LandLord

Trying to rest up from her job, a female bounty hunter decides to visit a random apartment complex and starts to hide out from others hunting him when he starts to discover a series of dead bodies around the building are the cause of a vampire hunting one of the tenants living there.

This was an okay if ultimately disappointing genre effort. Among the few positives featured here is the decent enough attempt at building up what the whole affair is based around, as we get a likable setup and discovery of the situation. The initial concept of arriving at the hotel to rest and not expecting the vampire patrolling the premises to get at the orphaned kid living there gives this a solid starting point, as there's a genuine attempt at building up their relationship together that forces their need to discover his real reason for being there. It all gives the film a fun starting point to the gradual discovery of the vampire coven operating in the building and what the purpose of hunting the kid is, while also helping to enhance the idea of there being a connection between her and the kid that is uncovered over the course of the film. While the action here is kept lowkey until the finale, there's a lot to like there with the vampire coven making it clear their intentions to target the kid with some intriguing action-packed battles that have quite a lot to like. That said, there are a lot of disappointing elements here that are centered around the dull and dreary pace that takes all of the action here into such short bursts that it's hard to be invested in what's going on. With the whole thing based around a premise involving how do you handle a vampire when they're allowed to freely move around the property rather than having a safe space to hide from them, there's a series of characterization pieces here involving her shifting priorities away from the target she's been hired to look after and the need to believe the kids' stories about the vampire landlord running the property around town that has a lot to like but it makes the action far less of an interest. This all manages to drag the pacing down until it gets time for the final confrontation to take place at the end where it finally brings the action into the story in the quest to fulfill his plan to take the kid into his arms, and it's not as interesting as it could've been with this kind of story since that comes off rather well and it's just the lack of action holding it back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and children-in-jeopardy.

This was a film that I was offered the screener to see. Since I knew, this was coming to the Nightmares Film Festival, I held off to catch it in the theater. This was the second film of day three. I'll be honest, due to marketing, I already knew what the creature was. It doesn't take long to get into it though so that's not a slight by any means.

Synopsis: a Black bounty hunter moves into a rundown apartment complex, but finds herself forced to protect an orphaned boy.

Now I did the doctor the synopsis a bit. I don't want to spoil what the reveal is, but like I said, it doesn't take too long to figure it out. We start with a solid cold open. A person comes into an apartment. He attacks a woman on the coach and then hears someone calling out from a bedroom. This is Alex (Cohen Cooper), with the woman being his mother. He is then attacked.

We then shift back to what led us here. The bounty hunter from the synopsis is played by Adama Abramson. We never learn her name. She is following a man who lives in the area. He has a brief case that our bounty hunter needs to retrieve. She doesn't know what is inside of it and truly doesn't care. It is a job. She rents an apartment, not giving her name and paying cash. She then goes about doing a stake out.

It is during this that she meets Alex. At first, he's being bullied and beaten up. She doesn't step in, which annoys him. She tells him that he needs to learn to fight and stand up for himself. The events from the opening happen when she was going to retrieve the item. This blows her cover and we see that the person who attacks her might not be human. They're shot in the head and they survive. The bounty hunter is bit on the neck in the process.

She then goes about looking into who the person is. The manager of the complex is Christopher (Lance Gerard). He cleans up the mess. The bounty hunter also sees that the local sheriff is involved, Connor (J. Barrett Cooper). She also follows Christopher to a farm. The name on the mailbox is Lawrence. What Christopher does sicken the bounty hunter.

Her bite also might be infected. Alex's arm was broken in the altercation. They hid and cleaned up in a vacant apartment. They also had to move to a motel for the time being. Time is running short for the bounty hunter to get the brief case. Sheriff Connor is looking for them and John William Lawrence (William McKinney) needs them taken care of before things get truly out of hand.

Now that is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is a few things that I heard from the festival. This isn't a horror film first. It is a crime thriller that has darker elements. This does well in blending it and that was something I appreciated. Now writer/director Remington Smith was also in attendance. He put parts of his upbringing from rough apartment complexes like this. In my younger days, trying to make it, I've lived near places like this. He did great at capturing that, making it a character of its own.

With that set up, where I want to start is that this does feel like a crime thriller first. The opening, with the mother and son attack, is an interesting hook that foreshadows future events. The bounty hunter's operational setup in the apartment is great, revealing her methods without oversharing. Details like her container and picture soften her character, and the subtlety works well. Abramson is also great here.

There is then this setting of a rough apartment complex. What is great here is the more that we learn about this plot, the more it makes sense. Smith brought up that places like this were inspired by him looking to film in one. There were shell companies getting bounced around as he tried to get permission. There's an eerie, inhuman feel to it. You could even say a dark side of capitalism to it. Since it is lower income people who live in these, they tend to disappear. Not always foul play, but how it factors in with what is happening here, it makes for an interesting concept.

We also get an interesting mirroring of characters. I love seeing the development of Alex with the bounty hunter. He just lost his mother so he's looking for a parent figure to help his development. She is adamant that he gets out of the area before he is hurt. This causes friction between them. Ultimately where it ends up is sad, but beautiful. There is a duality here with John and Christopher. The latter wants to be turned by John, who is aloof in his reasoning as to why. There is also heart here after something happens as well. This is a small thing that added so much depth.

I'll then just be brief in saying that I love the elements of lore that are included for the creature. It is fun that Alex is the first to believe and write down everything he knows. It takes more for the bounty hunter to come around, despite seeing things that she does. There's also a great element with a cross that made me think of an iconic scene from one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations.

Let's then go to what makes this work, which is the acting. I've already said that Abramson was good in her role. She is the lead and carries this. I like Cooper as someone who wants to be her sidekick, but he's young. She is protecting him. McKinney brings an arrogance to the character that fits. Gerard, Cooper, Patrick Mitchell and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.

All that is left is filmmaking aspects. I love the isolated, small town feel. It reminded me of where I spent the latter part of my childhood. Everyone from the town knows everyone's business. We're also seeing the less savory side of a big city. The cinematography and framing were good to capture this. They also did well in building the needed atmosphere. The effects we got, both for the creatures along with the blood and aftereffects of attacks. This looked to be mostly practical with just a little bit of CGI. Other than that, the soundtrack fit what was needed.

In conclusion, this is an impressive blend of crime thriller and dark horror, elevated by Smith's intimate direction and a powerful central performance from Abramson. The film effectively uses the rundown apartment complex as a character, weaving in themes of social commentary and the dark side of capitalism. While operating first as a taut crime story, its supernatural elements-cleverly revealed and supported by compelling creature lore and excellent practical effects-anchor the narrative. The emotional core of the relationship between the unnamed bounty hunter and Alex provides a beautiful counterpoint to the violence. Overall, LandLord is a well-crafted, atmospheric genre hybrid.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.