Director: Gerard Johnstone.
Cast: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Ross Harper, Cameron Rhodes, Millen Baird, Ryan Lampp, Wallace Chapman.
Certificate: 18.
Running Time: 107 minutes.
Synopsis: Kylie is forced to live with her mother and step-father for 8 months after a botched ATM robbery. While under house arrest she discovers her mother’s suspicions that the house is haunted and gradually begins to experience unexplainable phenomena herself, but unable to escape she must face the horror and discover the truth.
Simple set-up & fantastic execution is the order of the day from New Zealand in this delightful and well thought out horror. Like so many horror films these days, HOUSEBOUND mixes the comedy alongside with the horror, only this time there were moments I felt confused as to whether I should be laughing or gritting my teeth ready for the next scare. HOUSEBOUND doesn’t push for the ridiculous, but instead finds the humour in these situations we’ve seen plenty of times before. Sometimes it’s the smart alec responses of troubled protagonist Kylie (O’Reilly), whereas sometimes slapstick and visual cues are what trigger the belly chuckles.
Using the initial set-up to its advantage, Kylie finds herself trapped, with a genuine reason as to why she can’t just run. It’s been used before, but it allows the screenwriter to better explore the character rather than coming up with forced plot points to keep Kylie is a supposed haunted house. The character development is what really makes HOUSEBOUND work. Kylie grows as a character as she takes on the responsibility of discovering the truth behind the ghostly goings on. It isn’t just a selfish motivation, although it may be at first, but rather a coming of age tale. In her late 20s Kylie is still a rebel without a cause, being a threatening burden towards her mother. Watching her begin to care and take charge without having to lash out with anger gradually makes us see her for who she truly is.
Surrounding Kylie are the types of wonderful side characters who again add heart and humour. Most impressive of all is that every single character has Kylie’s wellbeing at the top of their priority list, meaning their motivation circles around the protagonist, providing us with a clear centre of focus. Kylie’s mum, Miriam (Wiata), is a fast talking gossiper who loves a bit of Corrie. She’s embarassing, but we see the funny side unlike Kylie. Step-dad Graeme (Harper) is the polar opposite. He’s pretty much silent, but has a soft and caring side for Kylie, which comes out in a heartwarming scene. Finally we have Glen-Paul Waru as the supernatrual obsessed security agent responsible for keeping track of Kylie. This must be a star making turn for everyone involved, but Waru has that innocent sense of naivety while also managing to be assertive. His speech to Kylie is a hard hitting piece of dialogue for sure.
Whereas some films seem to set their stories in restricted locations due to budget concerns, HOUSEBOUND gradually unfolds to present us with a world more expansive than we could possibly imagine. The plot starts out as a generic investigation into the unknown, but soon the whole thing is turned on its head not once but twice. At first it felt as though the film was dragging its feet and stumbling towards the inevitable, but when all is revealed it made the full picture one to truly appreciate. This little rope-a-dope means that a second viewing is an absolute necessity.
When tackling the traditional horror elements, we find ourselves playing a cool game of whether the scene will result in laughs or shocks. Johnstone seems beset on building to either a punchline or a scare, and makes it abundantly clear why horror and comedy are so inextricably linked. In saying this however, the film never becomes an unwanted parade of red herrings or fake-out jump scares. In fact, there isn’t a cat to be seen. There’s plenty of elements you will have seen before, including the tense ‘breaking into the neighbour’s home’ sequence, or ‘the door that really needs oiling gradually opening’, but it’s the unique reactions of the characters that add the originality. Why those in horror film situations haven’t taken on Kylie’s approach to creaky doors before is beyond me.
HOUSEBOUND will delight horror fans, especially those who like a bit of formula with their twists. It’s funnier and more compelling than last year’s horror breakout YOU’RE NEXT, which is truly saying something. Scares and chills with heart and laughs, HOUSEBOUND needs to be seen, and preferably in a group setting.
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