From 2001 Maniacs to the Insidious Franchise, I think it’s safe to say that Lin Shaye has all but cemented her status as a (if not the) matriarch of horror. With over 80 films under her belt, it’s not just her talents that make her stand out but also a genuine love for movies that results in her joining even the most modest of productions. With that in mind, director Tommy Stovall was fortunate enough to have Shaye front and center in his latest slow-burn thriller, Room for Rent.

Shaye stars as Joyce, a recently widowed elderly woman who decides to rent out a room in her house once she finds herself strapped for cash. While her responsibilities as a host result in a renewed passion for life, not to mention a budding friendship with the young writer Sarah, played by Valeska Miller, things become complicated once Joyce takes in the mysterious drifter Bob (Oliver Rayon). Lonely and slightly unhinged, Joyce becomes obsessed with the company of her new tenant, willing to go to any lengths in order to preserve her newfound “relationship”.

At its best, Room for Rent is a deranged character study reminiscent of films like Lucky McKey’s May, where a misguided yet sympathetic main character, either through nature or nurture, is ultimately driven to do the unthinkable. While Joyce starts out as a seemingly lovable old lady who’s just been bullied too far, she discovers her darker side once she’s left to her own devices, inciting a tragic spiral into madness. While this sounds like a solid premise on paper, especially with such an accomplished leading lady, it’s a shame that the rest of the film doesn’t quite live up to the original idea.

Many of my gripes with the movie can actually be explained by the limited budget, so I won’t go into detail on some of the sub-par performances or the overall lack of production value, but there’s really no excusing dull direction and a lazy script that isn’t willing to have fun with a decent premise. Several interesting and even horrific situations are hinted at, but the film never quite goes far enough, and there aren’t that many surprises here as the story lazily drifts towards an appropriately dark but predictable conclusion.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy how the film limited the amount of backstory on our main characters throughout the majority of the runtime. Even when we’re told of significant events, we’re always left wondering just how much of that really happened due to the main character’s unreliable nature. Shaye herself is constantly captivating, and you have to give her props for managing to successfully sell the creepy grandmother vibe, it’s just a shame that most of her interactions are held with cardboard cut-outs instead of legitimate characters.

There’s nothing outrageously wrong with Room for Rent, as the film is at the very least competent in most areas, and Stovall does manage to present us with a few good ideas here and there, it’s just that the end result is quite unremarkable. In all honesty, the movie feels like a waste of a good protagonist, lacking the passion that could have turned this into a memorable feature. I’d only recommend this one to die-hard Lin Shaye fans, though, considering her vast repertoire, I’m sure you could find better thrillers to choose from.

Room for Rent will be available in select theaters on May 3rd, and will then be released on VOD platforms May 7th!