Home for Rent (2023)

Uninspiring Title. Nonetheless Solid Horror Flick

The act of a couple selling their home leads to strange and creepy circumstances that put their daughter in danger. It was obvious pretty early on that the husband had some role in the strange incidents happening around his and his wife’s daughter. The movie did a good job at incorporating some creepy and suspenseful moments. Having me waiver between the motive for the weird happenings being sinister or some ritual to protect the daughter from some unseen force, but with rotten food, black crows and a mysterious malevolent figure frequently appearing it became apparent that some evil plot was afoot. The nice twist was that this explored a similar theme as Annabelle Creation. Where in this case the husband had lost his 7 year old daughter, from a previous relationship, years earlier, to a horrible accident, and inconsolable with grief he made some terrible choices in an attempt to bring her spirit back to life.

Of course his attempt wasn’t as innocent as he was being led to believe and as a result he was duped into helping an evil priestess plot to regain a new body to possess. I felt for the father’s grief but I could not understand how he could essentially sacrifice the daughter he had with his new wife for the daughter who died. Moreover, it was unconscionable that he was asking a 7 year old to consent to her body being possessed by the spirit of her dead half sister.

The ending was confusing. It was clear that Ing’s body was taken over by Jaa. But it seemed for a second there that she’d become possessed by the evil entity as she appeared to have killed Ing’s mom. We later learn she survived, and killed Rattree whom we never see alive again after the attack. But last we see Ing/Jaa she appears to be a sweet little girl with no indication that evil resides within her. This was an entertaining horror movie with some nice twists. Definitely worth watching.

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I Felt More Angry Than Scared

Ning owns a condominium that she rents out for extra income while her husband, Kawin, serves as the family's sole breadwinner. When their real estate agent suggests that they move into the condo and rent out their house instead, the proposal promises a much larger return. Kawin is strongly against the idea at first, but after Ning pleads with him, he reluctantly agrees to show the property to a retired doctor and her daughter.

What surprised me—and Ning as well—was how quickly Kawin changed his mind. When the prospective tenants asked when they could move in, he immediately answered, "next month." That moment felt odd and instantly raised some red flags.

As time passes, Ning becomes increasingly suspicious of the new tenants. A video sent by her former neighbor only deepens her concerns. To make matters worse, Kawin begins acting strangely as well. Determined to uncover the truth, Ning investigates with the help of a friend and soon discovers that the retired doctor is far from the harmless woman she pretends to be.

I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about it. I wasn't familiar with the cast, the plot, or even the genre beyond the title. Because of that, I ended up a little disappointed. Based on the title *Home for Rent*, I expected the story to focus more on the house itself or perhaps a haunted-home scenario. Instead, the film is less about the property and more about the obsession of the people connected to it.

That being said, the mystery kept me engaged, and I genuinely felt angry on Ning's behalf. She and her daughter become collateral damage in a situation that they never asked to be part of. Watching them suffer because of someone else's obsession was both frustrating and heartbreaking.

Overall, *Home for Rent* may not have been the story I expected, but it still delivered a tense mystery with enough twists to keep me watching. While the horror elements worked, it was the characters' unhealthy obsession and the impact it had on innocent people that left the strongest impression on me.

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