*Wil Wheaton as ‘Andy’ in Jon Stevenson’s RENT-A-PAL. Courtesy of IFC Midnight. An IFC Midnight Release.*

The upcoming thriller Rent-A-Pal is a small story about a lonely man who befriends a character from a VHS tape, to a tragic end. Bit of a far cry from Star Trek.

Star Trek: The Next Generation alum Wil Wheaton co-stars along with Brian Landis Folkins in this Jon Stevenson written-and-directed film. The story follows the adventures (or lack thereof) of the 40-year-old David, played by Folkins, who lives with and cares for his aging mother with dementia, played by Kathleen Brady. David is desperately lonely, finding just a small amount of hope in the video dating service he subscribes to. On a visit to the service’s offices to update his profile, he finds Rent-A-Pal, a VHS video starring Andy, which operates not unlike today’s POV TikTok videos. Andy, played by Wheaton, asks David questions and waits for the answer, before seeming to engage in further conversation.

In the absence of real matches through the dating service, David quickly forms a friendship with Andy, and you, the audience, are left to wonder how much of the relationship is real or imagined. Then, when David finally meets Lisa, played wonderfully by Amy Rutledge, his relationship with Andy takes a dark turn with tragic consequences.

A predictable but satisfying thriller

Rent-A-Pal is not a groundbreaking thriller. It builds on the tropes of the creepy, cursed VHS tape, the lonely and deeply disturbed middle-aged man as unreliable narrator, the burdensome aging parent as catalyst for psychosis. But in using those tropes, director Stevenson still manages to find room for surprises, which results in a feeling of satisfaction. You both know what the action will be, and are surprised when it happens.

What is truly outstanding about Rent-A-Pal is its use of sound to heighten suspense. Set in 1990, there’s plenty of great retro music, which evokes memories (for better or worse) of Stranger Things. But it’s the way that the sound moves and changes in the film that works the best. Andy’s voice, in particular, is sometimes inside of and sometimes outside of the television, a device that unsettles you early on and starts you questioning almost from the start how much of Andy is real and how much is imagined. Shout out to the sound department of Aaron DelGrosso and Leslie Gaston for their work here.

Wil Wheaton plays creepy far too well

All of the main cast performances in Rent-A-Pal are played note-perfect. These are not large, overdramatic roles, and the actors keep them well in balance. This would not be a Star Trek show without taking special note of Wil Wheaton’s performance, though.

Wheaton hits just the right notes with Andy. He’s disingenuous, his lines seem forced, and he’s way overenthusiastic about talking to David. But then, he should be. Considering that Wheaton essentially acted by himself in this film, his reactions to David work really, really well for contributing to your feeling of discomfort, as the viewer. In two key scenes, Wheaton’s laugh will pierce your chest with both fear and an intense sadness and embarrassment for the main character David.

For adults only

It goes without saying, Rent-A-Pal is very much not Star Trek. It is a thriller with very adult themes, and while it’s not on the whole a violent or scary film, there is prolonged peril and some gore. Overall, it’s a competent and satisfying film that excels at suspense and mood-setting, and it’s absolutely worth your time to watch.

Rent-A-Pal is out from IFC Midnight in select theaters and video-on-demand, from tomorrow, Friday, September 11th.