A lonely widow decides to rent out her spare rooms to get out of some financial trouble left to her by her late husband. She eventually rents a room to a drifter who may have a shady past.

Room for Rent opens with an unknown tragedy and we meet Joyce (Lin Shaye), the now widowed woman. As she tries to cope with her loss as well as the mounting challenges presented due to questionable dealings of her late husband, she drifts towards romantic novels as an escape. Once her financial troubles start to reach a tipping point, she decides to BnB her extra rooms out (the films version of Airbnb). Her first guests are Sarah (Valeska Miller) and Edward (Casey Price). Joyce and Sarah take to each other and form a bond that is present throughout the movie while Edward is abrasive. As the story continues, we start to notice through letters between the two women that Joyce is embellishing her current situation but it isn’t until we meet Bob (Oliver Rayon) that things start to really feel out of place.

Right from the start, you can’t help but feel sorry for Joyce. In large part due to Lin Shaye (Insidious), she is able to convey that vulnerability while maintaining the mask that everything is fine. Even as her character starts to head down a darker path, you still feel for her. With Sarah and Bob also playing larger parts in this story, it’s a shame that they aren’t given that same care and attention as Joyce and as such Valeska (First List) and Oliver (Workaholics) do well enough in their roles.

Director Tommy Stovall does well with building a sense that something is bad is going to happen. Though the sound was a bit uneven, it didn’t affect the overall experience. And the shots were well done and consistent. There was one thing that really stood out in this film, all the characters had backstories. Things would be mentioned in passing or small details were shown without going into detail or explanations. Joyce may have been abused by her late husband, Bob might be on the run but we don’t know for sure. This all helps paint a picture of these people past without being obvious and heavy-handed while leaving some stuff open to interpretation.

Room for Rent sits is one of those films that the less you know about it going in the better. With a strong performance from Lin Shaye and a well-done script, it stands as a good thriller. Though it never really elevates any higher than good. Just keep in mind that if you go into this expecting horror and gore, you’ll be disappointed.