“The Rental” is a 2020 under the radar horror film that capitalized on the then upstart Airbnb trend. It was co-written, produced and directed by Dave Franco, in his feature directorial debut. It’s unusual in its presentation as horror, and understandable why reviews range from great to downright awful.
The cast is small; four primary characters. Charlie and Josh are brothers. Michelle and Mina are their respective partners. They travel to a beautiful house on the Oregon coast for a weekend getaway. Tension between the couples erupts into terror with the reveal of a stalker watching them from the surrounding woods.
Suspense over Blood
I was 40 minutes into “The Rental” and forgot the genre was horror. Despite that, I was hooked by the suspense, acting, and story. Charlie (Dan Stevens) is the alpha older brother. He has a high-end job and is married to the beautiful Michelle (Alison Brie). Younger brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White) has a checkered past. He’s an Uber driver dating the out of his league Mina (Sheila Vand). Mina is Charlie’s business partner but there may be something more going on.
The rapport between Charlie and Josh is a truly believable one between brothers. They love each other and have a competitiveness between them that’s organic. Josh looks up to Charlie, and Charlie’s life. They wrestle and banter with hysterical Bro jokes.
There’s a great scene where Josh is talking with Michelle about his self-doubts with Mina. I could relate with these characters, and it made watching so captivating. The acting from all is excellent.
The first two acts reminded me of the excellent film “The Invitation.” There’s an awkward tension as we see how close Charlie and Mina are, despite reassurances that their friendship is plutonic. There’s no blatant horror, yet the atmosphere is riddled with unease.
Tension Runs High
The viewer is watching two couples on a vacation at an extravagant house. “Is that per night” Mina asks in shock when seeing the price tag. “Fuck it.” She smiles at Charlie. Are they cheating? Is the homeowner (Toby Huss) a racist or just socially inept?
Josh has brought his dog – a violation of the rules. There’s an underground locked door on the property. There may be tiny cameras hidden in the showers. The terror is realistic. Anyone who has stayed at an Airbnb can relate to the unknown trust issues one has with the owner – a total stranger.
I mentioned the range of reviews for this film, most of which rate it as awful. I think those critics are missing the point. There’s no true horror, save for the end where it goes ballistic in minutes. The compelling tones of the characters keep us invested, despite the lack of ghosts, sharks, or masked axemen. “The Rental” is an unusual watch, but one that I recommend.
