The "house/hotel that isn't quite what it seems" film has been done a million times, and it's successful because it works. You take a person or persons and put them in a perfect seeming room or a house or a hotel room and mysterious, and often bad, things start happening to them. When they're done correctly, they're usually very memorable. It worked for Hitchcock in Psycho. It worked for Kubrick in The Shining. Hell, it even worked in a comedic way in Hot Tub Time Machine. And it worked for 3/4ths of the new film, The Rental. Two couples escape to an AirBnB for a weekend away from their jobs and lives, only to find out that the online description isn't exactly accurate. They're being watched and tensions begin to mount, which leads to a finale that ultimately falls flat. Critics were hailing this as a well-directed (it was) entry into the horror/suspense category. For the most part, I agreed with them. What left me feeling so empty about this is the lack of a concise ending. Instead of letting the story play out to a satisfying conclusion, The Rental goes the route of turning it into a potential franchise, and leaving the film rather open-ended.
I can get behind open endings if done right. If done well, an open ended film will leave you talking and guessing for years. I loved Annihilation because it concluded the film just enough, while also leaving room for interpretation. Great films leave you something to remember it by. But they do offer something of a closing to the film's story. I can't say that for The Rental. It seems like Franco was more concerned with setting his villain up for future installments and that the characters in this film were only there to introduce us to the mysterious AirBnB killer. They're essentially one long preview for the next film in the franchise. Their stories never really mattered. I think I'm upset because this film wasn't billed that way. Maybe it's my fault for expecting something different. For the most part it's acted well (Alison Brie, in particular), directed well and shot well. These types of films work in the case of Jason or Freddy, because those characters are the main attraction. The Rental seemed like a character driven story, where they got caught up in a bad situation, only to be swerved at the last moment. I just can't get this bad taste out of my mouth. Maybe you'll be able to.
