Naman Shrestha
Directed by Farah White, Lifetime’s ‘My Landlord Wants Me Dead’ (originally titled ‘Landlord From Hell’) is a mystery thriller movie that follows Madeline who drops out of college and loses her job as well. With nothing going right in her life, she decides to take help from her Aunt Grace. Soon, she starts living with her in a remote ranch house that doesn’t only have picturesque views but also a charming neighbor. However, all this seems too good to be true to her until a chain of horrifying events starts unfolding regularly.
In order to keep her aunt from harm, Madeline takes the responsibility to get to the bottom of these events but little does she know that she herself is in grave danger. The impressive onscreen performances by a talented ensemble cast, comprising Emily Roslyn Villarreal, Roy Abramsohn, Anzu Lawson, and Joey Heyworth, enhance the narrative even more. Meanwhile, the realistic themes and subjects, including a secluded location and the eeriness surrounding such places, portrayed in the movie are likely to make you question if the thriller is actually derived from a true story or not. Well, let us explore the same and find out, shall we?
My Landlord Wants Me Dead is an Original Screenplay
No, ‘My Landlord Wants Me Dead’ is not based on a true story. However, the gripping story is the product of the creative mind and brilliant writing of the Asian-American screenwriter, Richard Dane Scott. Previously, he has worked as a writer for many productions, including ‘My Dog the Champion,’ ‘The Adventures of Pepper and Paula,’ ‘The Conway Curve,’ and is currently one of the writers of ‘5th Ward.’ So, thanks to all the experience under his belt, he was able to come up with the suspenseful and enthralling screenplay for the Lifetime thriller.
The reason why many of you might wonder if this mystery movie is rooted in reality or not is because of the fact that it highlights certain familiar themes and elements, such as a cruel landlord and an isolated ranch house, which combine to make for a recipe for disaster. You may feel that way as similar subjects have been tackled by many movies and TV shows over the years. One of the aptest examples has to be that of ‘The Resident.’
Directed by Antti Jokinen, ‘The Resident’ is a 2011 thriller movie that is about a single woman named Juliet Devereau, portrayed by Hilary Swank, who moves into an apartment on rent in New York City. Sooner rather than later, she feels that she is being stalked and watched by someone. She finds himself attracted to the charming and lonely landlord named Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), only to find him becoming obsessed with her. So, as you can see, there are many parallels between the two movies in question, as far as certain themes are concerned. Apart from that, even the character of Juliet from ‘The Resident’ is similar to Madeline from ‘My Landlord Wants Me Dead’ in numerous ways.
Moreover, another reason for you to think about the Lifetime movie’s authenticity is that such instances also occur in real life. So, if we take all the above-mentioned factors into account, we think it would be fair to say that even though certain elements have some connections to reality, ‘My Landlord Wants Me Dead’ is not rooted in reality.
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