The Resident

Like ‘Paranormal Activity’, this creepy psychological thriller taps in to fears about invasions of our private space. But the threat here is tangible rather than supernatural. Still raw from her husband’s betrayal, ER surgeon Dr Juliet Devereau (Hilary Swank, pictured) moves into a new apartment in Brooklyn. The low rent and charming landlord, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), both seem too good to be true, and so it proves. Max is soon ogling her though spyholes as she bathes and creeping around her bedroom while she sleeps. When Juliet’s ex reappears, Max’s sexual and physical threats escalate, forcing her to defend herself with smart thinking and a nail-gun.

Finnish director Antti Jokinen makes effective use of CCTV security footage captured on motion-sensitive cameras that the suspicious Juliet instals; Swank is typically credible as a confident yet vulnerable professional woman; and Morgan is subtly convincing as the insinuating Max. Sadly, Christopher Lee – in his first Hammer movie for 30-plus years – is wasted as Max’s crotchety grandfather.