Inhabitants sounds like a good old fashioned haunted house story. Olivia (Anna Jacoby, Heron, Stranger Things) and her boyfriend Francis (Josh Andres Rivera, American Sports Story) have just moved in together. He is a lapsed Catholic while she believes in…the power of rocks? Before long their two beliefs come into conflict as an avenging spirit from the past begins visiting them.
It is a straightforward setup that lends itself to some easy scares. Matt McClung makes great use of shadows. There are a number of moments that will have the audience scanning rooms in preparation for something to leap out of the darkness. This is especially impressive since there is a lack of gore as exposition plays a bigger role.
It is unfortunate that the missteps are even more noticeable. There is a surprising lack of tension in the film. Francis receives some graphic postcards from his mother and there is a subplot involving Francis and her family, but nothing puts viewers on edge. Inhabitants is a horror movie first and foremost, and even in its most terrifying moments, the stakes never seem to be that high.
This is partially due to Olivia. She is woefully underdeveloped. Her relationship with her family has no effect on the actual plot. What makes this so odd is Inhabitants makes takes time to point out how creepy they are. The lack of payoff is disappointing since it leaves more questions than answers. When the writing does take the time to give Olivia more depth, it is even worse. She painted in an unflattering light. She is not open-minded at all when it comes to Francis and even throws away a harmless letter from his mother.
Even stranger is how little time is spent explaining what she believes in. We know she is into the energy one can get from stones, but that is it. Based on a comment she makes to her new boss at the crystal shop she just got hired at, it seems like it is something she just did on a whim. Her own reason is “it works for her.” There is no deeper meaning aside from the plot requiring it.
But then Inhabitants throws in a strange twist towards the end that makes what Olivia does pointless. The target is Francis (honestly, it is hard to find fault with the ghost’s reasoning) and she just happens to be there. The movie has its moments and would have been fine as a haunted house story with a religious aspect. It is essentially a case of too much going on.
Inhabitants releases February 14.
