Hammer Horror’s predictable return

Why the two-time Academy Award winning, much-respected actress Hilary Swank thought she needed to do another cheap horror after the not-so-well-received The Reaping is anyone’s guess. But before you immediately dismiss this as another scare-free “horror” film, just know that the film is not without its moments, and although everything is predictable almost to an annoying level, creepy moments do pop up every now and then. Thankfully it’s a relatively short film too – only around 90 minutes – so if you’re willing to bear the frustrating moments for a few scenes that do truly pay off once in a while, this might be the laid-back, thoughtless entertainment we all need occasionally.

There are, of course, much better, much scarier films out there, and there is nothing original about the “haunted house” theme of The Resident. Creaky doors and odd noises are the least of Juliet’s (Swank) problems when she moves into her new, spacious New York flat; its pricing suggests that it’s too good to be true. It is in fact, since Juliet is very soon stalked by her psychologically troubled landlord Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Whenever she drinks wine, sleeps, or takes a bath (these seem to be the only things Juliet ever does in her new flat), there is a disturbed pair of eyes, combined with heavy breathing following her through the intricately adjusted space behind the walls.

It’s a good thing first-time film director Antti Jokinen doesn’t spend much time trying to engage the audience in a guessing game. Anyone who has seen the poster will notice Morgan standing over Swank giving a scary, glaring look. If that is not a dead giveaway, it’s hard to know what is. Plus the film doesn’t even attempt to throw the viewers in the wrong direction with red herrings. We meet Max’s grandfather (Christopher Lee) and although he is the classic ‘creepy old man in a horror film saying ambiguous things that don’t make sense,’ it’s clear his ailing body could not possibly keep up with psychotic activities. Could the cause be supernatural? Nope, because even the trailer disproves this theory. So the bottom line is, Morgan is the villain and there is no tension surrounding it.

Not a lot of explanation is given about Max’s state of mind and obsessive personality. A few rushed flashbacks of disturbing images, newspaper articles and ominous voiceovers try to set up a history for him but it’s not enough. To make an effectively disturbing psychopath, there needs to be plenty of sound, logical explanation, or none at all. Anything half-hearted doesn’t work and begs the question of “why bother?” A few references to Max’s messed up childhood don’t explain a lot and are unimpressive to say the least. For a guy who must have been doing things like this for years, his methods can be shockingly careless at times, which adds up to more disappointment.

Both lead actors are more than qualified for a film like this and they quite easily breeze through their roles

Lee Pace makes a pointless cameo appearance as Juliet’s on-and-off boyfriend and Christopher Lee’s talent is also wasted here: the 88 year-old veteran is somewhat involved in Max’s background story but that alone is not enough to justify his presence in the film. Pace has hardly any dialogue, and what he has is a very clunky, tacky set of lines delivered unconvincingly by the weakest actor in the cast.

Both lead actors are more than qualified for a film like this and they quite easily breeze through their roles. Swank’s looks of absolute fear are effective, as are her expressions of shock and disgust as she begins to discover the dark secret that surrounds her new flat. Morgan’s character has the tendency to show up out of nowhere, a well-worn technique used over and over again but oddly it works, largely thanks to the confined and grim nature of Juliet’s New York flat. Max’s sexually frustrated, predatory actions are captured well by the fragile-looking Morgan, and so despite the limited depth to his character, he keeps the tension going as much as possible thanks to bringing more to the screen than what the script originally required of him.

The Resident marks the wave of films signaling the return of the Hammer Film Productions Company, but as its comeback film, the new horror doesn’t help its reputation. For an organisation that once dominated the horror market in the past, it’s a disappointing effort, and doesn’t come close to capturing the gothic-type atmosphere their best films are known for. Logic is the last thing you would find in a mindless film like this one, and although the gruesome final showdown that marks the film’s climax that we knew was coming from the start is a wholly acceptable one, it turns out to be an unoriginal effort. It’s predictable, and despite the good performances of its absolutely spot-on cast, they are largely reduced to something entirely forgettable.