They’ve been told that they can’t leave - as much as they may want to. While they’re not exactly under house arrest, they are locked inside this underground “home” for a set amount of time, with no contact with the outside world. They are to be locked inside for at least a year, but Michelle begins to wonder about the legitimacy of Howard’s claims. It seems that there has been some sort of attack and the air has been poisoned, and so the surprisingly homey bunker is their only safe haven. In the film, two strangers - Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) - are brought to the underground bunker of a quiet yet imposing man named Howard (John Goodman, who is absolutely terrifying in this role). The third act isn’t as strong, but it’s still a worthwhile watch.Ī spiritual successor to Cloverfield, the found footage hit, 10 Cloverfield Lane switches to a third-person narrative with a phenomenal (yet small) cast. There’s a great moment when Anna turns the tide on their sorry asses that brought a cheer from the audience when I first saw the film at the Toronto After Dark Film Fest. One of the things that I love about Intruders is how it flips the script on the intruders. Whenever she does try to leave, she’s overcome with a crippling panic attack that drives her back inside with such intensity that she physically can’t overcome it, even with the knowledge that she’s in grave danger. A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave areas that they consider to be safe, but with the security of her refuge compromised, Anna is confronted with a terrifying reality.
Intruders is an interesting take on house arrest horror because the only thing keeping Anna trapped inside the house is herself. When a group of thieves break in to steal her hidden fortune (making the unfortunately inaccurate assumption that she’d not be home), Anna - unable to leave to seek help - is forced to take matters into her own hands.
Housebound has been highly praised by critics and fans alike, and took home the awards for Best Horror Film, Best Comedy Film, and Best Ensemble Cast at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival (one of my favorite fests ).Īgoraphobic Anna (Beth Riesgraf) has not left her house in the 10 years since her father’s death. You feel Kylie’s complex shifting attitudes towards her mother - annoyance and guilt, pity and frustration - and exactly how they affect Miriam, thanks to a masterful performance by Te Wiata. Housebound has a lot of heart, particularly in the way it communicates Kylie’s challenging relationship with her mother and stepfather. It’s the feature film debut for Gerard Johnstone, and he knocks it out of the park with a horror-comedy that works both angles well. This is really just a great film to check out for yourself. Miriam is convinced the house is haunted, and as a reluctant Kylie learns more of the house’s secrets, she finds it harder to be a skeptic. But to add insult to her ego’s injury, she’s placed at her childhood home under the care of her eccentric mother, Miriam (Rima Te Wiata). This New Zealand horror-comedy follows a troubled young woman named Kylie (Morgana O’Reilly) who is sentenced to 8 months under house arrest after she tries (and fails) to rob an ATM. And the early scenes of Marnie trying to find something to do in the house (pre-internet, poor thing) are pretty relatable. But the whole “you’re literally trapped in here with a very angry and motivated ghost with a score to settle” concept is a good one. As far as ghosts go, he’s rather hands-on, and Marnie is soon desperate to expel the spirit so she can serve her time in peace.įull disclosure, the ghost effects are… not great. She’s bored and lonely, but not alone - the spirit of her horrible husband is trapped in the house with her, and he’s pretty angry about the whole murder thing. Whether they’re put on house arrest or held for the sake of their own safety (supposedly), these protagonists are simply stuck.Īfter spending 7 years in prison for killing her abusive husband (in self defense), Marnie (Famke Janssen) is fitted with an ankle bracelet and held under house arrest for 6 months. Well in these films, they actually can’t leave.
“Why don’t they just leave?”, we wonder (while secretly glad they don’t… it would be a very short and boring movie, otherwise). In many, many horror films, we often find ourselves perplexed by the subject’s inability to wisen up and just get out of the damn house.
I was thinking of what kind of list I could create to commemorate such an occasion, and it seemed only appropriate to focus on horror films in which the subjects just can’t leave the house. It’s been… *checks watch* just over a year since COVID-19 started, and the world has been put on a long-term time out.
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