In “The Sublet” Joanna (Tianna Nori) and Geoff (Mark Matechuk), a young couple with a child, try to settle in after moving into a modest rental apartment. The family appears to be completely normal, but with paranormal activities, the house seems to have its creepiness that slowly unsettles everything around.
The first few minutes of the movie give us the impression that the craziness is coming from one particular room in the sublet. Meanwhile, due to Geoff’s continued professional commitments, Joanna begins to experience situations that add to the stress in her everyday life.
Later, in a mysterious locked room, Joanna discovers a journal written by a woman who had similar experiences while residing in the apartment. When she notices a woman observing her apartment from outside, things start to go south. She encounters strange situations as well, which makes her wonder if she’s crazy.
As Joanna reads the diary week after week, she learns about the woman’s traumatic background and how her abusive and adulterous husband treated her. Joana wanted to leave the house because she believes it to be haunted and instead found that the history of the house somehow feeds with her present.
Without any jump-scare moments, director John Ains did a terrific job at creating this eerie mood. The characters are carefully guided by the plot and screenplay to a surprising conclusion.
I kind of appreciate “The Sublet” for a couple of reasons: first, it doesn’t really try and justify any genre; instead, it focuses on presenting the tale; and second, the filmmaker was able to turn a thin plotline based on post-partum depression and anxiety into a feature film.
The portrayal of Joanna by Tianna Nori is outstanding. She is quite convincing in the character of a young, loving mother, as well as in the alternate persona, which includes wrath and restrained aggression. Mark Matechuk did a wonderful job portraying his emotions of annoyance, perplexity, and denial as Geoff.
Everyone should watch “The Sublet” because of the way it is handled. It most definitely isn’t your typical horror movie; rather, it fits the description of a psychological thriller with a scant amount of horror.
Watch the movie trailer for The Sublet
Genres: Mystery, Horror, Psychological Thriller
Starring: Tianna Nori with Mark Matechuk, Krista Madison, Rachel Sellan, James Murray & Porter Randell — with Rachel Sellan, John Ainslie, Krista Madison, Jimmy-James Murray, Mark William, and Tianna Nori
Directed By: John Ainslie
Written By: Alyson Richards & John Ainslie
Official Synopsis
“The Sublet” is a suspense-driven psychological thriller about Joanna, a new mom struggling with postpartum depression and coping with her baby alone in an odd sublet apartment. Left alone as her husband neglects her for his career, she discovers that the apartment has a violent past and she clings to her sanity as the apartment's blood-soaked past leaks into the present.Where to watch The Sublet (2015)
