Housebound 2014 (Review)

Starring: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes, Millen Baird, Ross Harper, Ryan Lampp.

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Writer: Gerard Johnstone

Running time: 109 minutes

Rated: Not rated (for language, violence)

Reviewed by Michael Juvinall

Look for Housebound in theaters and on demand/itunes on October 17th, 2014.

Kiwi’s or New Zealanders if you may, have a knack for making some pretty quirky films, especially in the horror genre. Probably the most well-known islander is Peter Jackson of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. You may recall some of his earliest films before he became a mega-director including Dead Alive, Bad Taste and The Frighteners. Many New Zealand filmmakers have an off-beat sense of humor that translates into some great horror comedies including Jonathan King’s irreverent comedy, Black Sheep. Gerard Johnstone seems to be no exception to that rule. His film Housebound deftly fits into that category and is a wonderful example of the quality of films coming out of that country.

Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O’Reilly) is a disenchanted woman in her twenties who was caught trying to steal cash out of an ATM machine. The courts sentence her to house arrest for ten months but with the caveat that she return to her family home to serve out her sentence. Kylie left home as a teenager to get away from her family but now she is forced to return to an intolerable situation to live with her mother and step-father. Her mother Miriam (Rima Te Wiata) is the town gossip and for years have believed their house is haunted.

Kylie has never listened to or believed her mother’s ramblings about supernatural goings-on, contributing them to her over-active imagination. However, after returning home, she too begins to experience things going bump in the night. Not knowing if she has become a part of her mother’s psychosis or if something supernatural really is going on in the house and her return has stirred up something evil.

Housebound really has a lot going for it. Its part murder mystery, part supernatural thriller and part comedy. The director has thrown in several red herrings to throw the viewer off the scent and there’s a really nice twist you may not see coming. I actually had a lot of fun with this one. It’s a really great blend of horror and subtle comedy that’s not over the top at all. Viewers will have a blast trying to figure out this whodunit.

The characters are well written and Kylie’s character goes through a nice maturation throughout the film. The actors were cast perfectly. Everyone really hit it out of the park with their performances, especially O’Reilly as Kylie and Te Wiata as Miriam. Also, Glen-Paul Waru should be noted for an incredible role as Amos, the security guard assigned to guard her home detention. Amos also happens to be an amateur paranormal investigator. Waru is hilarious in portraying this slapstick part-time ghost hunter, he almost steals the show.

This film had a pretty low budget, but you couldn’t really tell by the marvelous set design and production values. Johnstone stretches his budget as far as he possibly can. Lighting is low in some scenes but it’s not too big of a deal. Also, the film takes a little bit of time to get going. In the first third of the film, not much happens and is mostly setting up the characters backstories and sets the mood for the rest of the film.

Housebound is not a gorefest by any stretch but there is a fair amount of blood that will satisfy most viewers and keep the diehards from complaining.

I really recommend checking Housebound out. It’s an above average chiller that offers some fine twists and turns that many will not expect. It’s unconventional, subtle comedy is what really makes the film work as good as it does. Take a chance on this not-so-average supernatural chiller; you might just be surprised at how much you enjoy it.