Pang Ho-cheung’s Korean slasher Dream Home (review) is now available on DVD from MPI Home Video and it’s truly one of the better horror films of the year. Micah agrees. Read his fresh review inside or click the title above to write your own.

“When she was a child, Cheng Lai-sheung (Josie Ho) could see Hong Kong’s famed Victoria Harbour from her apartment. But as time passed, the old buildings in front of her home were demolished to make way for a huge residential project that now blocks her view. Increasingly disappointed and upset, she vowed to one day save up enough money for her family to move into a new apartment with a magnificent sea view.

In order to get what she wants, she must take matters into her own hands…even if it means getting her hands seriously bloody.”

Some people flip houses and others flip for houses. “Dream Home” weaves one such story of the latter variety in a nonlinear mega-violent manner that is sure to please gore hounds and slasher fans alike. To boot, I’m pretty sure this is the only sub prime mortgage based horror movie (a topic I am very familiar with). On that note, how far would you go to get a deal on your dream home? Save up your hard-earned money and hope to score a good deal in an impossible market? Or maybe kick a pregosauras rex (who’s about to burst) face down on her belly (causing baby goo to drip out), tie a bag around her head and then suck the life out of her with a vacuum cleaner attachment? I’ll give you one guess on which one happens in this movie from our friends in the Far East.

A seemingly lovely woman, Shueng, flips her sh*t in the pursuit of a buying her idealHong Konghigh-rise apartment. The thing is real estate prices are ridiculous inHong Kong. Like super ridiculous. After putting a deposit down on her ideal place, the owners renege on the contract and up the price. This leads to Shueng taking matters into her own hands to get the right deal. And boy does she do just that.

Director Pang Ho-Cheung masterfully weaves a complex story that flips between the modern-day ho-humness of Shueng’s daily life, her past, and the over-the-top gorefest that it has all boiled down to in the end. In a somewhat deliciously ironic piece of satire, Shueng’s day job is a phone representative at a bank where she is tasked to push customers into taking on more and more debt. Combined with flashbacks about her father, a man who worked building skyscrapers and apartments, but never managed to outright own a place of his own, it’s clear that “Dream Home” isn’t just about kills, but also includes poignant social commentary.
Could it be true? A solid slasher flick that isn’t about a bunch of teens sucking, f*cking and being decapitated in the woods over a weekend. Thank Zeus.

But let’s be honest. At the end of the day, kills are paramount in slasher flicks. They are the biggest draw. And this flick delivers in spades. Every single death is horrifying and graphic, particularly the early ones. There are some flat-out jaw-dropping moments that make sure this movie will be mentioned with some of the best in the genre. As Shueng isn’t a trained killer, things don’t always go the way she planned and she often finds herself improvising. These little hiccups offer a great degree of tension and open the door for several brutal kills – including one involving a broken 2×4 shoved through the mouth which will certainly have people squirming in their chairs. In case there was any doubt, this is not a movie a movie for the squeamish. Not. At. All.

There really isn’t any bad in this movie. It features great story telling. The gradual release of info throughout the film in the nonlinear format (think Tarantino-esque) works excellent and is done with skilled precision. And the kills are every bit as imaginative and over-the-top as even the most discerning gore hounds would think up. Pang has created, without a shadow of doubt, one of the finest modern urban slashers to date. “Dream Home” is a must watch.

4.5/5 Skulls