VOD from the Dead - HOMEBOUND (2021)

Let’s face it, even if you love children, you know they can also be little assholes. I hold no ill will against our youngest countryfolk, it’s just a statement of fact that kids can sometimes suck. Some suck more than other ones, some suck less over time, some suck more over time, and the variants go on and on until they grow up to be a mid-30s guy who writes about horror movies on the internet for free, but I digress. Kids in horror movies suck the most, even though not all kids in horror movies suck (what’s up, MONSTER SQUAD).

In familial horror, kids seem to always have it out for their step-parent. Sometimes that’s warranted, like TERRY O’QUINN in THE STEPFATHER, and sometimes it’s not like THE LODGE. More often than not though, if you are a step-parent in a horror movie there is an excellent chance something awful is going to happen to you. In 2021’s HOMEBOUND from BRAINSTORM MEDIA debuting on VOD and limited theatrical release this Friday, May 13 we are privy to yet another tale of domestic terror with a psychological twist. Is this a terrifying new entry in the familial horror genre or is the film as dysfunctional as the family in it?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A young woman travels with her new husband to meet his estranged family, only to find his ex-wife is missing and the children are behaving in strange ways.

Holly wants to be a good stepmother even if the kids are a little strange

HOW IS IT?

I’m really torn on this one, so let’s start with the good. The dread in this film is some of the best this year so far right up there with THE CURSED (read our review here). The moment that Holly (AISLING LOFTUS) arrives at the house to meet Richard’s (TOM GOODMAN-HILL) family it’s apparent that things are off. That feeling of unease carries through a good chunk of the film, and some scenes, in particular, are so head-scratchingly wild that you will wonder if what you’re seeing is supposed to be a dream. One scene in the early parts of the film see’s Richard feeding his kids rounds of vodka shots and full flutes of champagne to celebrate what must have been Anna’s (RAFFIELLA CHAPMAN) 8th or 10th birthday (I have no idea how old she was supposed to be). It’s the kind of scene that throws you off and makes you wonder what the actual fuck is going on, yet, it’s so intriguing because of how unexpected it is. In this way, HOMEBOUND succeeds in pulling the viewer along with just enough “carrots” to keep you engaged, and not enough to completely fill you in as to what is going on. There is a quirkiness to HOMEBOUND that is hard to pin down and it works well enough for some of the runtime, but not all of it. Speaking of runtime, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I actually kind of wish this would have been a little longer if it would have meant that we got a proper ending.

While the sense of dread and absurdity work to some extent, it's not enough to carry the weight of the entire film. Despite some interesting set pieces and great moments of tension, the movie ultimately feels like it is treading water. The ending is completely unfulfilling because it builds you up to simply withhold a reveal that is earned for seemingly no reason. Ambiguity can be an effective tool in filmmaking when used appropriately. The opposite of that is using ambiguity for ambiguity's sake, or because you don’t have an ending. It’s frustrating that a film this good is held back by this decision to not clue the viewer into what is going on by the end. The quirkiness I referred to in praise of HOMEBOUND is a double-edged sword. While it can create some interesting “WTF” moments, there has to be some sense of clarity as to if what we are seeing is something natural or supernatural. To leave it in the air, which goes back to my disdain for the ending, in a slow-burn film such as this is either a really bad joke or an error of omission. This shouldn’t deter anyone from seeing it because the runtime is quite brisk and there is enough that works to forgive the things that don’t, even if it doesn’t feel as satisfying as it should.

Lucia is mad as hell, and she isn’t going to take it anymore!

LAST RITES

HOMEBOUND is a complicated domestic horror film that brings some grade A tension that ultimately falls on a flavorless ending. Despite all this, it’s worth a watch for those who appreciate a good slow-burn indie horror with an ambiguous little twist.

THE GORY DETAILS

Directed By

SEBASTIAN GODWIN

Written By

SEBASTIAN GODWIN

Starring

TOM GOODMAN-HILL

AISLING LOFTUS

RAFFIELLA CHAPMAN

HATTIE GOTOBED

LUKAS ROLFE

TRAILER

Where can you watch it?

In Select Theaters & On-Demand May 13, 2022

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