit of nail hanging out that keeps getting caught on things - Being asked "Why are you so quiet?!?" - People walking in front of you then stopping spontaneously to check their phones - Writing reviews about how awful this movie was

Lights, Camera, Creepy!

[mr-thousand · 7/10 · 27 September 2016]

The creepy landlord, pictured on the cover art for "13 Cameras," (aka "Slumlord" awful alt. title) has to be among the creepiest, realistic horror characters I've seen in a long time. The performance is minimal, yet highly effective. I don't want to play this up too much, but he creeped me out like Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs." At times, he also reminded me of Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb in SOTL. Plus, his head looks like it's full of puss and ready to explode. He's disgusting. And, he's not the only despicable character in this movie. Within minutes, I was hopping that the husband's head would explode before the movie's end.

Newlyweds, expecting their first child, move into a new home, in which the creepy landlord has just installed 13 surveillance cameras, which he uses as his private Porn Hub and more. Also, a-hole husband is having an affair, which is rapidly becoming another ticking time bomb. How are these combustibles going to destroy these lives? Watch and see.

All of the performances are very good and quite effective. So is the direction, and the over all production. So, why the one star reviews? I don't have a clue. Maybe they were expecting a primal gorgy. It is definitely not that. It is violent, but not very bloody. Or maybe they were expecting something as sophisticated as "Silence of the Lambs." Who knows. But this is not a 1 star movie.

The build up is slow yet deliberate, so this isn't a movie for any one expecting a violent action fest. The couple's drama and the violence are nicely integrated. The general direction that the story takes is fairly predictable, however it remains compelling throughout. Some may guess the end, thought I'm certain that most will not. I want to give a hint, but I will restrain myself. Watch it for yourself. If you enjoy good quality, low budget drama/thriller/horror, I think this will satisfy.

I'm giving it 7 stars out of 10, although if I was rating it based on the low budget thriller/horror sub genre, I'd probably give it 10 stars for surprising me so much.

As dreadful and as dumb as could be.

[hitchcockthelegend · 3/10 · 20 February 2017]

I'm not normally one for calling a movie dumb, but where this picture is concerned it's a word that practically leaps out at you in every frame of this poorly constructed piece.

A young couple awaiting their first child rent a house from Gerald (Neville Archambault), a grotty foul smelling man who has secretly installed cameras so as to spy on his new tenants...

OK! Ignoring that upon first meeting Gerald a sane couple would run a mile - because with that there's obviously no film - but what we are asked to digest from that point on beggar's belief. How are we meant to react to a couple (and a film maker) who find a locked secret stairway only for them to not give it a second thought for the rest of the film?! It's actually insulting. The dumb set-ups and that of the character's behaviour continues unbound right up to the ridiculously staged finale. As for the acting on show...

It's a big chance missed for something genuinely unnerving, maybe even for a bit of cerebral social commentary. Avoid this if you are looking for either of those things. 3/10 for a toothbrush scene that will either make you squirm or laugh in equal measure.

Interesting, not the best

[ndbm10 · 7/10 · 25 March 2020]

It's not one of the best horror or suspense films, but for me it kept me interested to see what would happen at the end. If you're expecting a happy ending, don't hold your breath. But it makes you think if this is happening to you in your house/apartment/etc. I liked it for the weird/fear factor. Not everyone's cup of tea. Worth a view in my opinion.

Light On Horror/Heavy On Soap Opera

[Zebb67 · 1/10 · 21 April 2016]

Wow! "Psycho" meets "The Guiding Light." Only this garbage is even less entertaining than that sounds. Hubby cheats on pregnant wifey, they argue a lot, other woman does the "Fatal Attraction" bit. Meanwhile, a repulsive psycho straight out of repulsive psycho central casting watches said couple(s) argue, shower and have sex(TV-14 level with some super-brief nudity) via elaborate, camera setup and there's this secret room and...oh, you can figure it out. I can't believe I just dropped over $9 (including tax) on this amateur hour waste of time/money (Amazon, for goodness sake!). Once again, I should have gone by the IMDb rating and saved my money and brain cells. Indie films are always hit or miss--this was a definite miss. Throw in high school drama club-level acting, terrible writing and editing that appears to have been done with a chainsaw...well, you have been warned. The super-icky poster art pretty much sums up the movie (a sweaty ogre munching on duct tape--for real?). If the premise interests you, watch the vastly-superior "Alone With Her" or "The Den." From now on, if I choose to watch bad, indie horror films, I'll stick with Netflix Streaming.

