Another Monday brings another Horror-Comedy in our 31 Days of Halloween. This one hails from New Zealand and was released in 2014. Written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, Housebound is a brilliant feature debut that makes you wonder when his sophomore feature might be on its way. A horror-comedy can be a tricky enough thing to pull off- rarely are the scales of humor and horror in balance- but Johnstone infuses dark comedy with genuine suspense. There’s even some touching family drama to ground it all. Basically, if you want your horror-comedy to offer up genuine chills along with the laughs, Housebound has your number.
Synopsis: Kylie Bucknell is a bit of a troublemaker. Her latest brush with the law sees her placed under house arrest, a punishment made all the more unbearable by the fact that she’ll be living with her mother Miriam. Miriam can be a lot to handle, especially because she’s convinced her home is haunted. But when Kylie starts experiencing strange phenomena within the house, she wonders if maybe she’s inherited her mother’s overactive imagination – or if the house really might be haunted after all.
Key Players: Morgana O’Reilly takes the lead as Kylie, and Rima Te Wiata plays her superstitious mother Miriam. Cameron Rhodes is Dennis, the psychologist assigned to Kylie, and Glen-Paul Waru plays Amos, the security contractor keeping an eye on Kylie’s ankle monitor. Ryan Lampp is Eugene.
Why It’s on the List: Johnstone demonstrates a lot of creativity and innovation, ensuring the low budget never feels like a limitation. Housebound is the type of film best served knowing as little as possible going in, if you’ve never seen it before. The narrative keeps you on your toes, trying it’s best to maintain a level of unpredictability throughout. Most of all, Housebound offers up a lot of sincerely creepy moments thanks to its housebound lead character and the eerie atmosphere she finds herself trapped in. Plenty of tension, too. But this is a twisted horror-comedy, so the humor does offer up a reprieve from the scares. We have Te Wiata’s masterful performance as Miriam to thank for a lot of the laughs. A reminder: this is a New Zealand horror-comedy. There will be blood spilled.
Shower Crasher: A small moment that gives a tease of the unique blend of horror and humor, featuring a creepy toy that crashes Kylie’s shower. Is she becoming like her mother? Or is there something seriously wrong with the house?
Where You Can Watch: Housebound is available to rent or purchase through iTunes, or on Blu-ray.
