The Rental

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The Rental

R

Released Jul 24, 2020

1h 28m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

198 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Two couples on an oceanside getaway grow suspicious that the host of their seemingly perfect rental house may be spying on them. Before long, what should have been a celebratory weekend trip turns into something far more sinister.

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Critics Consensus

Some tricky genre juggling makes The Rental a bit of a fixer-upper, but effective chills and a solid cast make this a fine destination for horror fans.

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Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Delivering solid thrills and an ugly portrait of disintegrating relationships, The Rental is a clever meld of drama and horror.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 28, 2021

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Billed as an indie slasher, it works even better as a wickedly unsympathetic chamber piece.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 21, 2021

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It's pretty basic boilerplate, scary-movie stuff, with tropes and tricks that have already been extensively satirised elsewhere.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 20, 2021

Full Review

Brandon Stanwyck

InSession Film

If Dave Franco is indeed determined to keep directing—and if each picture manages to be slightly better than the last—then by his fifth or sixth film he’ll surely churn out something noteworthy...

Rated: C-

Jul 17, 2024

Full Review

William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

Restrained and patient, The Rental has glimmers of potential without ever becoming the memorable, intelligent horror it seems to want to be.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 11, 2024

Full Review

Yasmine Kandil

Discussing Film

Dave Franco’s directorial debut is strong and offers a promising future. As an actor himself, he is able to direct in a way that elevates the performances as very naturalistic.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

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Alice V

THANK YOU "horror" movie for avoiding all the tedious tropes... the endless sneaking, creaking, supposed suspense of drawn-out cliches -- NO HIDING CULPRITS LURKING WITH TIME-BOMB MUSIC AS POTENTIAL VICTIMS GO BLITHELY ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS! NO HIDE-AND-SLASH IN WEIRD INDUSTRIAL AND OTHER ABANDONED SETTINGS! NO CHASE SCENES! The killer bluntly dispatches the characters without toying with the audience... the only toying is that you're trying to make sense of the plot (the owner? one of the jilted ex-girlfriends?) but it's just some crazy outlier who moves on to the next rental -- and you never see his face. RENTING? YOU COULD BE NEXT. Very refreshing!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/25

Full Review

David F

This is a nice, simple, little horror film about a group of friends who rent a beach house for a couple of days and end up misbehaving, fighting, and wondering if the caretaker of the house they’re staying at is filming them. The plot here is very clever, and the suspense and mysteries deepen at a nice pace. This is a really of-the-moment thriller and the interplay between the secrets and lies of the group and the potential outside threat creates some really exciting and novel cinematic situations. This is a fresh horror movie about renting houses from strangers that will make you think twice about your next weekend getaway.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

Sahil S

The movie was engaging but predictable. The ending was intriguing, showing what was happening, but it was frustrating not to see who was committing the murders. A missed opportunity for a stronger finish.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

Ron C

Stupid, unresolved ending! Who put up money for this!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

Full Review

Jeff M

Loved it. This movie does a great job in building believable characters with an almost too real premise. There's some work at subverting expectations and the pacing felt perfect. If you only like Jason movies because you only want to see supernatural kills instead of realism, this isn't for you. Not every horror needs gratuitous gore to be creepy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

Marina G

HORRIBLE MOVIE. Wasted an hour and 28 minutes of my life that I will never get back, absolutely no climax, or plot, or any thrills. Very boring, the movie started the last 5 minutes, save your time.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

Full Review

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The Rental: Trailer 1

1:56

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Synopsis

Two couples on an oceanside getaway grow suspicious that the host of their seemingly perfect rental house may be spying on them. Before long, what should have been a celebratory weekend trip turns into something far more sinister.

Director: Dave Franco
Producer: Dave Franco, Elizabeth Haggard, Teddy Schwarzman, Ben Stillman, Christopher Storer, Joe Swanberg
Screenwriter: Dave Franco, Joe Swanberg
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Black Bear Pictures
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Some Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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