The 2010s have seen what many have dubbed a horror renaissance complete with critically acclaimed and beloved entries that are both bankable and competitive during awards season. The intricate stories and character development this new crop in the genre are known for have been contrasted to some of the more “low brow” stuff of yesteryear. While the new horror darlings elevated the genre to the best around last decade, does that mean the permanent death of the old school, gory slasher? Can the former occupant of the horror throne be brought into this century with the same thrilling flair adapted to our new society and culture? Dave Franco may have provided just the prototype in his directorial debut.
The Rental introduces us to entrepreneurs Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Mina (Sheila Vand), who are both friends and business partners. After closing on a big deal, the two decide to take a spur of the moment trip to an AirBNB-style private rental on the oceanside to celebrate. Tagging along is Charlie’s wife Michelle (Alison Brie) and Mina’s new boyfriend Josh (Jeremy Allen White) who also happens to be Charlie’s ne’er-do-well brother. As the group prepares for the getaway, they grow increasingly suspicious of their host. As their suspicions grow bigger, and secrets between the quartet become exposed, what should have been a celebratory weekend trip turns into something far more sinister.
While The Rental serves as a harbinger back to the fun, thrilling, slasher horror films of the 1980s, the masked serial killer her operates with a modus operandi that fits the times in which we live. The film does a fantastic job of slowly building the tension and suspicion as the layers are peeled back and we slowly come to realize not everything on this idyllic vacation is as it seems. The steady misdirection and breadcrumbs leading to nowhere makes for the reveal of who the killer really is that much more terrifying. There will be no spoilers in this review, of course, but his identity and method of finding his victims serve as a reminder of how dangerous the modern world can be and the sharp end of the double edged sword that is our highly connected world. We find ourselves interacting with and putting a large amount of trust in strangers through gig economy jobs and other modern conveniences while often overlooking how wrongly things can go. Using horror to analyze and critique our everyday reality only serves to make the terror films in this genre look to invoke within us that much more potent.
The ill fated group we follow in the film also follow the tried and true slasher horror tradition of being largely irredeemable, save one person, the innocent white girl Michelle. The Rental doesn’t follow this trope all the way through however (again, no spoilers), but the flaws displayed by most of the group themselves serve as a thematic play on horror, with lies, deceit, and the overall ways humans betray each other representing a silent killer that stalk us like prey just as much as a mysterious masked figure in black.
The Rental may begin slowly for most people, but once the plot turns and its horror elements ramp up to ten, I found myself unable to hold back my smiles, yelling, and laughter as I was transported back to watching the ridiculous and fun slasher films from my youth. Memories of Halloween, Friday the 13th, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scream are all invoked here watching a group of young people making dumb decisions be picked off one by one in increasingly gruesome ways. Their ill-advised decisions have been criticized in other circles, but what is an entertaining slasher film without these head scratching choices whose deadly consequences you can see coming a mile away? Isn’t that part of the fun? The Rental was mindlessly entertaining in a way I had forgotten I enjoy for quite sometime. Director Dave Franco has managed to craft a film that feels nostalgic and familiar, like a childhood favorite dish your mother makes for you on a visit home, while pushing slashers forward by adding modern societal elements and questions that feel like a much needed update to the genre. The Rental is a great time, tailor made for a night in with friends and some form of company you enjoy.
Image: IFC Films
