New Hammer Horror THE RESIDENT Creeps Into New York City and Austin Courtesy Of Fangoria
Hammer Studios has never been about breaking artistic ground. From their early days as a purveyor of potboiler dramas and drawing room mysteries, to their commercial ascension when The Curse Of Frankenstein kicked off their now classic cycle of Gothic terrors, Hammer has been about execution rather than originality. Respectfully, as many people now identify the cinematic incarnation of Dracula with Christopher Lee's face as they do with Bela Lugosi's. Ask them who plays Van Helsing, and it's sure to be Peter Cushing, with Edward Van Sloan forgotten by most. Regardless of the fact they didn't originally stake-out (heh) the territory, they indeed came to define it.
The old Hammer Studios last theatrical release was To The Devil A Daughter..., after which the famous gong was to be silenced, and the Hammer was to strike no more. Much like the vampiric icon that helped fill Hammers coffers, the Studio That Dripped Blood just won't stay dead. Resurrected a few years ago, their initial wave of theatrical releases are now upon us. Matt Reaves' Let Me In (arguments about remakes aside, which in my opinion this film is not) was mighty solid, and a hopeful sign indicating things to come.The next film in the newly risen studios' canon is The Resident, directed by necomer Antti Jokinen. Surprisingly, it's a throwback to the older suspense driven films, like Fear In The Night, Crescendo, and Nightmare, rather than a take on a classic monster. No mummies or lycanthropes here, just a young woman on her own in a building with a whole lot of dark corners, and couple of exceptionally creepy inhabitants.
Hilary Swank (Boy's Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby) plays Juliet Devereau, a young ER nurse in new York City, recently separated from her live-in boyfriend, who lucks into the flat of her dreams, in a building currently under refurbishment, that happens to conveniently have no tenants at the time, which *cough* luckily isn't a warning sign in NYC. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (TV's awesome Supernatural, Watchmen) is Max, the affable and helpful owner/operator of the building, a masculine, down to earth kind of guy, who offers Juliet a lease on a handshake. In a word, nothing like her Ivy Leaguer, infidelous ex. Also living in the building is Max's grandfather August, played by Hammer stalwart Christopher Lee (Gremlins 2, Meatcleaver Massacre) in a solid nod to the past. Eccentric, and lonely, he's the films "Mysterious Man In The Room" to it's "Old Dark House", the cliche' (but fun) physical embodiment of the setting's delapitated setting.
It isn't long before the strapping and always smiling Max becomes infatuated with the new tenant, and is creeping around within the building's walls, watching Juliet through a series of peep holes and crawl spaces. As he slowly and invades her private space, he invades her everyday life as a fleeting and unconsummated Prince Charming, only to be usurped by the returning button down milquetoast boyfriend.
The Resident is a basic but solid cat-and-mouse/chase-and-kill flick, that delivers on a simple premise, which is exactly what the Hammer Studios name is known for. Fun popcorn munchers. The Resident also gets point from me because I'm a weirdo and have a thing for flicks like Bad Ronald, Crawlspace, and The People Under The Stairs, which all share funky, perverse, antagonists who run around, literally, within the walls.
Those of you lucky enough to live in New York City, or Austin, TX check this out too...
FANGORIA will host free screenings of Hammer Films' THE RESIDENT, the new suspense thriller starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank, WATCHMEN's Jeffrey Dean Morgan and genre legend Christopher Lee. These special events, both set for Tuesday, February 22 at 7 p.m., will be held at New York City's Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street, off University Place) and Austin, Texas' legendary Alamo Drafthouse (Alamo South Lamar, 1120 South Lamar Boulevard).
Go HERE to go to Fangoria to read more and to obtain tickets.
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