The Roommate(2011)
2011 · Christian E. Christiansen · 91 min
When Sara, a young design student from Iowa, arrives for college in Los Angeles, she is eager to fit in and get to know the big city. Her wealthy roommate, Rebecca, is more than eager to take Sara under her wing and show her the ropes. The two become close, but when Sara begins to branch out and make more friends on campus, Rebecca becomes resentful. Alarmed, Sara moves in with her new boyfriend, causing Rebecca's behavior to take a violent turn.
Thriller · Drama · Horror
5.41k votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
1/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How The Roommate scares
The Roommate plays like a glossy, PG-13 stalker thriller more than a true horror movie, with tension building through jealousy and obsession rather than dread. It leans on a few sudden jolts and confrontations rather than sustained scares, and the danger comes from an unstable person, not anything supernatural. It's the kind of movie you watch for cheap thrills and eye-rolling drama, not something that stays with you after the credits roll. Good for a lighthearted, low-stakes movie night rather than a serious scare.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Roommate rates psychological 2/5, visceral 2/5, gore 1/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 1 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 55 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 95 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 25 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow-building stalker thriller that stays mostly low-key and uneasy before ramping up into a tense, violent final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5.
How scary is The Roommate?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Roommate rates 2/5 — moderately scary, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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