Shadows, Sweat, and the Quiet Violence of Ownership

Read Time:5 Minute, 27 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
LandLord
–

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Social Commentary
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director(s): Remington Smith
Writer(s): Remington Smith
Cast: Adama Abramson, Cohen James Cooper, William McKinney, Lance Gerard, J. Barrett Cooper, Patrick Mitchell, Melissa Combs, Meredith Frankie Crutcher, Clyde Tyrone Harper
Where to Watch: shown at the 2025 Grimmfest and Nightmares Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: When horror uses reality as its foundation, the results can be devastatingly effective. LANDLORD leans on that principle—weaponizing the all-too-familiar power imbalance between tenant and property owner—and gives it literal teeth. Set in a sweltering, rundown apartment complex that feels like it's decaying in real time, the story centers on a bounty hunter who arrives to collect a stolen briefcase, only to find herself entangled in a far darker kind of transaction. Her unexpected ally is a young boy named Alex, orphaned when his mother falls victim to an attack from a “landlord”. A premise that practically bleeds irony, fusing folklore with financial predation.

Remington Smith’s debut feature walks a fascinating line between realism and horror fantasy. His background in documentary filmmaking shows in every crumbling wall, flickering light, and long, suffocating shot of still air. There’s a rage beneath the film’s surface, born from lived experience rather than borrowed outrage. Smith doesn’t sensationalize poverty or exploitation; he frames them as parts of a system that feeds on people until they have nothing left to give. The vampire just happens to make that metaphor literal.

Adama Abramson’s performance as the bounty hunter is grounded. There’s no wide-eyed disbelief when the supernatural aspects enter the frame—just exhaustion and determination. She plays her character as someone who’s seen too much already, who understands that monsters often wear expensive shoes and own property deeds. In contrast, Cohen James Cooper’s Alex represents the vulnerability that poverty breeds—a child forced to grow up fast, clinging to revenge as a kind of inheritance. Their bond becomes the emotional backbone of the film, even when the world around them seems intent on collapsing.

William McKinney gives the landlord a Southern Gothic menace, walking the line between human greed and undead hunger. His performance is unnerving precisely because it never crosses into cartoonish villainy. He’s a bureaucrat of bloodsucking, enforcing rules of ownership with the dead-eyed calm of someone who’s done this for centuries. The script gives him moments of chilling subtlety—he doesn’t hiss or roar, he smiles and reminds you of your late fees.

The film’s social commentary is direct but not moralistic. It doesn’t stop to lecture the audience about systemic exploitation; it simply lets the setting speak for itself. The bounty hunter’s mission to recover a stolen briefcase becomes a symbolic chase for autonomy. The ownership of the building feels like an indictment of every system that values property more than people. It’s not subtle—but subtlety isn’t the goal here. LANDLORD wants to provoke, to make you think about who holds power and why.

The film bears the marks of a first-time feature, but it uses its limitations wisely. The budgetary constraints never feel like shortcuts—they feel like choices. Rather than attempt flashy effects or elaborate lore, Smith keeps the terror small, personal, and grounded. The makeup work is restrained but effective, and the few glimpses of the true nature of what we are seeing are timed for maximum unease. The film’s best scare doesn’t come from a jump; it comes from a quiet conversation about ownership, where every word feels like a veiled threat.

LANDLORD joins a growing wave of socially aware horror films that use genre as a mirror and magnifier that turn social structures into literal monsters. But what separates this film from those is its texture. It’s distinctly American in its sense of place, and there’s a raw truth to how these environments are captured, suggesting Smith knows them not from research but from memory.

The finale is less about triumph and more about endurance. No one walks away unscarred, but that’s part of the film’s message: survival isn’t clean, and liberation doesn’t come cheap. The horror doesn’t end when the sun rises; it changes form. It becomes paperwork, eviction notices, and the quiet resignation of another day spent under someone else’s roof.

Smith has created a work that feels like the beginning of a distinct voice in independent horror—a filmmaker more interested in using genre as social architecture than as spectacle. LANDLORD is grim, sincere, and full of purpose. It doesn’t reach the level of precision of more seasoned genre directors, but it leaves a mark because it’s personal. The flaws are human, and it's the humanity that makes it memorable.

This debut earns respect and lingers longer than expected. Like its central metaphor, LANDLORD takes root and drains slowly—not of life, but of complacency. It reminds us that monsters aren’t born in the dark; they’re written into the contracts we never bother to read.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of FILMSMITH PRODUCTIONS]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support in navigating these links.