Housebound
Home is where the “arghhh!” is
Release Date: OUT NOW!
2014 | 18 | Blu- ray/ DVD Director: Gerard Johnstone Cast: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen- Paul Waru, Ross Harper, Cameron Rhodes, Ryan Lampp
How long would it take you to go nuts if you had to move back home with your parents? What if you couldn’t even go outside the house for eight months? That’s the sentence petty criminal Kylie ( Morgana O’Reilly) faces, after being picked up for her umpteenth robbery.
Fitted with an ankle monitor that won’t let her go beyond her mum’s front door, Kylie takes her rage out on her family by eating all their food, making a mess, and refusing to let them watch Coronation Street. Before long, though, she realises there’s something scarier than she is lurking in the old house, and it’s down to her ( plus her probation officer, who’s surprisingly keen on paranormal investigation) to figure out what. There are elements of this New Zealand horror- comedy that you’ll have seen before – the criminal on house arrest, the creepy neighbour, the house with a dark past – but writer/ director Gerard Johnstone makes them feel fresh. His script is endlessly inventive, with a mystery that’ll keep you guessing; it’s also hilarious, with some proper scares thrown in for good measure.
If Housebound has a flaw, it’s that it’s a bit too long; the beginning of the third act drags. The final showdown is spectacular, though, and the finale oddly heartwarming. Kind of makes you want to call your mum, actually.
Extras: Commentary by the director and a pair of producers, and deleted scenes.