Skip to main content

Review "Housebound" (2014) NZ

I know tons of people who outright hate horror movies and tons of those who dismiss them or never bother watching them. Well "Housebound" (2014) now on Netflix is one of those movies that shouldn't be dismissed. 

My advice is to stop reading this now - especially if you're the kind of person that easily discovers spoilers in non-spoiler reviews - and just go watch this work of art. But if you still need convincing, read on. 
Besides having some real creepy scares and a bit of "in your face" blood & gore (just a bit) this flick has a great story, a perfect plot, wonderful characters - including the main character - a hard case juvie that's given up on the world, a security guy who's a part-time paranormal investigator, and especially - well, I don't want to give away anything. Let's just say that every character has some great moments that make you smile, laugh out loud, or even cry - yes, cry!
Okay. Now quickly go rent or buy your copy of this flick and watch it!
Still not convinced? Without letting the cat out of the bag, this movie has such a great twist (a few actually) which really work naturally and comment on the the two worlds normally at odds in a horror movie - the straight Normal vs. the odd Other. As an Other myself, watching this forced me to admit that I can be as myopic as any Normal and I think that Normals will, after watching, find themselves sympathizing with Otherness and perhaps even get a glimpse on how both worlds simultaneously feed off and force each other into existence. Too deep? You don't have to look very deep in order to enjoy this flick - you can enjoy it as a fun and scary run through a carnival house of horrors (c'mon, I double dog dare ya) - but I love that you can look deeper and find solid motivation for every character. 
My highest recommendation. Three thumbs up. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lazy Day

Had a lazy day today. Been working on high gear for a while now. Guess I needed a break. Today's monster: "Chicken of the Sea".

Ninjas vs Cowboys, Top 10 Cowboy Manga

I talk about US ninja comics and Japanese cowboy comics on Tim Young's Deconstructing Comics . Listen to it here ! I based on the lecture I gave last year at the Koshi Manga Museum . First slide from my Ninjas vs Cowboys presentation. Here are my Top 10 Cowboy Manga: 10. Bullet Tommy  『弾丸トミー』by Shige SUGIURA This is a classic, one of the earliest comics. It's a "gag manga" for kids and so pokes fun at the various Western movie tropes. The art resembles Shoney's Big Boy, doesn't it? 9.  The Cactus Kid  『サボテン君』by Osamu TEZUKA This is one of Tezuka's early Western manga when he had only seen a few westerns at the time. I like the idea of a guy who wants to turn his parents' saloon into a milk bar. 8. The Belle Starr Gang  『ベル☆スタア強盗団』by Akihiro ITO Ito is known for his Geobreeders  saga, but this is his take on the real-life outlaw Belle Starr and her gang. I like the art and the attempt to incorporate real-life events into the...

Tokyo Musume

In just a few days my first solo exhibition will open in Tokyo. July 16th to my birthday July 21st. I'm very excited and more than a bit nervous. The theme is Tokyo Musume (Tokyo Girls) . I'll also display several works from the 100 robots series which I have up on comicspace . I'm also a complete wreck trying to complete a design job for a big publishing company (logo for an online comic) and the opening to a tv show for another big company all while trying to finish more artwork for the show. The pic you see here is the postcard/flyer for the show. Also is a larger view of the map. If you are in Japan, you can find Gallery House Maya very easily. At Gaienmae station, take Exit 3 and go straight to the cross signal. Cross and turn right. You should pass a Family Mart on the left. Take the first left. After about 3 minutes you should see Maya on your right. It's a small house/gallery flanked by two large bushes. The gallery requests that no one sends flowers, but genero...