PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Remington Smith’s LandLord took me on a ride that I was afraid of at first. Outside of Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931), I don’t really dig too many vampire movies. This includes The Lost Boys and all other staples. The creep factor was not there because you could not relate the ghoul to anything else. I mean, come on, look at the Twilight series, (don’t burn me at the stake). For the most part, LandLord kept me captivated throughout the film.
Let’s get into the review.
Synopsis
It’s high summer at a rundown apartment complex when a Black bounty hunter with no name (newcomer Adama Abramson) arrives to retrieve a stolen briefcase. An orphaned boy named Alex (Cohen James Cooper) interrupts her search, and she finds herself protecting him from the white vampire landlord (William McKinney)—per vampire lore, he doesn’t need permission to enter a home he already owns. After the undead man kills his mother, Alex swears revenge and they must work together to confront the vampire, his familiar Christopher (Lance Gerard), and Sheriff Connor (J. Barrett Cooper).
LandLord starts strong, within 30 seconds, you know it is going to be a halfway decent movie, which turns out great after you watch it. It’s such an original idea. It left out werewolf armies that didn’t make sense. It also saved me from another boring movie. Landlord is the type of film that grabs your attention right away, and although the film is full of dialogue, it is delivered sporadically. The film draws you in with the “What happens next?” context. The dark setting is foreboding in the first place. You know what is going to happen, or so you think. The film ran with a scenario that could actually happen in reality, not saying vampires exist. Though you could throw the story together quickly, the action scenes keep you waiting little by little.
The background reminds me of a motel that you could find in any town full of local addicts. These shady places are created for horror movies. Taking inspiration from Psycho and running with it. You could feel the passion yourself while you are on the edge of your seat. LandLord will always be welcome in my home. I mean the movie part anyway, not a vampire landlord. Oops… Well, you can figure this out pretty easily. However, the film is full of pieces that scream out in From Dusk Til’ Dawn, keeping your attention at by, waiting for the next twist, or violence you could feel comfortable watching. There were, however, several jump scares that actually got me once or twice.
In the end, I enjoyed this film a lot. Though it wasn’t my style, it still earned a place in my heart. I couldn’t be more surprised by the outcome. Maybe it was the fact that the movie was not two and a half hours of boredom. Vampire films have a certain standard to give the full effect, and that art died in the 90’s. I am glad someone brought the true idea back.
LandLord screens at Another Hole in the Head Film Festival at the following time:
Sunday, December 7, 2025 8:00 PM PST — Balboa Theater Auditorium 2