Not the best, but certainly not the worst

[pault-40524 · 6/10 · 20 October 2018]

Do you know what? I actually enjoyed this film. It's taken a brutal beating on here, and I get why. I never read reviews of films before I watch them, I think knowing roughly what you're about to see, takes something away from the experience. So I'm glad I didn't read the reviews for 13 Cameras. Chances are, I would have not bothered. As it happens, I watched it with an open mind without prior knowledge (I'd actually never heard of it) and quite enjoyed it. To do this, I think you have to imagine this situation is happening to you. Imagine that you might be being watched 24/7 by a vile, repulsive, depraved old pervert who knows your every move and let's himself into your home while you're out to adjust the cameras for a better view of you in the shower, creates a soundproof cell in the basement you don't know about, sniffs your underwear and sucks your toothbrush for good measure.

The landlord is the star of the show and will make your skin crawl. The other characters - the sly cheating husband, the charming unassuming pregnant wife and the obsessive mistress - are all quite flat in persona and like all good horror film victims, make terrible decisions when in danger. We have to guess the purpose of the basement cell, but bunny boiler mistress finds herself locked in there after turning up to confront lover boy who, aware of bunny boilers intentions, has taken wifey out for the evening. Landlord tends to his chained victim for a couple of days while his tenants are out, feeding her bacon donuts (his own staple meal) and emptying her toilet (a plastic bucket) down the kitchen sink. From therein it's murder, suspense and kidnap. Not necessarily in that order.

Landlord wins the showdown and seemingly keeps pregnant wife alive, at least long enough for her to give birth, as the film closes out with dirty landlord and baby driving off into the sunset, presumably as father and son, to fit some more cameras to a property.

All in all I enjoyed this. I've seen much much worse.

Quite Bad

[gnocchi-30711 · 4/10 · 24 May 2016]

This horror movie is quite bad. I gave it a 4 because I was quite disappointed after it finished but this would be somewhere between 4 and 5 for me. The good things: In my opinion the acting is not too bad, nothing excellent, but I think is watchable. More or less 40 minutes into the movie I started being a bit more involved in the plot and was actually slightly curious to watch and see how the story unfolded (and then i got disappointed); i think the actor playing the villain was OK and creepy enough. The bad things: The plot is so simple, characters not developed. I was not interested at all in the first good 30/40 minutes of the movie. The same old **** all over again, I was just waiting for the bad guy to strike. When he does the movie starts being more entertaining and watchable, but as events unfold and the movie ends, my reaction was: WTF did i just watch? The movie does not make any sense, it just glue together pieces and vibes from other horrors, then when it ends you are just like what. It seems like it was made on the spot.

SPOILER The scene where the guy gets killed is so dumb. The guy could have stayed in the room with the 2 girls and the baseball bat and wait for the slow ass old guy to get in...yes, a very slow old man..and no, the guy leaves the girls alone and goes around the house with no lights...OK.....i mean i know it s a movie but there are limits....

Stuck with me the entire day

[ParallelFalchion · 8/10 · 24 November 2018]

I spend my time watching bad horror movies for a good laugh. Me and my friends (improper grammar, sorry) go to netflix and look for the worst possible story, visuals, and overall effect. But, one day, while browsing, this caught my eye. From the trailer, it genuinely looked suspenseful and interesting. So we thought, why not watch something that looks good? And we were satisfied. The acting was a little bit stale at some parts, but the amount of story was balanced perfectly. Between the couple, and the Slumlord, both received equal screen time. So much so, that I felt wanted to see the other when another was getting their time in. Overall, I recommend it!

