Hulu Summary:
A woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.
FYA Summary:
Where do I even start?! I was all set to write about something else this week, but I figured, hey, it’s October, its spooky season, and you want to know what’s truly terrifying? Existing in this world as a woman! I watched this movie eleven months ago but it still randomly creeps back into my mind every now and then.
The scene opens on our main character, Tess, rolling up on a pitch-black, rainy street to the quaint little AirBNB she’s rented the night before her big interview. She tries to open the lockbox, but, uh oh, the key is gone—because someone is already there, having double-booked the house for the same night. He’s cute, but with a vague undertone of “I could be an axe murderer!” Common sense dictates that Tess should immediately find other accommodations, but circumstances conspire to make that next to impossible, so she begrudgingly hunkers down for the night with stranger Keith.
Is Keith a creep? Is he not? Is something supernatural going on? Is there a murder palace in the basement? WHO KNOWS FOR SURE?
(Massive kudos to the trailer of this movie for actually keeping the mystery alive, because I RAGGED on how stupid this movie looked when I first saw the trailer, but, obvs, it managed to surprise me.)
Familiar Faces:
Bill Skarsgård as Keith and Georgina Campbell as Tess
Honestly, SUCH a perfect casting choice to use Bill, because unless you’re living under a rock you CAN’T separate his handsome-but-menacing face from the knowledge that he played the evil clown in IT to a scarily perfect degree. So then you’re constantly wondering, do I not trust him because of that previous association? Or are they tricking me into thinking he’s untrustworthy because of the clown thing, and therefore I should accept that he’s fine? It’s a mind screw at the very least.
Georgina isn’t a familiar face to me but I really enjoyed her in this, so hopefully it brings her more roles! She made Tess believable as a woman who knows what the correct choice should be to protect herself, but has a learned, societal behavior of extreme people-pleasing, and how that part of her personality impacts her decisions.
I don’t want to say too much about Justin Long’s character because it would spoil things. So…yes, he’s in this, and just know he does a great job with his character. I did not expect to LAUGH during this movie, but there is a scene featuring Justin that had me absolutely rolling in its absurdity. It was probably one of my favorite movie moments of the year; I wanted people to watch this movie just to watch that part.
Couch-Sharing Capability: You’re In Danger, Girl!
Are you looking for a movie that practically begs for you to interact with the screen? Look at your life, look at your choices, characters!! I watched this alone, and I had a lot of fun yelling at the screen by myself. But if you have a friend who doesn’t mind commentary, then you can both work through your theories about where this shizz is going.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Low
I was stress-sweating while watching, wondering what’s coming next; I didn’t need the alcohol sweats as well! You want to be sharp for the tonal shifts as the plot unfurls.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Excellent
I was surprised that this movie was written and directed by a man, because the first part, especially, so perfectly captures the uncomfortableness of being a woman in a world that often wants to hurt you. Tess is on her guard and wary about having to stay in this house with a strange man, and she’s doing and saying all the “right” things to protect herself. Like Tess, you see Keith trying to do and say the right things to make her feel at ease, as he seems to understand she’s at the disadvantage, but he also bungles it enough—be it cluelessly or not—that you can never be totally sure if you can trust him. I had no idea where things would go after Tess goes to sleep, and that was exciting in a world of formulaic horror movies.
If you’re on the fence about whether you can “handle” the movie, I’ll say there are some jump scares, but not really any gore; I’d say it’s more of a psychological thriller with a hefty dose of societal commentary (and a few things that are uncomfortable to look at. As always, check your content warnings if you don’t want to be surprised).
