DVD Reviews

The Resident – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Apr 19, 2011, 15:34 GMT

$Juliet (Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby), a beautiful doctor, has found the perfect New York apartment to start a new life after separating from her husband. It\'s got spacious rooms, a spectacular view, and a handy, handsome landlord. But there are secrets behind every wall and terror in every room as Juliet gets the unnerving feeling that she is not alone. She is being watched. She is being$

Juliet (Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby), a beautiful doctor, has found the perfect New York apartment to start a new life after separating from her husband. It\'s got spacious rooms, a spectacular view, and a handy, handsome landlord. But there are secrets behind every wall and terror in every room as Juliet gets the unnerving feeling that she is not alone. She is being watched. She is being ...more

The name Hammer used to mean something to horror hounds. In their heyday, they revived many a movie monster with a bloody, Technicolor twist. They also made some psychological thrillers - which were much less remembered than their monsters. Such is the case with the Resident, even with the legendary Christopher Lee in the cast.

Dr. Juliet Dermer (Hilary Swank) is looking for a new place to live after splitting with her cheating husband (Lee Pace). She finds a “too good to be true” place that’s managed by Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Not only is she saving on rent but soon she’s getting along well with Max, who seems the perfect man – handsome, takes care of his elderly granddad (Christopher Lee), and possessing most of the qualities that Juliet is looking for… or is he?

Hammer Films died right before the 1980s, but it tried to claw its way out of the tomb ever since. The 2000s saw several announcements of a return, but nothing ever materialized onscreen until 2008/2009.

The Resident was the one that graced U.S. screens, but the results may have wished that someone would drive a stake through the heart of the revived beast.

Hammer in its heyday was known for its gory interpretations of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy (those three featuring iconic stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing), and the Wolfman. The first films successes would lead to multitudes of sequels. Beyond their monsters the company would also produce thrillers and psychological dramas (many of their beginning films were not horror but they would become more well-known world over for their terrors).

In my days of haunting the rental aisles, I would seek out their monster movies. Not so much so their other films (when available). The Resident leans more towards those that didn’t interest me (though I’ve seen some since that they are not without their good moments) and is entirely predictable.

There’s not an ounce of suspense and even Christopher Lee doesn’t have much to do. I guess it was nice to have one of their iconic actors returning to signal that Hammer had returned but he film really doesn’t seem to give much faith.

The Resident is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1). Special features are relegated to the 2 minute theatrical trailer, but it is in high definition.

The Resident isn’t the return to form that Hammer fans might be expecting. For my money, the upcoming co-production The Woman in Black (starring Harry Potter aka Daniel Radcliffe) looks more of the stuff that might put more chill in the blood (the 1989 adaptation is scary as hell). The Resident leans more towards the ham than the horror.