The Tenant (1976)

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A quiet and inconspicuous man (Trelkovsky) rents an apartment in France where the previous tenant committed suicide...

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Directed By: Roman Polanski

Written By: Roman Polanski, Gérard Brach

Starring: Shelley Winters, Roman Polanski, Melvyn Douglas, Claude Dauphin, Isabelle Adjani, Rufus, Bernard Fresson, Lila Kedrova, Jo Van Fleet, Jacques Monod, Romain Bouteille

Genres: Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Mystery

AKA: Le Locataire

Country: France, USA

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The Tenant belongs to 64 collections

1. Certified weird (collaborative: moderated by Dreamer - 47 stars)

2. Uncanny, Disturbingly Weird Films (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 42 stars)

3. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)

4. Black Comedy (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 30 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)

6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)

7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)

8. Based on a Book (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 21 stars)

9. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)

10. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)

11. Mental Illness (collaborative: moderated by djross - 15 stars)

12. Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films (collaborative: moderated by nexus - 14 stars)

13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)

14. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)

15. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)

16. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)

17. Best of criticker: Suspense / Thriller (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 9 stars)

18. Paranoia (collaborative: moderated by djross - 8 stars)

19. Best of criticker: Mystery (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 8 stars)

20. Paris (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 7 stars)

21. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)

22. Best of criticker: Horror (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 6 stars)

23. Arthouse Horror (collaborative: moderated by BeeDub - 6 stars)

24. Director/star combination (collaborative: moderated by djross - 5 stars)

25. Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films of All Time (collaborative: moderated by edsu - 5 stars)

26. Triple Threat (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 4 stars)

27. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)

28. Triumvirate of Oscar Winning Actors/Actresses in the Cast (3 or more) (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx - 4 stars)

29. They Shoot Pictures ex-Top 1,000 (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 3 stars)

30. Djross film as art (public: djross - 3 stars)

31. Sven Nykvist, Cinematographer (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 2 stars)

32. Premiere Magazine's 50 Unsung Classics (collaborative: moderated by Jorg - 2 stars)

33. Robert Eggers Favorite Horror Movies (collaborative: moderated by offlineoz - 2 stars)

34. Djross horror movie of the year (public: djross - 2 stars)

35. Eurohorror (collaborative: moderated by Shmendrek - 1 star)

36. Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments (collaborative - 1 star)

37. Top 100 movies according to Greek filmmakers (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 1 star)

38. Sight and Sound 2002 (Single Vote) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 1 star)

39. A Year of Essential Cinema (collaborative: moderated by Ibetolis1 - 1 star)

40. Tom & Bitches' Infinite Watchlist (collaborative - 1 star)

41. Kafka Komedies (collaborative: moderated by von krogh - 1 star)

42. Psychotic cross-dressers/trans (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess - 1 star)

43. Subgenre: Pshycological (all genres) (collaborative: moderated by tipar - 1 star)

44. Djross best horror movies (public: djross - 1 star)

45. Cinetheque (public: allegreller - 1 star)

46. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (public: Hadleyreis - 1 star)

47. Cannes 1976 Official Selection (collaborative)

48. Ratings (collaborative: moderated by cheapthrills)

49. Available on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)

50. Age of Aquarius (collaborative: moderated by davidysteph)

51. prowler's DVDs (public: prowler)

52. deeveedee (public: medium123)

53. Djross 1976 top ten (public: djross)

54. Films I watched in 2011 (public: jal90)

55. 1976: Year in Review (public: polanski28)

56. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 25 (public: PeaceAnarchy)

57. Paris (public: twisp)

58. List: Filmspotting Ratings Project - Communal Watchlist (public: KasperL)

59. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)

60. Djross French feature films I've seen (public: djross)

61. New Beverly Cinema (public: xmoffx)

62. 90+ (public: Daria)

63. C-1970 (public: cantahta)

64. 32 Films that Inspired The French Dispatch (public: TychoCelchuu)

