Don’t Let Her In is like a mash-up of Single White Female, Rosemary’s Baby, and your average Witchcraft sequel. Amber (Kelly Curran) and Ben (Cole Pendery) get more than they bargained for when they accept Serena (Lorin Doctor) into their apartment as their new roommate. At first all her New Agey crystals, knickknacks, and chanting seem cute, but before long, she reveals herself to be a witch that turns into a demon while having sex. Eventually, Amber discovers she’s pregnant and predictably, Serena has sinister plans for the unborn baby.
Written and directed with great efficiency by Ted (Subspecies) Nicolaou, Don’t Let Her In is only an hour long and moves right along like gangbusters. He has a slick, workmanlike style that isn’t obtrusive to the narrative. The script may be a tad predictable (not to mention derivative), but it hits all its marks, and the plot has no fat on it whatsoever. That means we don’t have to suffer through any useless subplots, superfluous scenes, or extraneous characters. When you strip a horror/thriller of that kind of baggage, you’ll be surprised just how well it works without all that excess nonsense to bog things down. Although the ending is unceremoniously abrupt (and feels like a set-up for a sequel), it’s a relatively minor quibble in the long run.
The casting certainly helps to mask any flaws the story may have. Doctor (who kind of looks like Morena Baccarin’s evil twin) is an enchanting (no pun intended) presence as slinky, witchy roommate from Hell. She’s just as much fun to watch when she’s talking in tongues and writhing out incantations as she is seducing the hapless couple. Curran (who resembles a mash-up of Elizabeth Banks and Drew Barrymore) is a perfect foil for Doctor as her innocent beauty and overall wholesomeness makes for an ideal leading lady.
In short, let Don’t Let Her In into your Tubi watchlist.
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