Housebound

2014 Directed by Gerard Johnstone

Terror Gets Domesticated

When Kylie Bucknell is sentenced to home detention, she's forced to come to terms with her unsociable behaviour, her blabbering mother and a hostile spirit who seems less than happy about the new living arrangement.

Morgana O'Reilly Rima Te Wiata Glen-Paul Waru Cameron Rhodes Millen Baird Ross Harper Bruce Hopkins Ryan Lampp Ian Mune Wallace Chapman

109 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Hollie Horror ★★★★ 10

Housebound is an unpredictable, suspenseful horror comedy and, to my delight, you can add hilarious and heartfelt to the ongoing list of adjectives. It's nice to know that the creative and unique horror comedy is alive and well in New Zealand.
Throughout the entire movie I never knew what was going to happen next and it was such a welcomed feeling of the unknown, it's not often enough that a genre film can keep me on my toes as I have a firm grip on my husband's arm, just in case the next scene sent me flying.
Kylie is a troubled young woman with a drug addiction that has landed her in and out of rehabs, after her latest run…
Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★★★

2014 has been a disappointing year for horror films! Then I came across this underrated little gem! Boy oh boy did my eyes light up when I realized I had struck pay dirt!
I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is Gerard Johnstone's directorial debut! With a great first time outing like this it tickles me to think "We haven't seen nothing yet" from this promising young director!
It pulls off a fantastic balancing act insuring the horror won't be undermined by its deadpan humor! Throw in some nail biting tension for luck and you have one hell of a viewing experience!
I love the fierce little minx Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O'Reilly)! She's tough as nails…
Review by DirkH ★★★★ 5

It shouldn't be surprising anymore that some of the best horror films come from Down Under these days. Housebound is no exception.
Crafted with a brilliantly off beat sense of humour, Housebound is a horror film that is not set out to scare you, but to entertain. It does so by unashamedly relishing in horror conventions, perfectly balancing scares with laughter and gore.
All this works so well because Housebound understands two things really well. You need a good story and you need great characters. And boy does it ever. The mother and daughter are characters that slowly grow on you. Not very relatable at first, but as the story progressed so did my appreciation of them. It even manages…
Review by Vishwas Verma ★★★★ 1

Glen-Paul Waru was so hilarious... Morgana O'Reilly superb.
Surprisingly brilliant horror-comedy.
Review by Esteban Gonzalez ★★★★ 4

“Are you familiar with the term dissociative identity disorder?”
After having watched the hilarious New Zealand mockumentry, What We Do in the Shadows, I decided to follow it up with another Kiwi film written and directed by first time director Gerard Johnstone. Housebound is yet another brilliantly crafted film that manages to blend the horror and comedy genres together in such a way that the film excels at both things. Usually when you have a film like this, it is either more concerned in delivering on the comedy or on the horror, but very few times does it actually manage to do so on both ends. Housebound is a parody of horror films while at the same time maintaining a…
Review by Travis Lytle ★★★½ 2

A horror comedy that mostly forgets its comic side, Gerald Johnstone's "Housebound" works mainly because of its ability to chill early on and its ever-so-slightly bizarre texture that sets in near the film'c climax. With effective jolts, strange reveals, and a refreshingly offbeat vibe, the Kiwi thriller makes for a solid and appealing viewing experience.
Built around a young woman who is sentenced to house arrest after some minor criminal misdeeds, "Housebound" follows as the woman encounters some strange goings-on during her incarceration. Mystery, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, and long-kept secrets combine for a horror narrative that is more effective when it avoids its daffy side. Its light-toned moments may bring about some smiles, but they only distract from the film's solid sense…
Review by JΔΣΞS Β ★★★½

A podcast listener suggestion, Housebound is a horror comedy from New Zealand by first-time writer/director Gerard Johnstone. Utterly enjoyable, with great Shaun of the Dead-esque dialogue and slapstick comedy tinged with just enough suspense payoff to keep it looped into the genre.
Discussed in episode #82, a Top 10 Last 10 podcast episode, in which we rank the last 10 films we've seen.
Review by maskull ★★★★½ 1

