Housebound
XLrator Media | Release Date: October 17, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
HitfixDrew McWeenyOct 14, 2014
Housebound is that rare film that manages to be funny without defusing any of its scares. Read full review
90
VarietyRichard KuipersOct 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
90
Village VoiceChuck WilsonOct 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
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyOct 14, 2014
Gerard Johnstone, a first-time writer-director from New Zealand, demonstrates a sly command of deadpan humor along with an assured grasp of seasoned horror tropes. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiOct 15, 2014
Housebound nimbly jumps through the hoops of horror tropes, inventively subverting them along the way. The fact that it sticks the landing is a testament to Johnstone’s solid script and direction. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyOct 17, 2014
Housebound is a standout, though, because of its satirical mood and its multiple scenes of almost screwball comedy. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinOct 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
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloOct 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
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreOct 14, 2014
A clever and claustrophobic thriller that will trip you up and leave you with a wicked, blood-stained grin. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenOct 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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