Film Review: Housebound

Ghost-Trusters

The fundamental problem of producing a really good horror/comedy movie is attempting to abide by those two particular elements and produce enough of each to satisfy audiences prone to one and/or both throughout its' particular runtime. Take a classic example such as Scream for instance, one of the more popular black comedies that attempted and succeeded in producing a movie that poked fun at the cliches of the horror movie industry whilst having genuine horrific moments alongside it, due in part to the creative genius of one Wes Craven. Although in 2015 the horror movie genre has had some rather forgettable additions to it (It Follows, The Woman in Black 2 for example), the newest entry in the form of Gerard Johnstone's Housebound, is most definitely the best of the year so far, with it being one of those rare cases in which the mix of the comedic and the horrific go hand in hand in a rather harmonious fashion.   

When Kylie (Morgana O'Reilly) is sentenced to eight months house arrest with her mother and step-father after a robbery attempt gone wrong, she starts to notice strange occurrences throughout the house, ranging from missing food to murderous, rampaging teddy bears all the whilst being unable to escape due to an electronic tag that has been fitted on her as part of her sentence. Are these strange occurrence due in part to a ghostly spirit residing in the house or is it simply a case of Kylie losing her mind due to her newly found restricted freedom? Housebound follows in the footsteps of last years' The Babadook by not only being another success story from the Oceanic region, but by being a genuinely intelligent, spooky, and ultimately engaging horror film which although covers similar territory in regards to the tale of a haunted house, attempts to break the mould of all its' recent familiars (Insidious Chapter Three for example) by adding in an effective element of comedy to the floor, something of which I think worked throughout and made the film stand out in the category of horror films released so far this year. 

The final act of Housebound in which we witness the true horrors behind the house's strange occurrences was incredibly reminiscent of the recent horror marvel Your'e Next, particularly in one set piece where the latter's "blender scene" gets put to shame with one of the most goriest, if glorious, on-screen deaths I have seen in a long time which although was most definitely not for the faint hearted, seemingly continued to heavily reside on the black-comedy element which made it all more enjoyable, resulting in an simultaneous combination of both shock and sniggers. Overall, Housebound may resort to the age-old cliches of the tale of the haunted house, but it does it with confidence, comedy and style, making it one of this years' stand out performers in the genre of horror movies. 

Overall Score: 8/10

Film Review: Slow West

Into The Wild

I recently took up the chance to add to my ever-increasing film knowledge and finally, after years of them being on my "to be watched later" list, sitting down and indulging in "The Man With No Name" Trilogy, the classic Western trio of movies including The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, featuring Mr Macho himself, Clint Eastwood. Although my knowledge of "Spaghetti Western's" in general is pretty limited to say the least, Sergio Leone's magnum opus's were pretty darn good and has led me to search out and broaden my horizons when it comes to this particular genre. How fate has intervened therefore with the release of Slow West this week, a action Western thriller featuring the brilliant Micheal Fassbender (Prometheus, Shame), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In) and Ben Mendelsohn (The Place Beyond the Pines) whilst being directed by first-timer John Maclean. With the limited amount of Westerns that are released in the current cinematic environment, Slow West had the opportunity to shine and bring fresh life into my newly-found genre of movies but with Clint Eastwood thoroughly in the back of my mind throughout, it had an uphill challenge from the start. 

The premise of Slow West is one that is very reminiscent of the Coen Brother's True Grit (and obviously the original, of which, I haven't seen) whereby the hunt for the wanted is the main direction of the character's goals with McPhee's Jay and Fassbender's Silas essentially being carbon copies of Mattie Ross and Rooster Cogburn respectively, if for a little gender change on one part. In the case of Slow West however, the hunt for the wanted is due to the absence of love in contrast to the absence of cash with Jay searching the West for his long-lost love whilst Silas constantly being at his side acting as his protector and guide. Although the film contains strong levels of action and violence throughout, it was the underlying sense of black comedic value that made it hold its' ground so astutely, with it being very reminiscent of Joel and Ethan Coen as well as Wes Anderson, particularly in moments that could arguably be classed as entering the ground of "zany". 

The film's bright demeanor throughout contrasted the fundamental dark tones of the movie in which murder, betrayal and violence are particularly rife, only adding credence to the notion of the films' aim in making light of such matters by mixing in a strong comedic undertone which, for the most part, was its' strongest moments. Fassbender is ace once again in a leading role whilst young McPhee produces a strong performance as the heartbroken teen lost in the wild. Aside from a rather predictable ending and falling on rather similar territory in terms of the Western genre, Slow West was an enjoyable addition into the Western catalogue of movies, propped up by the strong element of dark humour that was prevalent throughout. 

Overall Score: 7/10