'The Resident' could have been so much better

Cert: 16

Hammer Films, that most British of outfits that brought us some wonderful – and wonderfully awful – horror films in the 1960s-70s, continues its revival with this second outing, though with the action moved from the foggy mists of Victorian England to contemporary New York.

A link with the Hammer past is provided, though not with any real substance, by Christopher Lee as the father of Max (Morgan) who has contrived to entice young doctor Juliet (Swank) into renting a loft he has revamped in a Brooklyn house. The loft is such a bargain that Juliet can’t say no.

Everything is building into a solid horror-thriller – who is watching Juliet, who is creeping around the apartment, who is touching her as she sleeps, who is hiding under her bed, who is going through her underwear drawer? – but the promise is never realised by debut director Jokinen, the possibilities never fully explored, the menace we got in films like, say, 'Pacific Heights' never sustained.

Opportunities for a better film die before our eyes.

Swank is a fine actress but somehow she isn’t at her best here while Morgan is miscast as the potential creeper … merely a passable effort.

Star Rating: 2/5