Nerve-Racking

[mpaulso · 2 August 2017]

60/100

This movie has a lot of common Horror tropes and has some foreshadowing that makes a movie a bit predictable, but other than that I don't really have any complaints. The movie was a fun, unnerving, creepy ride. From the lead character and his brazen infidelity & wondering when it was going to catch up to him, to the basement being sound proofed just waiting for the right time to attack it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Scodes, Toads & freeloads in hackneyed schlock

[dale-51649 · 7/10 · 2 December 2018]

This is rich: A not too goofy looking yuppie guy with a cute wife scores with a skank from the office (who is not his wife) and they carry on, WHILE said dudes wife is preggers. His wife is cute, but not very bright, also she is super annoying and sends him on wild goose chases driving hours to buy a chair she ends up not liking . Her idea of an honest days work is yoga AND lunch with her friends,she complains all the time, and by the time we get to know her we start hoping she will be victimized. Meanwhile the bubble headed mistress starts stalking the wife trying to go from girlfriend to home wrecker, so by the time the characters are fleshed out the only one we have sympathy for is the landlord. He is a senior citizen, an affable bafoon, who is doing them a big favor. by renting a house to them they don't appreciate but would sell for like a million five in west LA. They try to portray him as a "creep" (the new N word for any guy over 40) Think about it , this dude rents a high end house at a discount to this basically white trashy cup u know make like 32 k WITH student loans. He is there the next DAY when something breaks, feeds their dog and watches over them at no extra charge. The wifey repays him by cringing when he touches her and won't lend him so much as a toothbrush. She thinks hes ICKY even though without him she would be on the street, dye job and all. The couple lives in the house bickering constantly , especially when dudes so called friend beta buddy rats him out to his own wife . He is like the wingman from hell. They also obsess over the land lords perceived hygiene, or lack thereof, even making fun of an unfortunate skin condition he is struggling with. He is the strong, silent type and doesn't stick up for himself very well. I was gonna give it just like two stars, then saw it through and changed my mind. Kudos to the writers, they don't chicken out, they should write more like this, ones without the Hollywood ending.. I wont be a spoiler but ending has a better twist than the Mexican bar in "dusk till dawn" hee hee.... and it's worth the wait. KUDOS KUDOS.... gold star for bravery in the face of the PC police.

Not as bad as some reviews say, but not anything special either

[TalkiesAndJabberwocky · 5/10 · 19 October 2018]

This is not as bad as some of the reviews on this page are saying.. It held my attention the whole time in hopes of something more. The landlord character is played well in the fact that he gives off the ultimate creeps; the logic of the story and acting of the protagonists feels hard to believe because of just how creepy he is.

Spoilers -- I was really hoping for a twist, that the Husband character would be the one to cause physical harm/be disturbed and the voyeur landlord would save the day (blurring the lines of morality and who the actual "monster is") but it turned out to be as straight forward, and cheap as one might expect. Gross guy is bad guy, worse than bad husband who acts gross.

I don't see where a sequel can take off from this besides rehashing the same old storyline.. I am intrigued, but not sure if I want to commit the time.. I guess my interest is a sign that this isn't the WORST film, but don't expect much scares or entertainment.

Worst movie ever

[kurtisrupe · 1/10 · 12 October 2018]

Literally the worst movie ever. The director should never be allowed to make another movie.

Worth it just for Archambault's role

[thelastblogontheleft · 6/10 · 21 November 2017]

13 Cameras (originally titled Slumlord, which I like waaaay better) is director Victor Zarcoff's directorial debut (anyone noticing a theme in my movie choices lately?), and it's an impressive one. It may not be the most original as far as subject matter goes, but I thought it was well-paced and held up a creepy atmosphere throughout.