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TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
7	BeeDub	92 _84th
Not a horror movie in the traditional sense, so don't go in expecting that. With its fragmented, ambiguous sense of logic, this story works best as an allegory of cultural xenophobia set in the microcosm of a run-down apartment complex. The final twist doesn't bear logical scrutiny but inspires an acceptable amount of existential dread.
5	terrymac	84 _92nd
This is Kafkaesque, apparently - I should really read one of his books so I can properly understand what this means. I also hadn't realised that this was part of a loose trilogy; I liked the other two. My general ignorance notwithstanding, I really liked this. It perhaps works best as a surreal nightmare, filled with paranoia, isolation, weirdos and mental instability. I found it rather creepy and unnerving. It was really well made, as you might expect. Needed more Adjani, though. Worthy.
4	MartinTeller	84 _81st
This completes Polanski's unofficial "apartment horror trilogy" and in my opinion, it's the best of them. Delightfully creepy in all the right places, with just a dash of black humor. The ambiguity is great: is it all a paranoid delusion, or is he the victim of an occult-like (Rosemary's Baby-style) conspiracy? In the end, both possibilities seem equally plausible. Polanski himself does a fine job in the lead role, although I can't help but wonder if someone else might have been a little better.
4	eveelun	76 _62nd
In a similar vein to Rosemary's Baby (albeit of a lesser caliber), this is a neat psychological horror film. The pacing is a bit off and the sound mixing needs work, but the underlying tension and a few truly creepy scenes/images make this worthwhile.
4	spleen	82 _77th
It's not horror, it's not thriller, it's not comedy, it's an experience. A film that leaves you shaking, disturbed and uncomfortable and eventually makes you pancakes the next morning. Ok, that last part never happened but it might make me want to watch it again sometime cause I like pancakes.
3	Rufam	85 _93rd
"Le locataire" is the final chapter in Polanski's unofficial trilogy of psychosexual apartment terror and although it's less accomplished than "Repulsion" and "Rosemary's Baby" that preceded it, it's still one of the freakiest, scariest and just plain entertaining things the Polish helmer has ever done. Polanski proves he's a decent actor as well as he takes over the leading role, while his camerawork and editing are typically masterful. The surrealist touches and macabre humor are delightful.
3	Lord Moe	67 _25th
"The Tenant" is a strange film. I remember really liking it the first time I saw it but it's not as good in retrospect. The story is rather hard to decipher. That's not a bad thing, but I almost get the sense that there really is nothing to decipher. It's more of an experience. You're not really sure if Roman Polanski's character is going crazy or not. At times you even feel like you're going crazy. It's a film that not everyone will like. But I say to check it out at least once.
2	djross	78 _89th
Some sound problems, but this is a genuine horror movie.
2	prowler	88 _91st
after torturing Deneuve and Farrow, it's time for Polanski to have a taste of his own medicine, and it works.
2	SailorRipley	93 _89th
A brilliant mix of early Polanski's ideas and movies. Hallucination from beginning to end, a one man's descent into madness, a paranoid's most sublime fantasy or a chilling horror film, anyway you want to look at it, there's no denying that this sort of male version on Repulsion is absolutely essential viewing. Sure, the first hour may seem deadly slow by today's standards but the second act remains fascinating as events get weirder and weirder. Top of its kind.
2	WWallce4prez	78 _66th
A Kafkaesque nightmare wrapped in paranoia, loneliness, and alienation, Polanski's third city-dweller film is a slow build to insanity. I don't know if it would have been better without him in front of the camera, but he does bring a certain aspect of goofiness that makes everything feel more like a dark comedy rather than horror.
2	Judge Holden	6 _81st
In ranking The Apartment Trilogy, I'd place this between Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. The Tenant is, like the latter, kind of ridiculous at times, but never to a point where things become too unbelievable. And it's far more enigmatic and subtle.
2	closedmouth	100 _98th
I think this is the most perfectly-paced film I've ever seen. The way that it slowly, patiently transitions from unremarkable, kinda clunky (that dubbing) and low-key exploration of apartment-living in France in the '70s, into a surreal, highly ambiguous mix of intense emotional melodrama and skin-crawling, psychologically distressing paranoid thriller, gives me goosebumps, particularly during that indescribable denouement. This may be my favourite third act of all time. And that's saying a lot.
