Hell Is Where the Home Is

Why the creators would think up every dumb thing a person would do in such a situation and actually have them do it. Almost every character does something so mind boggling stupid and then it leads to obvious repercussions. I don't think I could count every one of them with my two hands. Come on IFC Midnight, you can do better.

This might be the worst movie I've ever seen. And I've seen Retro Puppet Master.

I read little a about this movie but as it was on as a premier and the short description suggested supernatural or outright horror I gave it a go. After going back and reading more short descriptions it is clear it is a 'home Invasion' film or however this horrid sub genre is described. They reached and continue to with The Purge and its sequels. I find those incredibly distastefuI I dislike them more than found footage films. The Purge had an original concept. But because it was original doesnt meant the make it a great original concept. Both are a stream of cheap trash.

That said I did watch this so 5/10 is a surprisingly high score from me. Why? Because I wasnt disappointed. It was quite tense if a bit predictable, nothing new for these movies I imagine. There were some quite original unexpected turns in the movie from start to finish. The acting was quite good and direction and cinematography good also. I cant say if it is really quite original though as I watch little of these films. But I did find it as I say quite original, story turning and well acted etc so no complaints from me. The actress who says she is a neighbour and asks to enter the house use the phone as her car has broken down, not a spoiler it happens very early, I found very unsettling but played it so well as to guessing to whether she is just a likeable neighbour or else. One moment you find her amusing and insightful to the other characters as they discuss their relationships and makes you think she is a red herring even though you ask yourself why didn't she just walk home. Makes you think she may have just entered the home and inadvertently got herself in to danger. This a good point in the movie making you question whether the couples individually in their attitude to her shows where this movie is going. I am sure I have seen this friendly nosey neighbour actress asking for help in other films or tv but should cant remember at the moment so my next step is to look in IMDB for her past work. So overall if you like home invasion films you may like this better than me. If you dislike home invasion films you may enjoy this film as much as me. So I reccomend it as a 5/10 film. I thought it was quite enjoyable but because when I realised the sub genre it was that score may have been slightly boosted from 4.5/10 (which would have boosted it to 5/10) anyway. It is edited well so doesnt overstay its welcome and makes the story fast moving without losing the sense of unease, mystery and tension. Not great. Not in anyway bad in my opinion.

For Angela Trimbur and/or Fairuza Balk fans ok. This still ain't anything exceptional. The suspense and tension grows after a slow but boring start and apart from the 2 ladies mentioned above, there isn't one likeable character. There lies the biggest problem in my opinion. When the bad guys finally get to the (supposed) good guys, which are already entangled in their own nightmare, you actually realize you've been praying for the ruthless killers to come and put an end to their victims misery.

I'll give it a five star rating, just because I feel generous. The story starts promising but you don't have to wait too long to realize this isn't the best script. The script is definitely the weakest link of this movie. Not that the acting was great either, that was also pretty average, but that was passable. I thought the more the story advanced the worse it got. Okay it's not the worst movie I ever watched, it isn't terrible, there is just not a chance I will watch it again in the future.