Film Review: The Rental

There are genre movies out there that play on humanity’s fear of supernatural horrors like ghosts, goblins, and unknown presences. Then some play to fears we have about the everyday world around us instead. Think home intruders, killers, modern technology, and human betrayal. Directed by first-timer Dave Franco, The Rental is the latter. It stars Dan Stevens (from Apostle), Alison Brie (from Born), Sheila Vand (from A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), Toby Huss (from The Invitation) and Jeremy Allen White.

The storyline of The Rental follows two couples who have decided to rent a beautiful beachfront house for a celebratory weekend vacation – Charlie (Stevens) and his wife Michelle (Brie), as well as Charlie’s brother Josh (White) and his girlfriend Mina (Vand). The property in question belongs to the passive-aggressive Taylor (Huss), who gives Mina an off feeling right from the get-go.

The group’s case of the heebie-jeebies doesn’t get much better – even after Taylor leaves – when it becomes clear someone is watching them as the evening wears on. Eventually, Mina discovers a hidden camera in the shower head, among other happenings. Then there’s the mysterious masked stalker who seems to be creeping around the house. The paranoia and trouble only snowball from there as events escalate even further.

The Rental comes alongside its share of tense moments, but it’s refreshing in that it doesn’t fall back on all the overdone horror tropes you might be expecting going in. There are a few jump scares and exciting twists, to be sure. However, this film doesn’t waste the audience’s time by making them wonder whether the house is filled with ghosts or if the property owner will murder everyone with an ax at some point.

It’s clear from the get-go that Mina and Charlie, who happen to be business partners in addition to friends, have some incredibly thick sexual tension going on. Much of the suspense in The Rental comes from wondering whether or not they’ll act on it, as well as what will happen next if they do. The film also raises some interesting questions about the effect our increasingly ubiquitous technology is having on today’s society. You might think twice before casually renting an Airbnb for the weekend after watching The Rental. You’ll definitely triple-check it for hidden cameras.

The performances in The Rental are terrific and add an emotional depth you don’t see in every horror film. All four of the main actors, as well as Toby Huss as Taylor, are incredible in their respective roles. Dan Stevens brings a natural charm to the role of Charlie that helps the audience forget (or at least overlook) the fact that the character isn’t that great of a guy. Alison Brie’s trademark delivery gives Michelle poise, and Jeremy Allen White makes Josh likable as a good-natured underachiever. Vand and Huss are great at selling the racial tension present between Mina and Taylor, as well.

Diehard horror fans hoping for more typical genre fare may be disappointed in the low-key way Franco approaches The Rental, so this film is best approached with an open mind. There’s enough suspense to satisfy horror lovers, but there’s much more to The Rental than that. This is a film that includes humor, character, and depth. It certainly doesn’t depend too thoroughly on cheap, predictable, dime-a-dozen scares. Whether you liked it or not, it also leaves you intrigued by Franco’s approach, as well as curious as to what he might do next.

In other words, people are talking about this film for a reason. It brings something different to the table that’s well worth checking out, even if it turns out not to be exactly what you expected. Definitely add it to your running watch list!

Style: Slow Burn, Survival, Mind Bender, Cabin in the Woods, Psychological