Lydia Shaw is an exceptional English literature student desperately in need of an apartment. She takes a place under renovation by the landlord Drew, who is immediately attracted to her. But when his attentions appear to be obsessive, Lydia breaks off the romance. At that point, Drew becomes the landlord out of hell.
The pace of film was sluggish and the action was generally static in that it was primarily confined in Lydia's apartment 105. By the midpoint, the film became increasingly unpleasant and violent, due to the psycho landlord. On top of everything, Lydia had a difficult past, losing her parents in a tragic audio accident. She also suffers from nyctophobia, or fear of the dark, a weakness exploited by the sadistic Drew.
Lydia was such a sympathetic character and the antics of Drew made her life so miserable that the film turned into a depressing experience. Drew cleverly substituted a different paper for her candidacy for an important internship. He also disrupted her financial aid at the university, and he brutally killed her ex-boyfriend Tim, a recovering alcoholic.
Even the closing action scene with Lydia in the bathtub and the hapless police officer wandering around the apartment was clumsy. It was not even clear who made the arrest on Drew. Lydia was too smart not to have recognized the early warning signs about Drew and vacated the apartment. Alternatively, she had the wherewithal to have located more suitable living accommodations in the first place.
The pace of film was sluggish and the action was generally static in that it was primarily confined in Lydia's apartment 105. By the midpoint, the film became increasingly unpleasant and violent, due to the psycho landlord. On top of everything, Lydia had a difficult past, losing her parents in a tragic audio accident. She also suffers from nyctophobia, or fear of the dark, a weakness exploited by the sadistic Drew.
Lydia was such a sympathetic character and the antics of Drew made her life so miserable that the film turned into a depressing experience. Drew cleverly substituted a different paper for her candidacy for an important internship. He also disrupted her financial aid at the university, and he brutally killed her ex-boyfriend Tim, a recovering alcoholic.
Even the closing action scene with Lydia in the bathtub and the hapless police officer wandering around the apartment was clumsy. It was not even clear who made the arrest on Drew. Lydia was too smart not to have recognized the early warning signs about Drew and vacated the apartment. Alternatively, she had the wherewithal to have located more suitable living accommodations in the first place.