The Rental (2020)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

On paper, The Rental sounds like familiar territory. Four friends spends a weekend in a remote house beside the beach hoping to have a fabulous vacation only for things to get sinister and bloody. However, what makes this still a worthy entry to the crowded genre is the way the (same) story is being told and the performances. Basically this is a four persons act as the film slowly introduces us to the characters and their backgrounds. Their conversations are easy going and feels real and to the movie's credit, they manage to turn what starts of as two loving couples, to something quite different by the mid way point. We see cracks in their relationship which soon erupts to nasty revelations about their past as well as themselves. I have to admit that in real life I would not want to be friends with these guys much less spend a weekend beach vacation with them! 

The interesting thing is for the most part of the film, the horror really lies within the destructive path being taken by these individuals. The hell that they have to face by the end of the movie could very well have manifested all by their own accords. The addition of a hidden threat of a possible intruder only adds on to their burden. I liked that there was no cheap jumps scares, and that there wasn't anything supernatural introduced hence, no reliance of any outlandish computer graphics needed to provide the thrills. Even the kills when it happen are done without the usual long drawn torture sequences and happens very swiftly.

I liked the cast even though I did not like the characters they played. Dan Stevens heads the cast. He is for once, playing someone who is flawed and appears quite ordinary , which is a refreshing change from the usual prince charming sort of roles he often gets. A deliberately understated performance that is kept in par with the rest of the cast without making his character stand out in anyway. 

All in, The Rental is a decent and effective thriller that will keep you on the edge from the start. Not really for those seeking the usual gory violent horror slasher type thrills though.