‘Darlin’, ’ ‘Trespassers’ and other films.
For the most part, the home invasion thriller “Trespassers” is pretty typical of the genre. A small group of people spend a night at a remote house and find themselves tormented by masked killers with some dark agenda. Part slasher flick, part drawing-room mystery, these movies tend to be reliably intriguing and terrifying — and, when it counts, “Trespassers” is no exception.
But director Orson Oblowitz and screenwriter Corey Deshon take a few chances with this material, not all of which pan out. They play around with the idea of an “invasion,” introducing several small impositions before the bad guys arrive.
Angela Trimbur and Zach Avery play Sarah and Joseph, a couple looking to repair a rocky relationship with a romantic weekend at a high-end rental property. Janel Parrish plays Sarah’s best friend, Estelle, who joins the party with her obnoxious, bullying boyfriend, Vic (Jonathan Howard). That’s invasion No. 1.
Then, there’s a knock on the door, and an overbearing neighbor barges in, making everyone uncomfortable. Another invasion. And all of this happens before the murder gang shows up.
This equation of “bad company” with “homicidal marauders” is clever, though it does make the movie’s first two-thirds more of a chore. Fairuza Balk is amusingly irritating as the neighbor, but everyone else is just a drag.
Once the machete-wielding brutes in wrestler masks appear, though, “Trespassers” perks up considerably. That’s what makes this genre so perennially popular. No matter who’s cowering inside the house, the assassins at the door make their story more interesting. “Trespassers.” Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes. Playing: Arena Cinelounge Hollywood; also on VOD.