Why So Blu?

Cinema Wasteland ’09 – The Landlord on Blu-ray

One of the perks of attending the Cinema Wasteland mini-convention in Strongsville, Ohio, besides the convenient locale for me, is being able to discuss various horror projects with their creators.  Of the several attendees at this past autumn’s gathering, Director Emil Hyde was on hand to promote and discuss his latest work, The Landlord. 

Billed as a comedic horror, or horror comedy as some may see it, The Landlord is a cleverly crafted story about, well, a landlord (imagine that!) named Tyler who has a revolving door of tenants leasing out his building.  Why the revolving door?  When you have 5,000-year old Sumerian demons living in your basement who feed on human flesh, what else is there to do but fulfill their demands? 

Tyler is pretty much at the demons’ beckon call, but things change when one certain female rents the upstairs space.  Tyler would rather not have the green-skinned baddie and his dog-faced counterpart indulging themselves in the innards of his new-found renter.  Throw a few neck-hungry ghouls in the mix and you’ve got yourself a supernatural mess!  Deals get made, demons get pissed, Tyler’s sister is a hot, corrupt cop…you know the drill. 

The acting is sub-par (and volunteered) and the production team did their best on a low budget with the special effects.  Don’t go into this thinking you’re about to watch Avatar-esque CGI.  This film has a consistent flow and its humor will earn some honest laughs here and there.  The disc even included some impressive extras, such as a commentary, deleted scenes, a short production bit, and even a watch-along drinking game. 

If you are a fan of low budget films, I say go for it and secure your copy of The Landlord today.  If you don’t like it, don’t blame me.  Opinions are like…okay, you get the idea.  I did want to offer a little heads-up though.  I’m not sure if the disc I received was flawed or what, but I encountered some mildly distracting horizontal lines along with a shadowy trailing effect that followed people at times when they moved about.  I’m betting it is a production or transfer issue, but again, this isn’t a big budget Hollywood release so keep that in mind.  

If you’re curiosity is peaked, feel free to stop by the film’s official website at www.thelandlordmovie.com for more information.  Oh, and please pay your rent on time, will ya?