October 20th, 2014: As genre mash-ups go, “Housebound” pierces the retina of the bullseye with blinding force. Classic Isolationist Horror, Black Comedy, Family Drama and Slasher elements all get a heavy pre-soak before shifting into an extended spin cycle of entertainment. The uneasy union of co-dependence and independence that has been woven between parent and child since the dawn of time is at the crux of this narrative. And that’s the up tempo landscape to which Housebound inhabits oh so well.
Kylie (Morgana O’Reilly), is the quintessential poster child for disaffected youth and she wears that badge with honour. After a B&E goes awry, she is order into 8 months of house detention in the New Zealand countryside where she is forced to reconnect with her persnickety natter-happy mother Miriam (Rima Te Wiata). Her shiny new hi-tech ankle bracelet with perimeter alarm guarantees the mother / daughter paradigm will either flourish or flounder. No wonder Kylie left. As she marks her territory, the house steeped in bad memories starts to give up its disturbing secrets and the gruff icy exterior Kylie displays to the world quickly thaws as saving her family takes precedent. Director Gerald Johnstone plays it fast and fierce with deadpan comedic bits between mother and daughter who are now caught deep in the throes of survival. This is delicately balanced by slick horror elements with seat squirming energy that makes you prey someone, anyone stumbles into a light switch just once god dammit!
The ensemble cast is rounded out by scene-stealing turns from Amos (Glen-Paul Waru), the pudgy security technician, who moonlights in all things paranormal by taking ownership of Kylie and Miriam’s unwelcome house guests. Graeme (Ross Harper), plays the quiet and powerless stepfather who tries his best to be a father to Kylie and the easy listening court-ordered psychiatrist Dennis (Cameron Rhodes) rounds out this mercurial cast.
Verdict: 4.0 / 5: We expect the twists and turns typically found in isolationist genres that push the survival envelope. What I didn’t expect is the way in which Johnstone transforms this cavernous light deprived house into a myriad of claustrophobic tension filled set pieces that heighten this fear based premise with sound and fury. At its core, Housebound effectively mines the loose yet well-worn threads that connect mother and daughter. Johnstone’s tension filled debut is a rollicking fun house ride that does its darndest to dislodge all who enter . . . and often does.
Kylie’s fear may be more mother than ghost.
Genre: Thriller / Comedy / Horror
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2014
Language: English
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Writer: Gerard Johnstone
Premiere: Toronto
Release Date: August 3rd, 2014
Runtime: 109 minutes
Cast: Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Ross Harper, Cameron Rhodes, Ryan Lampp, Mick Innes, Bruce Hopkins, Wallace Chapman, Millen Baird, David Van Horn, Nikki Si’Ulepa, Ian Mune Kitty Riddell, Lila Sharp
