We’re so afraid of getting old. It’s the basis for so many horror films, and it scratches something real and visceral in our brains. Getting old is a reality we face every day, and one we all try to avoid in one way or another. I was thinking about this while watching The Home, James DeMonaco’s attempt to dive into elevated horror rather than giving us The Purge 11 or whatever one came out last. Sadly though, I’m not sure DeMonaco stopped to think about the why of the story he was crafting, or what he wanted his final cut to say to his audience.
The Home follows Max, a young adult delinquent booked for trespassing and destruction of property. Instead of going to prison, his foster dad pleads with the judge for leniency and he is sent for community service at an assisted living facility. Things seem off right away, as the staff forbids him from visiting the fourth floor as the patients there require “special care.” Curious, especially after hearing ominous screams from above, he visits the fourth floor and finds the beginnings of a real mystery. Things are definitely very wrong at this place, and it’s about to get way worse.
I went into this movie completely blind, and that really is the best way to see it. It’s a twisty movie with about an hour or so of pure setup. Unfortunately, this makes the pacing kind of a mixed bag. At one moment, you’re on the edge of your seat and the next, you’re slumped over waiting for something to happen. Overall, it serves as an okay mystery thriller for a good portion of its runtime, and reminded me a lot of Shutter Island in vibes only (for better or worse).
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say this movie has a crazy twist in the middle, and it’s certainly something. I think some folks will like it, but for me, it felt like one of those twists that makes other parts of the movie make less sense, not more. Maybe this is teetering on spoiler-y thoughts, but it felt like DeMonaco saw Hereditary and went “Oh I could TOTALLY do that.”
The cast is fine overall. I wanted to like Pete Davidson as the lead, but he just doesn’t have the juice. His strongest moments are when he gets to be funny, but they’re few and far between. The script wants him to be a tough-as-nails delinquent with a heart of gold, but his performance is akin to Mass Effect 1’s Commander Shepard. He spends most of the runtime with a glazed-over expression, repeating “I just got to help these people” over and over again. Still, I think it has more to do with bad direction and writing than his ability, and maybe we’ll see better from him in the future.
All the movie’s violent moments are done practically, and I have to say, it looks magnificent. The gore is pretty tame for a majority of the film, but when it finally goes there, it becomes a blood-soaked masterpiece. I was getting ready to write this movie off as slop before that final scene, but it’s so wild and bonkers that it brought the movie up in quality for me. Overall, it’s still a mess, but they really go there with the slasher and body horror moments, and I have to respect that.
I’m not sure I’d recommend seeing this movie in theaters. I haven’t seen any of the Purge movies, but I imagine they’re a lot like The Home: goopy, dumb, and a fun time. There were many moments where I held my head in my hands and laughed because what was on screen was so extraordinarily stupid. But, at the end of the day, I don’t hold it against them all that much. It was still a fun little romp that I’d watch again on streaming, and heck, I might even recommend it.
