I sort of see Dream Home as a thinking man's slasher. What I mean by that is that it's a slasher film with a point, as it contains all the outlandishly kills from famous slashers like Friday the 13th (it probably goes further actually) but all the excessive blood and violence has a point, and a very valid point about the current house market in Hong Kong. Dream Home is also supposedly based on true events, I don't know how many of the events are true but I'm guessing not that many! Still, it illustrates the point of the film further as the age old issue of money has seriously taken its toll!
Dream Home has an interesting structure which I don't know if it entirely worked. You see it cross cuts from her current murder spree to her past, including early childhood, right up to the events that led her to do it. In its favour it did add a nice layer of mystery to the film, and also helped to balance out the drama-heavy scenes with the horror-heavy scenes, allowing us to take a break from the last gruesome massacre and look forward to how it's all going to pan out! However, I can't help but wonder if the film would've been stronger having the events be shown in chronological order. It may have built the suspense and the final killing spree would've been doubly intense! It certainly worked for May, although the characters were much stronger in that than they are here. It's an interesting thought, but I'm satisfied with the unusual cross-cuts.
Now horror fans are not going to be disappointed with the horror-heavy scenes! Dream Home showcases some of the most inventive kills I've seen on screen for a long time. Some of them are also quite heavy to watch, by that I mean distressing, which makes us feel less empathy for the character, making her well rounded. However, I think there could've been more evidence of her snappy psychological state in the past as she doesn't appear violent until she suddenly snaps. It does seem a bit over the top, but I suppose we can forgive it. There's plenty of blood and not only that, some scenes were actually quite suspenseful and thrilling rather than just a simple slash and dash.
The drama-heavy scenes are also not as boring as I've labelled them. I found it really interesting to find out how she got so fixated on that apartment she wanted, and her journey getting her. They really help to flesh out the character further so we can feel for her and her motives (occasionally). However, I also think that a little background on her victims could've been nice as well, so we get to see them as humans too rather than just prey to feed off! The film is also beautifully shot and directed which I didn't expect. There's some lovely cinematography of the high-rise buildings which could also be metaphorical as it seems so out of her reach!
Dream Home is a highly successful slasher and one that I'd be happy to revisit again. It doesn't hold back and also brings up various themes which have a place in today's society. I really enjoyed its entertaining violence and strong character build-up. You do care what happens to her in the end and it also makes a refreshing change to have a slasher film from the killer's point of view. I'd definitely go and check this one out as it doesn't seem that a lot have!