Ryan (PJ McCabe) and Claire (Brianne Moncrief) are a newlywed couple who move into a new house across the country. Tensions are high as they are settling in to a new home while expecting their first baby, but things take a much worse turn as Claire's suspicions about their creepy landlord turn out to be more true than anyone could imagine…

** SPOILERS! **

Above all else, it needs to be stated how perfect Neville Archambault was for the role of the scumbag landlord, Gerald. He easily stole the show with his ability to make your skin absolutely crawl even with the slightest look or exhale of breath. The scene where he comes to fix the toilet (which was just because he needed to readjust the hidden camera, NO BIG DEAL) and has the most awkward, uncomfortable moment with Claire as he forcefully places his hand on her pregnant belly… yikes. Even just seeing his grimy, oily face — almost shimmering in the blue light of the TV screens as he watches their every move (and sometimes re-watches them on a loop) — was disturbing. If anything, I almost thought he overdid it at times — like, guy, every single person who comes into contact with you know you're deranged, dial it back a bit — but it worked for the most part.

On the flip side… I felt like everyone else's acting was subpar. Not bad, by any stretch, but just… mediocre. Unconvincing.

We know that Gerald is spying on them from the very opening scene, but the little clues here and there that they notice — Claire scrunching her nose as she sniffs her toothbrush (that he had earlier put in his mouth), looking perplexed as she wonders where a piece of her hanging laundry disappeared to, wondering why the dog keeps getting sick if no one is feeding him table food — are perfect.

In tandem with Gerald becoming more and more ballsy, we have the drama of Claire and Ryan's marriage (or lack thereof) unfolding. There's this sense of everything rising up to a fever pitch and with every phone call, every return home, every time Gerald's van pulls into the driveway, you feel like SOMETHING is bound to implode (like when Ryan rushes Claire to dinner before Hannah can arrive, or when Gerald sneaks in while Claire is in the shower). But I actually appreciated, in an odd way, that I never felt a desire for them to patch up their marriage and live happily ever after. I worried that it would be the direction the movie would go in — that the experience would make them realize how important they were to each other and there would be this tearful exchange of promises to make it work — but I was pleased that it didn't go that route at all, since they were so obviously mismatched (and Ryan was suuuuuuch a dick).

But back to Gerald. There was just something about how calculated, how methodical, how obviously experienced he was that was just downright scary. He wasn't just a passive viewer… he improvised and updated as he went along: adding a pool camera when he heard Ryan making swimming plans with his girlfriend, adjusting the shower cameras for a better view, soundproofing the basement in preparation for a prisoner. The very idea that he was so intertwined in their lives without them having any idea was so unsettling — like when Claire sees their dog, Baron, warm right up to him and says, surprised, "he doesn't like anyone!"… but we know it's because he's been feeding him bacon cheeseburgers during his regular visits. UGH.

I thought the music overall was atmospheric without being overpowering, though I didn't notice it a whole lot (which, honestly, is a good thing). But the use of sound in general — particularly when he opens the newly soundproofed basement door and we realize just how effective it is by the sudden burst of Hannah screaming and then immediately silenced upon its closing — was pretty great.

The ending I am not 100% sold on (I'm like 90%, relax), but ultimately I liked it as a darkly comedic twist that also managed to show just how prolific his victims are.

Overall, a super solid introduction to Zarcoff's work — I'm on board for more!

Where to begin...

[aprilsfriendorin · 5/10 · 16 October 2018]

I don't know where to start with this movie. It's a low budget horror movie, so don't expect high quality camera work. That being said, the plot actually isn't half bad. The movie kept me engaged the whole time, which usually doesn't happen when I watch low budget horror movies on Netflix. The Gerald character is really disgusting- there are moments where I wanted to gag just looking at him. But overall, there are definitely worse movies out there.

Good time waster

[jessemanson-84291 · 6/10 · 4 June 2019]

The plot has it's moments, but it couldn't grasp me. Along with that I never really understood the ending, but that could just be me. I would however recommend watching it if you really like horror movies.

I'm an idiot for buying this

[paulmcuomo · 1/10 · 10 November 2016]

OK, so this movie - which is more appropriately named 'The Landlord' in the UK, since the theme of surveillance doesn't actually feature that much in the movie - was on DVD, and the concept sounded creepy and interesting, so I thought "hey, why not?". About as good an idea as this couple moving into this house.

