The Wrong Tenant
Home is where the harm is
A couple unwittingly rent out their spare room to the home's previous owner.
Summary
The Wrong Tenant (2022) is a domestic thriller about a couple who decide to rent out a spare room in their home, expecting the arrangement to provide some extra income and perhaps a fresh start. Their seemingly ordinary choice takes an unsettling turn when they discover that the person they have welcomed into their house is the property’s former owner. What initially looks like an unusual coincidence gradually becomes a source of suspicion, as the tenant’s familiarity with the home, its history, and the couple’s private routines begins to feel increasingly intrusive. As the couple tries to understand their lodger’s motives, everyday domestic details become charged with menace. The home, which should represent comfort and security, turns into a contested space where boundaries are blurred and trust is constantly tested. The story builds its tension through the contrast between the couple’s desire to remain welcoming and rational and their growing sense that something about their tenant is deeply wrong. At the center are the homeowners, whose relationship is strained by the pressures of sharing their personal space with a stranger, and the former owner, whose connection to the house gives the character an unnerving psychological advantage. The film explores themes of privacy, property, manipulation, and the danger of assuming that someone familiar with a place can be trusted. It also plays on the fear that a home’s past may not stay buried—and that the person who knows the house best may be the least willing to let it go.
