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I had heard a little here and there about THE RESIDENT, but was waiting for an official trailer to hit before we started talking about it. The film, directed by Antti Jokinen, is being released under the newly revived Hammer movie label, and more importantly saw the return of legendary actor Christopher Lee (who is 88) to Hammer Horror. The genre films of the original Hammer label are what made Lee a star back in the 1960’s, and remain horror fan favorites to this day. THE RESIDENT stars Hilary Swank as a young woman moving into a new apartment building in Brooklyn, only to find out her landlord (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) may have developed an unhealthy obsession with her. The movie co-stars Lee Pace (PUSHING DAISIES) and Aunjanue Ellis (THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3). It’s written by Jokinen and Robert Orr (UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS). Sadly, it looks like there will be no theatrical release in the U.S., but rather a direct-to-video release. I’m a little upset to hear this, as I was really hoping the Hammer label was going to be reviving itself strongly with last year’s LET ME IN kicking it off its resurrection, and the Daniel Radcliffe vehicle THE WOMAN IN BLACK being highly anticipated. Hopefully it finds an audience on DVD. At one point the title was going to be “INVASION OF PRIVACY”, and Jokinen claims Jessica Alba and even Maggie Gyllenhaal were attached at various points before Swank won the role. Hard to believe you can’t get a bigger release for a film starring an Academy Award winner… and with a reported budget of $20 million. Check out the trailer below, and an interview with Christopher Lee underneath, and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