I will give one positive, but a small one: it's well framed and the film looks well made. But the good ideas will be poorly executed, the acting will be terrible aside from the pregnant wife Claire who was likable and charming in her performance, and things will happen for completely unclear reasons. The biggest drawback for the film is that Gerald (the landlord) is not IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM remotely passable as a regular guy. I mean, seriously, at one point he rubs his hands all over Claire's stomach without her permission, and he's buying stuff that only Dexter would buy from a hardware store and no-one questions it, and at the end with the police, when they acknowledge that the crimes committed could only be made by someone with access to the house don't question or quiz THE F***ING LANDLORD!

Speaking of these crimes, here's the crimes that the Landlord commits:

1. Obviously he installs cameras in this house. He's shown doing this during the film; would've been more unsettling if they were already set-up, personally.

2. He builds this sound-proof room in the basement that he has locked with his own keys. How no-one finds this, I don't idea.

3. He traps the husband's mistress in the basement. Again, risky as hell, and makes no sense because she could escape AND DOES.

4. When she does escape, he goes to the property to sort stuff out and killsthe husband, the mistress, and knocks the pregnant woman unconscious. This by the way is despite him being hobbling for most of the movie and managing IN America to find the only couple who don't own guns to rent his place to.

5. He conceals the bodies in the basement and lies to the police about their whereabouts, which I don't know how considering this couple was working, had close friends and one had an affair that others knew about with one of his staff.

6. He abducts Claire and keeps her hostage in his flat, and kidnaps the baby to raise as his own. Again, no idea how he gets away with that.

He has no personality beyond creepy, and the motive keeps switching. Does he admire their life? Does he want their life? Does he have an issue with kids being raised in an unstable environment? He is lonely? Did he lose a kid? No, he's "just weird", which for me is not good enough. Everyone is "just weird", but not everyone is this messed up! Give reasons dammit! I know the unknown is the scariest thing of all, but that doesn't mean a motive can't be scary - in fact, sometimes it's he scariest part! Damn this movie! (Yes, I really didn't like this) Furthermore, the film is so slow you won't believe: in a 90 minute movie, the scary stuff only kicks in at the hour mark, and they are very few. To call this 'horror' is only because of the ending - the idea of which is legitimately horrifying, but the whole film and how all the elements fit makes it toothless and boring. The concept is cool and can be made scary, but some of the good ideas were wrongly done. Don't see this; there's much better horror films in cinemas OR on VOD. See one of those. Don't see this; I plead you.

Makes you think twice about renting!

[Topaz1922 · 6/10 · 1 November 2018]

Although not filled with blood, gore and scares, it was creepy! The guy who plays the landlord looks absolutely disgusting and makes the movie! The movie may not win any iscats but it will surely make you think twice and look extra close when viewing and renting or buying or home. That's for damn sure.

Oh (Land)Lord

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 17 August 2016]

You know if you like Home Invasion movies, you may take a liking to this one. I guess some things are too close to home for some though. But puns aside, this has other issues and most of them do not require a plumber. Actually a plumber or a professional would be the better option rather than the cheap solution.

Then again you have to create drama and you have to have creepy people doing weird things to other people to create tension. The main bad guy here is just too obvious and the movie itself too predictable. Nothing that really stands out or really could convince anyone who is into horror to think this is better than it is. If you haven't seen many of these you may be able to oversee the flaws, but if you have better stay away from that place ...

Makes no apologies

[jtindahouse · 9/10 · 28 August 2016]

The villain in '13 Cameras' reminded me a lot of the villain in 'The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)', not just in terms of looks but personality as well. I liked him as an antagonist and I liked this guy too. The thing I liked the most about them ironically, is that there is zero to like about them. You know the second you are introduced to them that they are a bad person who is not to be rooted for. Charming villains have certain things going for them ('James Bond' wouldn't exist without them) but there is something about pure, unforgiving evil that is just so satisfying to watch.

