A couple rents a countryside mansion for a weekend with their parents, only to discover it’s inhabited by an evil entity. A film by Craig Johnson, starring Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn, Parker Posey, Vivian Bang, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Brian Cox, and Edie Falco.

In 1983, a family of three vanishes from their home without a trace. Mother Donna (Kate Avallone), son Jamie (John Hawe), and daughter Allie (Chloe Sciore) are presumably killed by an unknown entity that has been lurking in their basement.

Present day, Rohan (Nik Dodani) and his boyfriend Josh (Brandon Flynn) rent a country mansion for a weekend getaway with their parents. During the drive, Rohan mentions that his father can be awkward at times. It appears that Rohan gets a bit stressed around his stepparents and doesn’t want to disappoint them. When he asks Josh if there’s anything he should know about Josh’s parents, Josh reassures him there’s nothing to worry about, claiming his parents are “completely normal.”

Upon arrival at the rental mansion, Rohan and Josh are greeted by the manager, Brenda (Parker Posey), who welcomes them to Hazelton Fields. She shares a bit about the house’s history, mentioning a fire in the 80s that started in the basement and destroyed half the structure. The house remained abandoned until new owners recently renovated it. Brenda reveals that Rohan and Josh are actually their first renters. She hands them a welcome basket containing a card with the WiFi password. Just as Josh begins reading the password aloud, a loud thump suddenly emanates from upstairs, startling everyone.

Later, Josh and Rohan encounter Brenda outside the mansion, where she’s drawing a line on the ground with a stick. When they catch her in the act, she explains that she’s measuring the property for the sprinkler guy coming next week to install underground hoses. Both Josh and Rohan think a sprinkler system in the woods seems odd, but they don’t make much of it.

Not wanting to disappoint his parents and hoping to make a good first impression, Rohan pleads with Josh to pretend he’s still working at REI, which Josh reluctantly agrees to do. However, Josh’s mother Liddy (Lisa Kudrow) accidentally lets slip in front of Rohan’s adoptive mother Sharon (Edie Falco) that Josh actually got fired from his job.

Josh fails to impress Rohan’s parents, so he texts Rohan’s sister Sara (Vivian Bang), whining that they hate him and that Rohan acts strangely around them. He begs her for help. That night, Sara unexpectedly shows up at the mansion, leaving Rohan even more nervous. He hadn’t invited her because he knows his mother can’t stand her, and Sara always makes everything about herself.

Excited, Josh brings up the proposal text she accidentally sent him instead of Rohan. She tosses out a flimsy excuse before finally telling him to just pretend to be surprised when it happens. When Sara asks for the WiFi password, Josh claims it’s not working. She insists that she’ll make it work, Josh reluctantly reveals it: “Ego sum tibi.” Sara doesn’t hide her curiosity about the unusual choice. She recognizes the Latin phrase “Ego sum tibi,” knowing it means “I give you myself,” though she plays ignorant about the exact meaning.

Rohan’s adoptive father Frank (Brian Cox), tries to connect to the WiFi, but the password doesn’t work. Frustrated, he mutters it aloud and hears an eerie voice answer back. Suddenly, he is drawn to the basement, where a sinister presence waits and takes hold of him.

Later, one of the dogs becomes possessed and viciously attacks Liddy. Her husband Cliff (Dean Norris) rushes to her rescue, beating the frenzied animal repeatedly with a wooden meat tenderizer. Sara then stuffs the seemingly lifeless dog into the dishwasher. (The dog isn’t dead. It wakes up in the final scene.)

Directed by Craig Johnson and written by Kent Sublette, The PARENTING is a comedy-horror about a family gathering in a haunted mansion. A great premise that doesn’t quite deliver. The film has a fantastic cast and should be hilarious, but it can’t decide whether it wants to be scary or funny, and ends up not fully committing to either.

I love the idea of using a ritualistic incantation as the WiFi password. While this only works with short spells or chants, it feels realistic that someone in the group would accidentally say it out loud.

Having Parker Posey play her own teenage self is such a bizarre choice and somehow it works brilliantly. There’s something terrifyingly perfect about her performance.

By the finale, the horror elements fall flat. No family members die, the human villain survives. And while they technically kill the demon, it’s from Hell. Was it ever really alive to begin with?

The PARENTING was released on Max on 13 March 2025.