What has become known as the "share economy" is now part of life. Companies like AirBnB, VRBO, Uber and Lyft are household names. They (usually) provide a cheap alternative to traditional economic systems like hotels and taxi cabs, but, perhaps more significantly, they also allow the everyman to make a quick buck by renting out what is already theirs. This allows the consumer inside a previously private space that isn’t run by professionals and lacks the uniform nature of a hotel room. This can be a little scary if you think about it, which is probably why the share economy has been the framing device for so many recent horror films. If what we’re watching reflects what we’re afraid of, the fear of shared spaces indicates a lot.
It’s not a secret that horror goes through phases. Halloween (1978) inspired a slew of slasher films that are still being made. Scream brought horror-satire to the forefront of the public’s imagination. The Blair Witch Project kicked off a huge found footage trend. Each of these are famous for inventing and popularizing a new technique, while also representing a larger fear emulating from within the depths of society. For instance, The Blair Witch Project can be used to examine the fear of technology and what we might discover with it, or what it might reveal about human nature, as evidenced by both the actions of the characters and the violent force that threatens them. The share economy trend in horror functions in a similar way, though it’s more of a narrative strategy than an innovation in film form. The trend is still in its infancy, but the success of the films that use it are evidentiary of something larger at work.
The Rental (2020)
Dave Franco’s sleeper hit about a group of friends on a weekend getaway is one of the earliest instances of AiBnB in horror. Of course, going to stay at a friend or relative’s vacation property is nothing new (see The Evil Dead, etc.), but the fact that the property is booked through a rental website like AirBNB is vital to the plot. The first hour of The Rental focuses on interpersonal drama that exists in between the characters, and the final thirty minutes delves into a semi-traditional slash fest. The killings might be evocative of Michael Myers, but the methods are not. The serial killer rents out apartments via the internet. During his stay, he sets up traps and cameras that allow him to interfere in the personal lives of the guests who book the stay after him. Eventually, he waits and kills them. In The Rental, the killer reveals an extra-marital affair and sets up tire spikes so as to prevent anyone from getting away, among other things. The most creative part of the film, though, takes place during the credits. Franco shows segments of the killer’s security camera footage from different rental properties. The subjects are doing normal things (using the toilet, exercising, making dinner) until the killer emerges. As a whole, the movie is an examination of the fear of the people we know, and the people we don’t. Most of the drama that exists between the characters is evidence of the fact that even the people we think we know the best surprise us, but the film clearly drives home that strangers are the bigger threat. The Rental used an everyday practice like AirBNB to both put the characters in narrative position and give a new method to a cinematic killer, in turn inspiring other creators to do the same.
Barbarian (2022)
Barbarian, much like The Rental, follows a young woman, Tess (Georgina Campbell) in town for a job interview. As is the common practice, she rents an AirBNB. However, when she arrives, she finds that someone is already staying there. Keith (Bill Skarsgard), invites Tess in so that she can arrange for other accommodations. Though wary at first, Tess decides to stay after hitting it off with Keith. However, something terrible is awry in the basement of the house, and Tess is faced with it as she returns. Later, AJ (Justin Long), the owner of the AirBNB, arrives. In attempting to measure the square footage of his property, AJ also discovers the terrible secret. Barbarian, like The Rental, uses AirBNB to get the characters where they need to be. However, Barbarian is more about the ways in which the property itself is frightening. If The Rental cautions against who you’re with, Barbarian reminds you to be afraid of where you are. Significantly, even AJ doesn’t know much about what’s truly in the basement. The film excels in taking the everyday and making it extraordinarily terrifying. Since, most AirBNBs are booked site unseen, which can have unseemly consequences, especially if the owner is negligent. Barbarian is an imagining of the worst case scenario.
The Rental’s success was largely stymied due to the pandemic, though it still did well as a new release in unusual times. Barbarian, partnered with Disney, has earned a sizable amount, and has been well-discussed both online and critically. These metrics may point to a larger trend in horror films. Since Barbarian was probably influenced by The Rental, it’s safe to say that the use of shared spaces in horror has already begun to be replicated, which is a good sign if the trend is to persist. However, there are other ways the trend has been demonstrated, though the ways in which the share economy works within the film differs.
Spree (2020)
Spree, also released mid-COVID-19 pandemic, is about a young man named Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) as he commits a series of murders via a ride share app that mimics Uber and Lyft. Kurt does so in the name of Internet virality and subsequent fame. Thus, Spree is mostly a commentary on the way the Internet affects society at large, but the way that it uses the ride share app is not to be ignored. Kurt is a child of the Internet. His past reveals a complicated family life and an absence of friends, other than a kid he used to babysit. Becoming a driver allows Kurt access to a variety of people to kill. Some of his murder methods are common ride share practices, like giving passengers water bottles or dropping them off in specific areas. The car also allows the filmmakers unique angles, especially as most of what the viewer sees is displayed via fictional social media screens. Ultimately, Spree realizes many of the same fears portrayed in both The Rental and Barbarian, but furthers them because Kunkle is presented as an amateur killer, rather than a mysterious or supernatural one. Spree serves as a deliciously unpleasant reminder that your Uber driver really could be anyone, and could take you anywhere.
Of course, the future is impossible to predict, but evidence can be used to point us in the right direction. It’s one thing to make the everyday scary, it’s another to realize a larger social fear in a cinematic context. The share economy is frightening for lots of reasons, like cleaning fees and disrespectful tenants, but even more terrifying is human nature, and what we’re capable of when we enter each other’s private spaces. As such, AirBNB will likely become a staple of our horror films. It’s time to check in.