The Sublet

I didn't know anything about this movie prior to sitting down to watch it. I didn't even read the synopsis. All that I needed was knowing that it was a horror movie.

However, it turned out that "The Sublet" was somewhat of an ordeal to sit through. It was a rather slow paced storyline with very little happening throughout the course of the story actually. Director John Ainslie actually did manage to construct a movie that built up a suspense in a good way, but despite the build up of suspense it didn't climax into anything worthwhile.

The acting in the movie was adequate, and people were doing good enough jobs with their roles and characters, despite the limitations imposed by the script and storyline.

"The Sublet" was not a horror movie that was big on special effects or practical effects for that matter. Nah, this type of movie is the kind that makes good with mood and atmosphere. Was that a good thing? Well, yeah sort of, as the build up of suspense and keeping the audience in the dark was good.

This was a less than mediocre foray into the horror genre, and "The Sublet" doesn't really offer anything to the genre that hasn't already been seen before in other horror movies. So don't expect anything overly innovative here.

I must admit that I found my interest and attention span ebbing as the movie progressed and I was actually tempted to just give up and eject the DVD with only 15 minutes left of the movie. I did, however, decide to finish the movie. Which wasn't a particular improvement to the rest of the movie.

There are far better horror movies available. And the few scenes and ideas throughout the movie that actually were nicely constructed was hardly enough to make it up for the rest of the movie. "The Sublet" scores a meager 4 out of 10 stars from me.

A very well-acted psychological horror/thriller following a couple and their little baby.

The atmosphere throughout the movie is haunting and chilling, and early on gets you in the right mood.

You've probably seen film like this before; I know I have. However, if you're in the mood for a haunted house-type horror, we could both do a lot worse!

The acting is excellent, the scares are carefully piled up, the characters are flawed but appealing - even the caterwauling child is a genuine cutie. When the relationship deteriorates between the couple, it's actually effective because as the audience, we are made to care about them both. Tianna Nori and Mark Matechuk are believable as Joanna and Jeff, both imperfect, but both likeable. There's not a bad performance on show, but this story certainly belongs to the couple.

Possibly as the end credits roll, you'll be struck how this fails to break any new ground, but events are unravelled so expertly, you'll have enjoyed the ride anyway. My score is 8 out of 10.

Well worth a watch, don't let the reviews put you off.

The film follows a young mother as she stays at home, caring for her infant child. She finds herself unraveling a disturbing mystery, which surrounds her new apartment and begins to test her sanity. I try not to compare films, but this film really has notes of Rosemary's Baby and reminded me a little bit of The Shining. I think it was the claustrophobic feel of the film and the constant wondering what's real and what's in her mind. It probably also helped that the film's decor was very dated, kind of 70s. It's because of this constant wondering and putting the pieces together that reflects good story telling, the mystery unraveled nicely and wasn't spoon fed to the audience. The film is atmospheric with lots of drama (some people might call this 'slow'), but it builds the tension nicely until it breaks you. This was certainly helped by Tianna Nori! I was gripped by her the entire film, it was a very engrossing performance. If you like your psychological horror, I would definitely check this one out!