In 2002’s DeathBed, Karen (Tanya Dempsey) and Jerry (Brave Matthews) move into a new apartment.  Karen is an illustrator of children’s books.  Jerry is a professional photographer who occasionally does “nudie stuff.”  Their new landlord and building superintendent is Art (Joe Estevez).

At first, the new apartment seems ideal.  But then, strange things start happening.  Karen starts to have visions of a woman being strangled in the apartment.  She struggles to finish her latest illustration project and instead finds that strange and disturbing pictures have been drawn while she was apparently asleep.  Jerry gets weird at work, telling models to pose as if they’ve been tied down to a mattress.  Jerry and Karen’s sex life gets a bit more adventurous but even that leaves Karen worried.  She feels as if she’s losing control.

Could the apartment be haunted?

Or could it have something to do with the creepy bed that Karen and Art previously found in a hidden room and which Karen decided to make the centerpiece of the new apartment?

Karen starts to do research.  At first, she can’t find any evidence that a murder was ever committed in the apartment but then she discovers that the name of the street was changed in the 40s and that her new apartment actually has a very long and rather macabre history.  Meanwhile, Jerry worries about her sanity.  Deadlines are blown.  Murders are committed.  And the viewer is left asking one question….

Would you rent an apartment from Joe Estevez?

Actually, I’m being way too snarky with that question.  DeathBed is surprisingly effective horror film and Joe Estevez gives a likable performance as Art.  Personally, I still think Karen was way too quick to explore a previously hidden room with him but, otherwise, Art comes across as being a genuinely nice guy.

DeathBed is actually one of the better films that I’ve seen from Full Moon Pictures.  While I wasn’t a huge fan of Danny Draven’s direction of Hell Asylum, he does an excellent job with DeathBed, creating and maintaining an atmosphere of ominous doom and gradual decay.  What makes the film so effective is that Karen and Jerry don’t fall apart immediately.  Instead, it’s a gradual process.  The viewer can see it happening but Karen and Jerry can’t.  Brave Matthews and especially Tanya Dempsey are well-cast as the troubled couple.  Dempsey gives an especially strong performance, playing a woman who has used her art to create the ideal life that she’s never had.

DeathBed has an interesting story and a few creative twists, even if the film’s actual ending what come as a huge surprise to experienced horror fans.  I appreciated that Karen’s visions of the previous murder appeared to carry hints of the infamous Black Dahlia case.  It served to remind the viewer that real life can sometimes be just as terrifying and mysterious as the movies.

Would I rent an apartment from Joe Estevez?

Well, probably not.  Not after seeing what happened with Karen and Jerry.  But I don’t blame Karen and Jerry for wanting the apartment.  It’s a nice apartment.  It’s just that there are times that hidden rooms should definitely remain hidden.