Movie Review: TENANTS

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: September 27th, 2024 / 05:56 AM

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: Mary O’Neil, Christa Collins, Joshua Sterling, Myles Cranford, Acquah Dansoh, Douglas Vermeeren, Miranda Cover, Tara Erickson, Ivan Djurovic, Clarke Wolfe, Fayna Sanchez, Kathryne Easton, Rib Hillis
Writers: Mary O’Neil (“Hoarder,” “The Photograph,” “Laundry Day,” “Need Anything,” “You’re Not Supposed to Be Here”), Buz Wallick (“Hoarder,” “Nah,” “Need Anything,” “You’re Not Supposed to Be Here”), Sean Mesler (“Acting Rash,” “Nah”)
Directors: Buz Wallick (“Hoarder,” “Need Anything,” “You’re Not Supposed to Be Here”), Sean Mesler (“Acting Rash,” “The Photograph”), Jonathan Louis Lewis (“Laundry Day”), Blake Reigle (“Nah”)
Distributor: Cranked Up
Release Date: September 24, 2024 (VOD, digital)

Horror anthologies can be very mixed bags, especially when there are different directors and/or writers on different segments. Not so with TENANTS, which has an intriguing framing device that eventually explains why this one apartment building is so plagued with weird occurrences on this particular day.

After an establishing shot of a big city, we’re at an old apartment building, the Benedict, which has its original façade and external fire escapes.

In the building’s parking garage, a full-grown naked human emerges from what looks like a birthing sac on the concrete. This is Joni (Mary O’Neil, who co-wrote five of the segments, including the wraparound).

Apparently disoriented, Joni dresses herself from the Lost and Found box, then steals more clothes from the laundry room.

We see Joni’s double enter the laundry room. Joni keels over in silent agony. The double doesn’t see her, leaves, and Joni’s pain ends.

When Joni enters the building proper, she asks everyone she meets where she can find Emily. Most of these people express surprise at the question, since Joni and Emily are sisters who have lived together in their apartment for years.

One elderly resident, Jude (Myles Cranford), recognizes that there’s something wrong with Joni, but he’s got his own problems: grieving for his late wife, a loving but disapproving son (Acquah Dansoh), and major hoarding issues.

Other tenants Joni encounters include Amber (Christa Collins), who is desperate to nail her first decent audition in ages; building super Leonard (Douglas Vermeeren), who is also an amateur photographer obsessed with friendly young Katherine (Miranda Cover); oblivious Gracie (Fayna Sanchez), whose untidy habits put her at odds with roommate Belinda (Clarke Wolfe); couple Sara (Tara Erickson) and Tim (Ivan Djurovic), both mourning the loss of their unborn child; plus one fellow who’s about to move into the building.

This last is the subject of the shortest segment, “Nah,” written by Buz Wallick & Sean Mesler and directed by Blake Reigle. It’s the horror anthology piece we’ve all been waiting to see forever.

Cranford is affecting as the lonely Jude, and Sanchez and Wolfe ably display ferocity and humor as the combative roomies. Cover convincingly reaches heights of sweetness and depths of fury.

O’Neil manages the difficult feat of keeping us guessing about Joni’s nature and purpose while eliciting our sympathy.

“You’re Not Supposed to Be Here,” the narrative tying everything together, is written by O’Neil & Wallick and directed by Wallick. It actually does make sense of everything, and provides a stylistic core that holds the disparate elements together.

We come away from TENANTS feeling more like we’ve watched a regular feature with lots of characters rather than a device that’s been stretched to accommodate random parts. It’s pleasingly deft, and ends on just the right note.

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