Stars:
Angela Bettis,
Juliet Landau,
Brent Roam,
Sheri Moon
Director:
Tobe Hooper
Summary: Nell is often left alone in an apartment in the Lusman Arms Hotel when her husband, a doctor, works busy shifts. She grows anxious when she hears strange noises in the night. She realises that a killer is on the loose and that she's the next target. Attempting to escape the inevitable, Nell comes across the mysterious killer's lair and suddenly things are not how they appear.
Tobe Hooper (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) delivers a screamer that exhibits, to its credit, a solidly 1970s slasher feel. Set entirely in LA's historic Ambassador Hotel--which housed the very first Academy Awards--it blends the claustrophobic feel of Polanski's THE TENANT with the sleazy aura of that era. Nell (Angela Bettis, GIRL, INTERRUPTED) and her husband Steven (Brent Roam) have recently moved to the city, taking up residence in the faded glory of the now-dilapidated Lusman Arms apartment building, managed by the slimy Byron McLieb (Greg Travis, STARSHIP TROOPERS). Almost immediately Nell realises that something is amiss, hearing strange noises at night, and discovering unsettling signs of witchcraft. When two tenants disappear, Nell is determined to investigate, despite her husband's insistence that she is just being paranoid. The trail she uncovers leads increasingly and disturbingly back to the foundations of the building's very architecture. Atmospheric and moody, the actors' solid performances and Hooper's deft directorial touch make this a thrilling, unforgettable journey into the terrifying realm of the occult.