DIRECTOR: ORSON OBLOWITZ / SCREENPLAY: COREY DESHON / STARRING: FAIRUZA BALK, JANEL PARRISH, ANGELA TRIMBUR, ZACH AVERY, JONATHAN HOWARD / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 16TH
Two couples who have rented a romantic getaway for the weekend have their festivities thwarted when a group of intruders invade the home in the quest to find something important to them in Hell is where the Home is.
Home invasion movies are a special breed of sub-genre within films. They can be combined with any other magnitude of sub-genres from comedy, thriller and, in this case, horror. Everyone can relate in someway being that the fear of having your home broken into is lodged firmly into our sub-conscience. So when a film of that ilk comes along, it manages to instantly resonate with its audience. In the case of Hell is where the Home is, the setting is instantly acknowledgeable but it falters with its less-than-friendly characters.
The two couples at the centre of this tale include Sarah (Trimbur) and her husband Joseph (Avery) and Estelle (Parrish) and her douchebag boyfriend Victor (Howard). The house that they have rented was found online and in order to spend some time away from the city, they set off to this incredibly expensive property that eventually turns into a nightmare scenario. Estelle and Victor are your typical carefree and egotistical couple who think that the world revolves around them and the only real feeling character is Sarah, who fortunately happens to be the protagonist of the story. Trimbur’s performance holds the piece together leading into the worthwhile final act.
With a runtime of 88 minutes, the first half of the film is less than inspiring – with the only glimpses of potential lurking in the opening and the strange visitor that visits the house as we tick over into act 2. From then on, the film begins to realise its true potential and ambition. Once the group of invaders eventually make an appearance, plot threads that seemed out of place in the first act begin to make sense and the tension and thrills come at you rapidly. The film’s cinematography is easily its strongest aspect with the second half being beautifully bathed in an Argento-esque glow of blues, greens and purple as the horror begins to unfold – think The Strangers meets Dario Argento.
Hell is where the Home is starts off incredibly slow with a run-of-the-mill setup and unlikeable characters but then all of a sudden changes into a thrilling beast in its final act with great cinematography and interesting twists that ultimately makes it a worthwhile watch when it hits VOD.
