The Occupant – Netflix Review (4/5)

THE OCCUPANT is a new Netflix thriller from Spain (org. title Hogar). If you’re in the mood for a creepy psychological thriller, then this is it. Read our full The Occupant review here!

The Occupant is a new Netflix movie that should satisfy a lot of viewers. The movie is from Spain and the genre is a thriller. However, it’s very dark and does feel almost more like a psychological horror movie at times. The “Stalker” premise certainly is used quite a lot in horror movies as well.

We are already huge fans of Spanish genre movies, so obviously, we went into this with pretty great expectations. Maybe they weren’t all met (it is a bit too long), but we are definitely recommending this Netflix addition.

Continue reading our The Occupant review below.

A lot of familiar faces

The casting of the Netflix movie The Occupant is more than enough reason to watch it. If you’ve watched some of the other awesome Spanish genre movies in recent years, then you can’t help but recognize many of the actors in this.

The lead character Javier Muñoz is portrayed by Javier Gutiérrez. He is one of those actors that can come across as an Average Joe. However, with the smallest of changes in his demeanor, he suddenly becomes a raving lunatic in front of you. Oh yes, I do like Javier Gutiérrez.

You should recognize Javier Gutiérrez if you’ve watched the sci-fi thriller Mirage on Netflix. Also, he played the title role in El autor (2017) and was in the crime horror movie Marshland (2014). All of them are worth watching.

You might like: Our review of the Netflix movie Mirage here >

Another familiar face is Mario Casas who plays Tomás. He’s been in quite a lot of both TV series and movies. Including the crazy horror-comedy El bar (2017).  Also in the cast is Ruth Díaz who you should recognize if you’ve watched the prison series Vis a vis (or Locked Up) on Netflix.

The ending of The Occupant on Netflix

Yet again, this is not an “ending explained” bit for The Occupant on Netflix since we don’t do spoilers in reviews. We do “explained”-pieces here and this Netflix movie doesn’t really require one.

Instead, I wanted to talk about The Occupant ending in terms of how good it is!

When The Occupant ending comes around, you may have already guessed where things are heading. Still, the ride there is a lot of fun. Yes, it is a slow-burner, so you need to prepare for that. However, the fact that it’s a slow-burner and maybe a good ten minutes too long, just means the shock value is greater at times.

And yes, there are some very shocking moments during this new stalker thriller on Netflix. In many different ways! Unless you’re very curious (I often am myself), then try to avoid the trailer playing on Netflix since it does have several spoilers. The less you know, the better the ending of The Occupant will come across!

Watch The Occupant on Netflix now!

The Occupant (org. title Hogar) is written and directed by David Pastor and Àlex Pastor. The two previously wrote and directed the horror-drama Carriers from 2009. It starred Chris Pine and Piper Perabo and is extremely relevant in these Coronavirus days. Do check it out if you can find it.

Also, Àlex Pastor and David Pastor wrote the sci-fi mystery Self/less (2015) which starred Ryan Reynolds and was directed by Tarsam Singh. In other words, this duo is really good at coming up with plots for genre movies. The Occupant on Netflix is no exception, which I hope has come across in this review.

If you like stalker thrillers – and enjoy a slow-burn plot focused on its characters – then be sure to check out The Occupant on Netflix. It’s a creepy tale that just might seem more familiar than you’ll like!

The Occupant is out on Netflix globally from March 25, 2020.

Details

Directors: David Pastor, Àlex Pastor
Writers: Àlex Pastor, David Pastor
Stars: Javier Gutiérrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusí, Ruth Díaz, David Selvas