The Landlord is an innovative indie flick from the minds of the dudes over at Massive Ego Productions, which, as far as I can tell, is based out of Chicago, Illinois. The film chronicles the unsatisfying life of a dude named Tyler, who just happens to have inherited a terrible a curse. Poor Tyler must feed the demons that live in his brownstone apartment… which leads to all sorts of pain in the ass shit. The cops show up, his sister’s deal with some zombie/vampire dudes makes things even worse, and his new tenant needs an abortion and a place to hide from her psycho ex-husband. Add to this the fact that one of the demons keeps snagging his credit card and buying pewter dragons and home jerky makers and you’ve got a recipe for Quirky Indie Pie. It’s an innovative story rife with moments of glorious dark humor.

In practicality, The Landlord is a solid low-budget flick. It features all the pitfalls and high points of your typical indie flick. The special effects are at times not so impressive and at other times downright solid. The imagery isn’t as rich and detailed as mainstream films, but the simplicity allows everyone to focus on their craft. The look of the film isn’t always up to code, but the film features more originality than most films. It’s this type of give and trade that makes the indie horror flick so interesting to watch.

Emil Hyde, the director behind The Landlord, crafts a film that is sure to please diehard indie horror fans. For most others, this flick may fit in a little too much of a niche. The first half of the film is stellar, and Hyde ramps the pace up fast as hell, while plumping up the enjoyment factor with some solid hilarious moments. As with most indie pics, the film runs a little too long, and Hyde is unable to keep up the pace of the film as extraneous subplots, which are sometimes amusing, drag the film down and distract from the main conflict within the film. Hyde does an excellent job of telling the main story and making it work, but his attempt to give the film more of a scope by adding subplots and some random characters brings the film down a peg. Also, in the second half, the humor in the film dries up quicker than a girl’s snatch when you whip it out and it’s dripping green shit like a bottle of green Tabasco sauce.

The cast is standard-issue low-budget fare, meaning that some of the actors do extremely well and others wouldn’t be fit to cast on a cable access TV show. Derek Dziak, the star of the film, is outstanding as the beer-swilling, demon-slave named Tyler. Dziak delivers some awesome moments of deadpan humor, and he is easily the most likeable person in the film. Rom Barkhordar, who plays the demon Rabisu, gives an absolutely hilarious performance. He plays a demon with the goofy naiveté of one who might be mentally challenged. The rest of the cast is largely forgettable.

The special effects are odd for a low-budget flick. Usually, the practical effects within a low-budget horror flick come off better than the CGI. In The Landlord, it actually turns out the other way. The practical effects include a bevy of rubbery looking limbs, poorly-crafted wounds, and a whole lot of fake-looking blood; it’s not going to break the movie, but it could definitely be improved. The CGI in the film is actually pretty impressive, and even though it’s not Hollywood blockbuster quality, it actually adds to the film as demons disappear and reappear throughout the film and there is a killer demon battle near the end of the film.

The Landlord may not appeal to a large segment of the moviegoing population, but for those who are interested in low-budget horror, with a comedic flare, The Landlord delivers up some nice slices of indie pie. If you can digest the flaws and pay attention to the positives without too much trouble, The Landlord can make for a fine evening of horrortainment.

Final Synopsis: The Landlord is only for indie horror fans. It takes an acquired taste to enjoy the wackiness of the film while forgiving its flaws, but for those that can the film is definitely worth seeking out.

Points Lost: -1 for poor practical effects, -1 for losing the humor in the second half, -1 for subplots that don’t necessarily add anything to the film, -1 for some bad acting

Lesson Learned: Demons love shopping from home.

Burning Question: Where’d that bitch come from at the end of the movie?

The Landlord
6/10

Tags: 2009, demon, demons, derek dziak, emil hyde, horror, horror comedy, indie, latest movie review, low-budget, New Independent Film Reviews, new independent movie reviews, recent2, rom barkhordar, supernatural