The Tenant

In the famous Monroeville Mall of Pennsylvania, business looks grim for general leasing manager Thomas Stone, as despite what the reports put it out, he's losing money, fast. In an effort to save the mall from being foreclosed, Thomas agrees to host a convention, honoring the 50th anniversary of George A. Romero's 1978 cult classic, Dawn of the Dead, inviting some of the franchise's most recognized actors and actresses such as Gaylen Ross, Scott Reninger, Ken Foree, and Judith O'Dea. In the midst of his work, however Thomas is approached by a mysterious tenant, known as The Reaper who inquires about renting a particular space in the mall with plans on opening up an antique store. Thomas, although put off by The Reapers flamboyant behavior, reluctantly agrees to the proposal, and signs him on as a new tenant. Meanwhile, Thomas's son Leon, working part-time in the mall at a clothing store with his girlfriend, Tori, anxiously anticipate the convention along with their horror fanatic and best friend, Tiffany. While Tori and Leon can't wait for it to begin, Leon wishes it could all just go away, the event bringing back painful memories of his mother who died in a car accident around Halloween. As Tori, Tiffany, and Leon's manager, Louann try to offer him some support, The Reaper introduces himself to the three, and, after purchasing a suit from Louann's store, invites the three to the grand opening of his store. Leon and Tori eventually accept his invite, and are lead into a shop filled with unique and eclectic merchandise, including a vintage camera, a director's cut version of SCREAM on LaserDisc, and a phone that lets the user talk to the dead. Leon, oblivious to the danger the items pose, purchases them for himself and his friends, mocks The Reaper for his behavior and leaves, unknown that he's just doomed two of his friends. Around the same time, Thomas, suspicious of The Reaper's intentions, takes a trip around the store, and notices that some of his tenants have mysteriously gone missing, apparently, after visiting his store, prompting Thomas decides to launch an investigation into The Reaper's history, with the help of Kathy, his secretary. Meanwhile, The Reaper crashes Tiffany's SCREAM party, and murders two of the Leon's sex-crazy friends, and escapes before Leon, Tiffany and Tori can stop him. The trio decide to seek help from Thomas who informs them of The Reapers' sinister agenda, involving his store, the tenants, and the Dawn of the Dead celebration. The following day, Thomas, with the help of Kathy's research, discovers The Reaper's intentions, but before he can tell his son, The Reaper attacks him, almost kills him, only to be saved by Leon, who unknowingly gives his soul to The Reaper by using the spirit phone. The Reaper makes Leon his own personal slave and escapes to the mall, just as the mall opens it's doors to the Dawn of the Dead legends. Louann tries to warn them of the zombies, but it's not until Leon arrives and murders both Scott and the event planner that they, and the convention attendees realize the danger there in, not to mention the EF6 tornado rapidly approaching them from afar. With the Dawn of the Dead legends taking up arms once again, they, along with our heroes, desperately hold their ground, as Tori attempts to retrieve Leon's soul from The Reaper. She, with the help of long-time mall employee Bernie, manages to convince The Reaper, a fanatic of Victor Gruen's idealism, that she can bring American malls back to life, the way Gruen had always imagined. The Reaper eagerly agrees, gives Leon his soul back, and disappears for a long vacation, as the group celebrate their victory, minus one unfortunate casualty.