PLOT: Left alone and broke after the death of her husband, a widow decides to open her home as an Airbnb to create income. When a handsome stranger takes a room, the lonely woman develops an unhealthy obsession.
REVIEW: The opening of the new independent thriller ROOM FOR RENT (ORDER DVD HERE), presents one hell of a somber beginning. We see a large neighborhood – perhaps in Arizona or New Mexico – and we meet Joyce Smith (Lin Shaye), a woman dealing with the grief of losing her husband. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that you were going to watch a heartbreaking dramatic feature. And frankly, that’s kind of what you get for the majority of the film. Of course this is Lin Shaye, who is one of the best actresses that genre has ever produced. Which is why its actually quite refreshing to see her get to tackle the very serious issue of loss. Director Tommy Stovall allows us to see her in yet another light, and it works.
Joyce is a woman unprepared for the inevitable. Her husband has passed unexpectedly and she doesn’t have the means to live on her own. When she discovers that their bank account is empty and they have no insurance, she must figure out a means of survival. Thus, she opens her home as an Airbnb. Her first tenant is a compassionate woman named Sarah (Valeska Miller). However, Sarah’s a-hole boyfriend doesn’t share his girlfriends sympathy for the widow. Almost immediately after they arrive, they leave to find another place. Desperate to find a way to survive, she discovers a handsome fellow named Bob (Oliver Rayon) looking for a place to stay on a community board. She convinces him that she has the perfect place. When he moves in, Joyce develops an unhealthy obsession for her new tenant.
Lin Shaye is a gift. While I always enjoy watching her chew the scenery with wacky eccentric characters – this is more of a grounded and heartbreaking performance. In fact, she is so completely sympathetic here that it’s a bit harder to feel any compassion for the guy that she goes after. For most of the film, Joyce is the victim. She is sexually harassed by a group of scumbag teenagers, she is completely broke, and she is lost and lonely dealing with her current situation. Her few pleasures include a silly romance novel, one she loves because it has a “happy ending,” and her loyal cat. This is a superb performance. I can honestly tell you had the slight thriller aspect never happened, I might’ve even preferred the more emotional and dramatic elements.
As far as thrillers go, this one takes a very long time until we see the darker side of Mrs. Smith. Yet even still, I found myself more invested in her than the one that she victimizes. Frankly, aside from being nice to the old woman, I didn’t find Bob to be terribly interesting. It’s hard to place whether it is the script or the actor. It’s not that he’s not good per say, there’s just something about him that didn’t quite connect with this viewer. Even when you begin to see Joyce unravel, I wasn't too concerned with Bob's future. All the right elements are there – including when he takes care of the scumbag teens taunting her – yet there is something missing. Perhaps it’s the way he clearly doesn’t see the kind old lady’s care turn into something dark and sinister, even when it’s painfully obvious. The dude is well meaning, but incredible dense and self absorbed, and kind of a bore.
There’s something to be said about a genre movie that takes a bit of a chance. As mentioned, the focus on character here makes me wonder what would have happened if this went the more straight forward and dramatic route. Instead of going for something like MISERY where a woman gets violently obsessive about someone, this could have had a very different final act and still been interesting. Ms. Shaye’s immensely powerful work makes me almost wish it had been. Strangely enough I found the relationship between Sarah and Joyce far more engaging. While the young and attractive woman doesn’t stick around in the beginning, it’s her return that sparks the more thriller-esque elements of the film.
If you are looking for a straight horror thriller about an obsessive older woman terrorizing her new tenant, you may be a bit disappointed. The horror aspect only begins to reveal itself near the very ending. It doesn’t help that the male lead isn’t all the intriguing. Yet, if you are a fan of Lin Shaye (and who in the horror community isn’t) then this is worth seeing. She is so good here that it makes you wonder why she isn’t appearing in bigger budget features, you know, the kind that sweep the Academy Awards. Ms. Shaye is a joy to watch and this is a chance to see her take on a powerful and emotional role. If you go in realizing there will be a little less thriller and more straight forward melodrama, you’ll have a much better time. Either way, see if for the marvelous work of Lin Shaye, and the lovely score by Joseph Bishara.