The Modern Paranoid Supernatural Horror From A Decades-Long Genre Director, Stream Right Now
Don’t Let Her In is a short and sweet supernatural horror film that you can currently stream on Tubi the next time you have an hour to kill. Produced by Full Moon Features, the same production company responsible for titles like The Gingerdead Man and Evil Bong, Don’t Let Her In proves the point that B-horror movies don’t always have to rely on over-the-top low-budget violence and crude jokes to get their point across. While this movie is clearly a low-budget passion project with a small cast and tight screenplay, director Ted Nicolaou (Subspecies) expertly puts his limited resources to work and helms what I consider to be an effective short horror film.
Background Checks Should Be Mandatory
At its heart, Don’t Let Her In is a demonic possession story about why you should always perform background checks on your new roommates. When Serena (Lorin Doctor) shows up at Amber (Kelly Curran) and Ben’s (Cole Pendery) loft, they’re at first reluctant to sign her onto their lease because she claims to have no personal or professional references due to the nature of her work. When Serena -who makes a great living creating enchantments and charms with essential oils and minerals for her high-profile, high-paying, yet unknown clients- offers to pay for nine month’s worth of rent in advance, they decide they’re okay with her moving in.
Suspicion Grows
Ben is a touring musician who spends most of his time on the road, so the primary source of tension found in Don’t Let Her In is between Serena and Amber. Amber, who is an aspiring graphic designer, is thrilled upon getting offered a job producing posters for Serena’s upcoming exhibition. By the same token, Amber becomes increasingly disturbed by Serena’s creative process, which involves chanting incantations in unknown languages.
What’s Really True?
Though Amber has reason to believe that she’s simply being unjustifiably paranoid in Don’t Let Her In, it’s clear to the viewer that Serena is engaging in occult activities. Even though it’s shown on-screen that Serena is the antagonist figure in this film, I found myself wondering if there would be a twist at the end that calls Amber’s mental state into question. Half of the fun that this movie has to offer comes in the form of questioning whether Serena is actually evil and gaslighting Amber, or if Amber is simply losing her mind because she mentions at one point that she’s been off of her medications for a while.
Not Enough Payoff
As much as I enjoyed Don’t Let Her In, the 50-minute buildup didn’t really have a satisfying payoff in its last 10 minutes. But I can’t fault the movie too much because its ending was probably forced or rushed due to budgetary restrictions. Though computer-generated special effects are utilized to portray some of the more supernatural sequences in this movie, they were used sparingly and convincingly, making their placement effective.
Amazing Camera Work
I also want to point out that Ted Nicolaou set up some amazing establishing shots through a gritty lens to set the story in motion. Using his limited resources to their fullest potential, Nicolaou delivers a tight, claustrophobic, and disturbing horror film that is fertile ground for sequels based on the same premise. And although I’ve never heard of any of the film’s three lead actors, they did an excellent job playing it straight despite the fact that a healthy amount of Full Moon Features-produced projects tend to be a little more on the unhinged side of the horror genre.
Stream It Now
GFR SCORE
Don’t Let Her In doesn’t reinvent the wheel or really offer anything new to horror fans. But despite its flaws, I can see this property getting picked up by a bigger studio and becoming a solid franchise if given the opportunity. I strongly recommend that you stream Don’t Let Her In on Tubi because I sincerely believe that Lorin Doctor, Kelly Curran, and Cole Pendery have some great chemistry, and the potential to do great things if they keep honing their respective crafts.
