Housebound - DVD

Film: After blowing up an ATM while under the influence of drugs, rebellious Kylie (Morgana O`Reilly) is placed under house arrest for eight months. Controlled by an electronic ankle bracelet she has to serve her time at her mother Miriam`s (Rima Te Wiata). The fact that she is convinced that her house is haunted and even publicly announces it on the radio doesn't make the situation any easier for the permanently annoyed Kylie. Her displeasure is not only felt by her mother, but also by her partner Greame (Ross Harper), as well as by the social worker Dennis (Cameron Rhodes), who is assigned to her case. But one day, Kylie is forced to realize that her mother may be right after all, and that the house is indeed haunted. With the help of security guard and amateur ghost hunter Amos (Glen-Paul Waru), Kylie sets out to uncover the secret behind her involuntary imprisonment - but what she discovers about the house's dark past and its ghost is far beyond her imagination...

With Housebound, New Zealand director Gerard Johnstone has staged an original scary comedy that barely registers its very low budget of just under $26.000 dollars is hardly noticeable. With a good sense of atmosphere and atmospheric camerawork, Johnstone always manages to use classic means of the haunted house subject to build up a decent amount of tension, which he then wonderfully takes to absurdity with surprising twists and turns. It's no wonder that the film has become an absolute audience favorite at festivals and received the accolade of Peter Jackson. Even a US remake is already in the planning.

The reason that the film works so well is the fact that Johnstone repeatedly uses black-humorous and whimsical elements, but is also able to build up a gripping goosebump atmosphere. Housebound never gets lost in unnecessary silliness that destroys any form of tension. Rather, the filmmaker pays tribute to the genre in a very successful way, without taking it too seriously. He manages the feat of being able to generate small shock effects as well as good laughs - and that with rather simple but quite effective means.

Lead actress Morgana O`Reilly, known from the Australian endless soap Neighbours, gives an absolutely convincing performance as the problem child mutated into a ghost hunter against her will. Rima Te Wiata is just as wonderful as the quirky mother, as is Glen-Paul Waru as the likeable amateur ghost hunter Amos. In the set of the alleged haunted house, which is decorated with great attention to detail, she and the other actors act with a joy of acting that is quickly transferred to the audience. Minor dramaturgical weaknesses and somewhat plodding moments are easily compensated for.

Housebound may not be a perfect film. But what Gerard Johnstone has put together on a mini-budget is a testament not only to his great love of the genre, but also to his great talent as a filmmaker. If you like black-humored scary movies, you'll definitely love this winner of the Fresh Blood Audience Award from Fantasy Filmfest 2014. For this there is then also a clear: Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The technical realization of the film has turned out very atmospheric. Even if there are some minor weaknesses in the darker scenes in the detail representation and minimal image noise to discover, the color scheme and the harmonious contrast mix catch the gloomy-tense mood of the story yet very good. The purposefully used sound effects further underline this impression. They repeatedly provide pleasant dynamics on the surround channels in an otherwise rather restrained sound mix. Overall, there is an absolutely deserved: good!

Extras: Unfortunately, there is not much bonus material. Only the trailer, some program tips and three short cut scenes are offered here. This film definitely deserved more!

Conclusion: Housebound is a wonderfully original horror-comedy from New Zealand that cleverly plays with standard haunted house clichés, only to take them ad absurdum in a surprising twist. The festival favourite presents itself on DVD in atmospheric picture and sound quality. The bonus material, on the other hand, is a bit meager. Nevertheless, for this entertaining genre contribution a clear: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp