Housebound

Name: Housebound
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Comedy
Released: October 17, 2014
Duration: 107 min
Rating: 76

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 78 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 78 Ratings

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Housebound

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Movie Details & Credits

XLrator Media | Release Date: October 17, 2014 | Not Rated

Summary: Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam – a well-intentioned blabbermouth who's convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam's superstitions as nothingKylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam – a well-intentioned blabbermouth who's convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam's superstitions as nothing more than a distraction from a life occupied by boiled vegetables & small-town gossip. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers & strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she's inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who's not particularly thrilled about her return. [XLrator Media]… Expand

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 107 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Drew McWeeny

Oct 14, 2014

Housebound is that rare film that manages to be funny without defusing any of its scares. Read full review

Chuck Wilson

Oct 14, 2014

Housebound is a tad long, and its murder mystery a bit of a muddle, but that doesn’t matter. The final third is virtuoso. Read full review

Richard Kuipers

Oct 14, 2014

Separating Housebound from most films of its type is super-smart plotting and confident tonal control, as Johnstone’s screenplay throws one terrific curve ball after another and never allows its goofy humor to compromise its genuinely scary components. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Sheila O'Malley

Oct 17, 2014

Housebound is a standout, though, because of its satirical mood and its multiple scenes of almost screwball comedy. Read full review

Gary Goldstein

Oct 16, 2014

The mishmash that results is by turns creepy, silly, inventive, darkly funny and, at one point, mind-blowingly bloody. Still, some smart streamlining would have sharpened the focus and amped up the power of this well-shot and edited spookfest. Read full review

Mike D'Angelo

Oct 17, 2014

Housebound, a horror comedy from New Zealand, tries another tack: Its protagonist doesn’t leave because she legally can’t. The movie doesn’t get nearly as much mileage from this concept as it might have, getting bogged down in an increasingly silly plot having nothing to do with house arrest, but the premise does at least justify a hilariously antisocial leading lady. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

Oct 12, 2014

You grow to feel as if you're arbitrarily changing the channel back and forth from a diverting horror film to a promising odd-couple comedy. Read full review

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User Reviews

MisterKS

Jan 16, 2015

OMFG! I totally didn't expect to see that coming. This is one of the best horror-comedy in ages. I've never been so thrilled by scary movies nowadays but this just threw me out of the window. If you wanna see a well-acted, well-scripted, well-executed, thrilling and funny horror movie, don'tOMFG! I totally didn't expect to see that coming. This is one of the best horror-comedy in ages. I've never been so thrilled by scary movies nowadays but this just threw me out of the window. If you wanna see a well-acted, well-scripted, well-executed, thrilling and funny horror movie, don't hesitate on seeing this. It will get you on the edge of your seat and your belly shaking!… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

prabhu

Oct 1, 2017

This's not that sort of movie that is easy to adapt and understand. It is wonderfully packed with such flawless performance of every crew involved in the movie. All the few characters are very well scripted.
Why do we watch a movie? To be entertained and we know in the thrill that nothing isThis's not that sort of movie that is easy to adapt and understand. It is wonderfully packed with such flawless performance of every crew involved in the movie. All the few characters are very well scripted.
Why do we watch a movie? To be entertained and we know in the thrill that nothing is real. And later we make such fun of the horrors and mystery we see on screen. But this's such a movie that is already subconsciously make you feel relaxed with its mockery of the entertainment.
Gerrard Johnstone is not one of those known directors. He's young and yet intelligent enough to capture the essence of making a movie that is so dark, so thrilling, so emotional and so much sarcastic in such serious scenes. We experience something surreal in the whole movie that needs a little patience to get used to.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gmezero

Feb 9, 2015

If you love suspenseful horror movies. Do yourself a favor. Don't read anything else about this movie. Just go watch it now and don't spoil the fun. The story is extremely well written, the movie is very well executed and all of the cast do a phenomenal job of their roles.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Genghis_Sean

Jul 30, 2016

Don't know if I'd ever heard of this movie but stumbled on it on Netflix and was thoroughly surprised at its quality. It's a horror movie with no problems and that's rare. The plot, the acting, the writing, the comedy, the thrills, and the mystery were all exceptional. Avoid the trailerDon't know if I'd ever heard of this movie but stumbled on it on Netflix and was thoroughly surprised at its quality. It's a horror movie with no problems and that's rare. The plot, the acting, the writing, the comedy, the thrills, and the mystery were all exceptional. Avoid the trailer if you can. They give away too many great moments in it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

quincytheodore

Feb 1, 2015

Seemingly ordinary but deceptively quirky, Housebound is the farthest thing from haunted house cliché. The movie shifts between horror and comedy so easily, it's as if Psycho and Home Alone happening at the same time at the same house. Characters are occasionally annoying, although theySeemingly ordinary but deceptively quirky, Housebound is the farthest thing from haunted house cliché. The movie shifts between horror and comedy so easily, it's as if Psycho and Home Alone happening at the same time at the same house. Characters are occasionally annoying, although they react with such ludicrous manner, it's almost a representation of real reaction. These are not clean cut personalities of usual on-screen haunting victims, at first they might not be likeable, but in the end one can't help but to laugh at them or cheer for their potential survival.

Story revolves around Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O'Reilly) after she botches a robbery attempt, thus sentenced for house arrest. Her family is not a normal one, it's quite dysfunctional actually. As her stress level rises, she begins to find odd things happening in her old house. The development strays from the norm so much, it's refreshing to see a sort of movie as parody of itself yet still able to be taken seriously. Kylie is the type of troubled girl who's rebellious with golden heart buried very deep inside, and she makes all the wrong laughable decision.

Most of the funny part comes from her mistakes and how Amos (Glen-Paul Waru), a sympathetic tech support and occult enthusiast who is willing to help her and her family. The movie moves with certainty, it may seem awkward and out of place, but everything has purpose, either it to set the tension or simply entertain. Character are jovially natural with occasionally profanity or excessive gossip lash, it's not hard to imagine that this family could be just that strange family in the corner of one neighborhood.

When it sets to chill, it delivers so fascinatingly well. Some of the scares are predictable, but they are effective regardless thanks to the smart direction. Screenplay is superb, from disturbing nightmarish tales, down to silly self-mocking jokes and slapstick gore. It will give audience ample of surprises and delights. Its polar opposite terror and hilarity help each other, some aspect of the horror makes the comedy much more appreciable. Furthermore, with a few brilliant twists and their ingenuous nature, the characters will be more relatable as audience gets to know them.

Housebound is the perfect example of 'Don't judge a book from its cover' old saying. It is a blast, it's exciting in every laughs and gasps. This is one of the most fun I've had watching a movie.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

tvnewsguido

Oct 19, 2014

Fantastic.

Clever little horror/comedy from NZ. Don't think too much about it, it will completely fall apart. Just roll with it for some spooky and gory fun.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

drone41

Feb 9, 2018

I'm not a fan of this kind of movies, and it was so predictable what will happened.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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