Deadbolt – Tubi Review (2/5)

DEADBOLT on Tubi is a new horror-thriller full of mystery and mind games. Gorgeous production quality, solid acting, and great characters. It is, however, a bit too slow in its build-up. Read our full Deadbolt movie review here!

DEADBOLT is a new Tubi Original. It’s a horror thriller, but for the longest time, mystery is the driving force. As in, we have no idea exactly what’s going on or where the danger is. In that sense, we’re right next to the lead character, who even doubts her own sanity.

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Of course, this also means we can’t feel safe with what we’re seeing as it’s her experience of the world. Lots of mind games and intriguing characters make it work, even when the story is very slow-burn.

Continue reading our Deadbolt movie review below. Find it on Tubi from May 11, 2024.

Starting over in a strange house

The core concept of moving into a strange house with a roommate who is essentially also a stranger is perfect for a horror movie. We, the audience, get to know both the new house and roommate along with the main character, which is very intriguing.

Amelia (Rebecca Liddiard) is the main protagonist seeking a fresh start. Overcoming a bad relationship and battling with anxiety, she ends up living in a house that may be haunted or possibly a crime happened. The previous tenant has gone missing and no one is sure what happened.

Also, she loses track of where her medication is and we’re often reminded that she needs to take it or she will hallucinate. It’s an obvious ploy to keep us wondering if what she’s experiencing is real or not.

Lots of mind games

Amelia’s new roommate, Melinda (Camille Stopps) is a very free spirit. A bohemian type, who thinks hipsters and gentrification are a good thing. Also, Melinda is the type who is very touchy-feely and in the face of her new roommate. In a loving way, but one that also completely disregards Amelia’s need for personal space.

Melinda feels confident that the previous roommate just left of her own accord, which means the idea of the house being haunted is prevalent. However, the house also has a serious rat problem, which could explain many of the strange noises.

We also meet the strange neighbors where the husband, Bruno (Bill MacDonald) is always looking for his cat, and the wife, Karla (Kyra Harper), is constantly looking for Bruno. He has dementia and always wanders off.

Also, there’s Amelia’s ex-boyfriend, Colin (Joey Belfiore), Melinda’s on-off boyfriend, Mark (Thomas Duplessie), and the man, Amelia meets on the day she moves in, David (Jamie Spielchuk).

Lots of people you can suspect but also the constant reminder that maybe Amelia can’t trust her own eyes and ears. But yes, all will be explained in the end, so the Deadbolt ending is very satisfying in that sense. Even if you’ve guessed the ending up front (and you probably will have certain suspicions early on).

Watch Deadbolt on Tubi now!

Deadbolt is directed by Mars Horodyski, who also directed the Apple TV+ series Ghostwriter. The writer of Deadbolt is Michael Rinaldi, who also wrote the Tubi Original Meet the Killer Parents (2024).

It’s a MarVista production, and they often make the classic Lifetime or Hallmark movies. However, we’ve also seen quite a lot of thrillers on Netflix and now Tubi from MarVista. Some are not good, most are okay, while a few are actually good.

For Deadbolt, the production quality is definitely impressive as in the acting. However, you need to be patient with this Tubi horror thriller and maybe you’ll guess some of the plot twists. Still, it makes for a quite entertaining watch, so do check it out if you’re intrigued.

Deadbolt is the kind of movie that we’d give a solid 2½ out of 5, but as we don’t do half-ratings here, it’s getting a 2 out of 5. It’s the predictability of the story that keeps us from going higher, but it is worth watching!

Deadbolt is out on Tubi from May 11, 2024.

Details

Director: Mars Horodyski
Writer: Michael Rinaldi
Stars: Rebecca Liddiard, Camille Stopps, Jamie Spilchuk, Kyra Harper