Summary
The film is not particularly special but it does invoke this feeling of induced paranoia and a spiralling mystery.
The Current Occupant is designed to make the viewer question reality. Is the lead character really the President of the USA, wedged in a mysterious psychiatric ward, or is he just a deluded man with the asylum staff playing along with his delusions? You will switch your choices at least a few times before making an ultimate decision.
Being a chapter of Into the Dark means nothing is ever simple but this is the first film they have released in this series that is not predictable at least. The Current Occupant keeps you at bay until the very end as the leading character is put through a series of tests as he battles with his mind.
The film is not particularly special but it does invoke this feeling of induced paranoia and a spiraling mystery. The horror is the reason to ‘find a purpose’ and to believe one’s mind. It’s the type of thriller that lasts the runtime by purely keeping the mystery at bay until the dying embers. Running at a healthy 85 minutes, you cannot grumble or assume time has been wasted.
The conclusion to the story is not particularly special or clever but there is an emotional angle and a reason the man is in the mental asylum that keeps the viewers engaged. For a series that keeps offering duds, this is the first time it’s had a run of two good ratings by Ready Steady Cut. Maybe it’s on an upward trajectory? Hopefully it is, because I’ve often believed that Into the Dark can be a better, deserving series — The Current Occupant is at the top of the pile.
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