Directed by Christian E. Christiansen. Starring Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet.

A very promising little premise that could’ve spawned several sequels (gay roommates, co-ed roommates, kiddie roommates) but unfortunately the film doesn’t amp up the fear factor enough getting predictable and formulaic by the end.

Sara Matthews (Kelly) has enrolled at ULA and starts off her fancy LA education staying at a preppy college dorm with her mysterious new roommate Rebecca (don’t call her Becky, she doesn’t like that) played by Leighton Meester.

Rebecca insinuates herself into Sara’s life from the get go, taking her out book shopping and inquiring about Sara’s dead little sister. But Rebecca crosses a line when Sara decides to hang out with other friends and starts dating Stephen (Gigandet, from Burlseque), the hot young drummer boy. ‘Where have you been,’ she quizzes Sara after waiting up for her, but she’s ‘glad’ Sara’s okay. Anyone getting close to Sara becomes a threat to be dealt with like Billy Zane’s character Professor Roberts who ends up hitting on his student Sara and then predictably on Rebecca but she simply kicks him in the balls, records his advances and gets him sacked. She can’t be all that bad can she now?

The eye-candy cast perform adequately and even Leighton Meester isn’t that bad. Her no make-up look, dead-pan cold stares and convincing psycho are all scary. It’s just that we’ve seen it all before and the obsession just never really gets too close for comfort. Rebecca’s focus shifts from Sara all too often and it isn’t till the end that insanity turns into violence and murder. Even the tenuous relationship between Rebecca and her parents is glossed over with an incomprehensible midnight chat she has with her father. The Roommate could have done better with a known actor, a better script (the dialogue is pretty juvenile) and more mental and emotional torture. I’ve seen psycho girls in real life who are worse than this film’s roommate!