'13 Cameras' is a fun movie. It takes itself very seriously, and this is a good thing. I was shocked to see on IMDb that writer/director Victor Zarcoff was on debut here. While the film was far from technically perfect, it was pretty bloody good. The acting was also impressive throughout from the entire cast. The script manages to keep things fresh and exciting for the duration of the run time. Thing's certainly never got stale and you felt a need to know how this was all going to end. All in all this was a very pleasant surprise on a lazy Sunday night.

Know what your getting into

[Rickyvuylsteke · 14 December 2017]

In my opinion I found the move to be quite bearable. This quality of the movie wasn't bad and I found the acting at times to be embarrassing or choppy but nothing too bad to handle.

This is the kind of movie where if you know what your getting into it's not bad at all. I would compare it to an Adam Sandler movie. If you walk into a Adam Sandler movie expecting it to be intellectual and thought provoking, then your watching the wrong movie. I came into this movie with low expectations and I found it to be a decent thriller that had you at some parts on the edge of your seat.

I found the character of the old man to be funny with his murderous and dead faced looks to be amusing and unique. This movie is very similar to " The Good Neighbor " if you have ever seen that movie. The premise of these two movies are almost identical.

The cons of the movie is the acting and the plot line are much to be desired and the ending is god awful but if you want a way to pass an hour and a half and you enjoy corny thrillers, than this is the movie for you.

Not as Bad as a lot of these reviews claim

[ddcharbon · 6/10 · 16 August 2016]

Apparently, this movie goes by different names. In US release, it is called "Thirteen Cameras," but I'm guessing from some of the other reviews that in international markets (Australia? UK?), it's called "Slumlord." The truth is that the second title fits better. There's some stats at the beginning about thousands of people in the US being watched in their homes every year without their knowledge, but this film isn't really about our voyeuristic society; to claim that it is would be like saying _Silence of the Lambs_ is a commentary on human cannibalism. The Landlord here is just one super duper creepy dude. In another era, he would have drilled holes in the wall and lived next door so he can peek through. The technology just makes it easier and more efficient for him to be what he is. As others have said, Archambault is absolutely terrifying as a the kind of landlord/tenant manager that is very close to one you've had at some point in your life--he shuffles, grumbles, stares, and avoids outright hostility by agreeing to come fix your sink but not at the time you'd like. Except this one is watching you and has fixed up his own special room for you in the basement. It's not clear whether this villain has murder in his plans or only captivity, which makes him a bit more ambiguous than other classic serial killer villains. The climax is weak as no one seems to be able to give this shuffling old man (though one undeniably powerfully built) a good contest. To the girl in the pool, I have only one suggestion--not his throat, which you can't reach with your head under water, but his BALLS!, which are right there in front of you!!! In fact, none of the three principals seems to have much of a will to live. Is this movie the revenge of the propertied working class against the idly upwardly mobile?--the male protagonist has an assistant even though he seems to do no work whatsoever; at least the slumlord fixes the sink and the toilet. Archaumbault's predatory, open-mouthed, wide-eyed staring captures the drug-like trance of the terminal sex addict and will make your skin crawl for real. This movie is dark and, in its last shot, rather flip with flimsy characters and no back story for its sociopath, but it keeps you engaged and delivers some good shocks. (As for those of you who actually were disappointed you didn't see the hammer destroying the skull of that character, to quote Mike in "Stranger Things": "what is wrong with you? what is WRONG with YOU?!")

Offensively stupid

[CelldwellerNS · 1/10 · 26 November 2018]

Production: constant barrage of cliche "spooky" ambient noise.

Characters: unlikeable. Don't care what happens to them.

Special effects: none. No CG, no practical. Pretty much zero gore. If that's your thing you'll hate this movie.

Creepiness?: Some really pathetic attempts at gross-out horror. Other than that, this is a movie about a creepy looking dude terrorising attractive people in LA. Just what this world needs, more garbage to make the pretty folks treat unattractive people with social difficulties or mental illnesses with fear and disgust. Dude doesn't even have an interesting motivation. Writer probably thought it was creepier that way. Well, that works for inhuman monsters like Michael Meyers and Jason, but this is just a regular old dude. He could be a war vet in need of psychiatric help for all we know. Seriously f#$k this movie.