Deadbolt (2024) – Film Review
Predictable in places, yet not without surprises, Deadbolt is a Tubi Original film about a young woman who has been through the wringer emotionally and is seeking a fresh start. Unfortunately, she makes an unforunate choice when she rents a room in a house that appears to be haunted.
Rebecca Liddiard stars as Amelia, a young woman who has just escaped an abusive relationship and is initially attracted to the room because it’s so cheap. It’s in a large, old, house in a questionable neighborhood that has problem with rats, but, as her new housemate points out, these are factors that account for the room being so affordable.
Camille Stopps plays Amelia’s housemate Melinda, who greets her with a big hug when she arrives for the interview. Feeling they have much in common, Melinda offers Amelia the room straight away, but it’s obvious right from the start that Melinda expects them to be best friends and is likely to be demanding of Amelia’s Time.
The first time this happens is on the day Amelia moves in, when Melinda insists they go to a local bar and celebrate. There are several more instances of this but the first one stands out as being particularly selfish because Melinda leaves her new housemate to her own devices to go and spend time with her former boyfriend, Mark (Thomas Duplessie), who is trying to get back with her.
Left in a strange bar with nobody to talk to, Amelia heads home, and has to run the last part of her journey when she notices she has picked up a stalker. Things get worse after she is safely indoors when she hears sounds of movement in the house. Shortly afterwards, Melissa arrives home with Mark in-tow.
Although Mark’s presence puts Amelia in an uncomfortable situation; and even after she goes to bed, she has to listen to sound of them making love on the sofa; Mark’s visit is informative because he is the first one to tell her the house is haunted.
Initially, Melinda denies Mark’s claim, but Amelia finds out about her new home’s dark reputation courtesy of a few internet searches, and learns the last girl who rented her present room disappeared and is listed as missing.
Amelia gets the truth from Melinda a few nights later, when she awakes to find her housemate leaning above her, and asking if she can sleep in her bed. She tells Amelia that the ghost was just in her room and also admits the main reason she was so keen for a new housemate was because she is scared to be in the house alone.
On a more positive note, Amelia has made a new friend, David (Jamie Spilchuk), and they seem to have much in common, including a love of art. After she has a run-in with her ex-boyfriend Colin (Joey Belfiore) and David protects, their relationship gets physical. However, before David leaves, Melinda gets a fresh dose of grief when the police turn up at the door and tell her Melinda is dead.
Deadbolt is not a bad film. The storyline is okay, and the actors do a good job of breathing life into their characters. However, with limited instances of (possible) paranormal activity and only one (tame) scene of bloodshed, it barely makes the grade as a horror film and also struggles as a thriller. Deadbolt may be better classified as a mystery. There are lots of questions to answer such as what happened to former tenant, is the house really haunted, and has someone stolen the neighbor’s cat.
The subplot with the aging neighbor, who suffers from dementia and spends much time searching for his cat, is more integral to the story than it initially appears and, despite his mental failings, the old man, whose name is Bruno (Bill MacDonald), turns out to be the only one who knows what is really going on and, despite initially appearing to be a little creepy, he’s actually a very nice guy.
It won’t be for everyone but Deadbolt has a lot going for it, and, with a runtime of 83 minutes, it’s not overly long. If you prefer slower, character-driven films over ones that are high in action and need propping up by lost of special effects, you owe it to yourself to give Deadbolt a chance. You can stream it for free over at TubiTV.
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