2	isaboojum	5 _99th
I first watched it when I was 18 and it had a huge impact on me. Eighteen years later, I watch it again, and it resonates even more. One of my favorite films of all time.
2	Paxton	68 _53rd
Polanski needed an actor to play a total weirdo that runs into even weirder happenings in an apartment complex. He chose himself for that role. Isn't that telling? One of Bruce Campbell's favorite movies.
1	CCLZA	80 _77th
The chilling final act makes up for the occasional boredom of the second one.
1	Moribunny	73 _79th
Very well-made and has a creepy atmosphere, but eventually disappoints. Some of the stuff late in the movie really walks the line between bizarre in a spooky way, and just sort of silly. I like Polanski's performance though, and Adjani has an incredibly arousing mouth.
1	Nathan S	5 _93rd
Dysphoria, claustrophobia. Mental and spatial, if there even is any distinction. On what terms do mind and body coalesce, and how much of a person's identity is dictated by their environment? There is some sort of strange cyclical, cosmic, omnipresent spacetime at work here, just as in Don't Look Now, The Shining, Twin Peaks. The sound mix is sloppy and a few of the performances are stiff, but this film pays off in surreal spades of imagery and mood.
1	CinematicESP	90 _87th
Extremely well shot in my opinion. Enigmatic and alluring. Not quite as strong as Repulsion, but I'd definitely recommend it.
1	PeaceAnarchy	90 _94th
Polanski working out his demons in a fantastically terrifying suspense film. He gives a superb performance and combined with the creepy visuals and the score the film manages to build a wonderful suspense that keeps you guessing as to what's in his head and what is real.
1	Cowman	75 _75th
A very slow build up to a nice finale.
1	christiaanb	86 _88th
I love horror movies, yet I still have trouble pointing out why some scare the shit out of me and some don't. The Tentant belongs firmly to the first category. Polanski used a minimal of means: most of the action takes place in a small appartment, there are no significant sfx and - as I remember it - not too much lighting either. Which leaves me to conclude the scariness is mostly due to Polanski's talent for creating an uneasy and creepy atmosphere rife with antagonistic tension.
1	Stain	60 _47th
Polanski remakes _Repulsion_ in color starring himself. Interesting conceit but, still, been there, done that
1	moraesfelipe	75 _80th
Creepy, bloody and darkly, The Tenant is not Polanki's best, but it's certainly his most bizarre film.
1	wetwillies	95 _93rd
The epitome of Polanski's exploration of the psychological horror and paranoia living within cramped apartment life. It starts out unassuming and maybe a little dull, but soon unravels into a beautifully haunting, disorienting portrait of urban terror.
1	SirRobbie	90 _96th
After re-watching it I must say it is actually one of his most perfect and brilliant films. It works on so many levels. I love the fact that Polanski could actually make the most inteligent and scary horrors if he only wanted to.
1	billkerwin	93 _91st
Not for everyone. This nasty little paranoid film is also a profound meditation on the nature of identity in a lonely alienated world. Polanski's best screen performance.
1	Alon Reter	78 _88th
Polanski has an impeccable sense for nauseating paranoia and subtle urban trashiness that makes his apartment trilogy both scary and funny, sickening and delightful, heartbreaking and lighthearted, and overall an astonishing, inspiring experience. (I'm writing this monologue here because The Tenant is the last film from the trilogy that I saw). This one isn't as great as Repulsion or Rosemary, but it's wonderful and dripping with kafkaesque illness. Roman is perfectly sweet and crazy.
1	lisa-	6 _83rd
the final film in the apartment trilogy is probably my least favourite, but it's still an awesome work of horror, using the apartment as a metaphor for the claustrophobia of mental illness. this one in particular delves into the long history of films ala persona in making people turn into other people. polanski is a good actor as well as director.
1	thereeldeal	70 _50th
The last of Polanski's claustrophobic "apartment trilogy". The themes start to run thin this time around. The mental deterioration is stronger in Repulsion, and the paranoia is much more real and sensible in Rosemary's Baby. Though Roman Polanski does a fantastic job as the lead, the story is ridiculous and not remotely believable. To say Trelkovsky overreacts would be an understatement, especially considering he is otherwise sane. The Tenant is redundant, and indeed a little bit stupid.
1	jimmyp	0 _1st
directed by a convicted rapist who fled the country to avoid jail time.
1	offlineoz	70 _59th
Under Quarantine Film Reviews #109: I find it more terrifying that Polanski was more into his drag persona than Isabelle Adjani. He was mad creepy though, I'll give him that.

Average Percentile 69.12% from 1755 Ratings