Watch out, here comes the intruder, folks. The cut-rate thriller and horror film has proved itself to be one of the most dependable and consistent of genres in the modern market. The dominator of this field continues to be Blumhouse Productions, kickstarted in 2009 with “Paranormal Activity.” Yet, another significant studio that has contributed to this trend is the ever-dependable Screen Gems, whose lineage of modest horror and thriller precedes that of Blumhouse. In recent years, films such as “No Good Deed,” “Don’t Breathe,” and “Slender Man“ – alongside franchise extensions of “Underworld” and “Resident Evil” -have raked in extraordinary gross from low budgets. Are these assuredly high-quality films? With the exploitive exception of “Don’t Breathe,” absolutely not, but the abundance of these sort of films make it clear that the market today is more concerned with quantity over quality.
Screen Gems’ next film is a continuation of their formula: the psychological thriller “The Intruder.” The synopsis reads:
A young married couple buys their dream house in Napa Valley, unaware that the previous owner has a deadly plan to get his property back.
With a storyline fit for a cheap paperback, the film stars the once-marquee name of Dennis Quaid, who seems to have retreated into low-budget fare in recent years. Alongside him are the reliable talents of Michael Ealy, whose dabbling in TV and low-budget thriller makes him a regular for such a role, and Meagan Good, who has made a name for herself as a modern Scream Queen.
Directed by Deon Taylor (“Traffik,” “Supremacy,” “Meet The Blacks“), this film could end up a sleeper hit like the rest of Screen Gems’ oeuvre. Yet the questions remains if it will transcend the generic expectations attached and be something extraordinary, or end up another title to be picked up at the gas station. Taylor’s previous work doesn’t give much hope, as his filmography is permeated by straight-to-VOD horror. Yet his recent works, disregarding the Mike Epps-led, “The Purge”–parody of “Meet The Blacks,” have shown a glimmer of promise in high-tension filmmaking. Perhaps with “The Intruder,” Taylor’s filmic intentions will become fully-formed.
“The Intruder” will be released on April 29, 2019.