My Eyes Hurt When I Go Outside, It's Too Bright!!! (or, My Halloween Horrorfest 2018) Movie #46 (boxd.it/25cXe )
One of those rare movies that manages to be really funny and creep you out, sometimes at the same time. And it holds up completely on a second viewing. Great performances, clever writing, cool effects. I did have to look up "moggy" again though. I forgot what it meant.
I remember being a little bit jarred by the turn this movie takes on my first viewing, but this time I knew it was coming and was ready for it and even appreciated it.
Review by Mr. DuLac ★★★★ 9

So are you happy to proceed with the story... that Mr. McRandle was attacked by a vengeful ghost?
-Officer Grayson
Writer/director Gerard Johnstone comes close to doing for the haunted house film what Edgar Wright did for the zombie film. Not only does he pull off an excellent horror/comedy, but it ends up being one of the best horror films of the year.
The key is that like the best horror comedies out there Johnstone treats the horror seriously and never lets the comedy under cut it. He not only balances the horror, deadpan humor, suspense and dark comedy but he does so with ballsy confidence.
Instead of playing it safe, he not only pulls of a film with a…
Review by Slig001 ★★★½

Very entertaining horror comedy from New Zealand! Not perfect by any means, but it uses its central plot ideas well and keeps you guessing for the duration. The plot basically focuses on a young tearaway who, as punishment for trying to break into an ATM, has to go and live with her mother under house arrest; but begins to suspect some strange things may be going on in the house! The lead character (nicely brought to life by Morgana O'Reilly) makes for an interesting lead. The merging between horror and comedy is not seemless, however, and honestly the goofy slapstick moments do get in the way of what is a well constructed and interesting mystery story. Nearly all of the…
Review by Werner Jeju ★★★★½

Back in 2014, New Zealand released both horror-comedies What We Do In The Shadows (dir. by Taika Waititi) and Housebound (dir. by Gerard Johnstone), which to me is a revelation to how refreshing their use of deadpan humor with terrifying scares to wallow in. While many has WWDITS in high regard as one of Waititi's best works, I do have a preference when comparing both with Housebound as slightly the superior of the two.
Amos: You know, the closed mind is the worst defense against the paranormal, Kylie. What are you gonna do against a hostile spirit? You just gonna crack jokes?
Kylie: No, I am going to smash it in the face.
Amos: You cannot punch ectoplasm.
Written, edited…
Review by Sofa Sinema ★★★★ 2

Every year I look forward to Fangoria magazine's Chainsaw Awards nominees. Even with all the access to so many reviews, blogs, and online information for horror buffs, they still manage to squeeze in some titles I hadn't heard of. Housebound was one of these, earning nominations for Best Direct-to-Video/Limited Release, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay. All of those were deserved and this is one of the otherwise unsung bright spots for 2014 horror.
A New Zealand horror comedy with a central mystery that takes us in unexpected and often hilarious directions. Make no mistake, there are some dark and frightening scenes to balance out the humor. Exciting finale and good gore, too.

Recent reviews

Review by Amy Derrickson ★★★½

Pretty darn good! And funny!
Review by Trevor Maek ★★★★

There's a clever scene in Housebound that left me in stitches. At one point, the power in the house mysteriously goes out. As one of the characters fumbles in the darkness to find the switch, the light comes back on to reveal a ghostly apparition standing behind someone. Before we and the characters have the chance to react, the light is quickly turned back off, rudely interrupting the musical cue for the jump scare. There are lots of these moments cleverly woven throughout the film that use horror tropes simultaneously for suspense and comedic effect. Housebound is the rare horror comedy that works effectively, balancing offbeat humour with genuine suspense, and enough twists and turns along the way to keep you invested. It's also a ton of fun.
Review by BrambleScramble ★★★★½ 1

The dude who made this hysterical, fuckin’ awesome movie has not directed a feature film since! Let’s go, brah!
Review by 6uilherm ★★★★½

Very well written and played, funny and scary and intelligent. Stars to a first movie.
Review by nellybobs ★★★★

This was great. Tense, funny and surprisingly emotional.
Review by Matt Parenti ★★★★½

It's quite simple really.
If New Zealand made it.
I like it.
*but seriously give this one a watch it's like 5 horror movie concepts in one. With some earned laugh out loud moments sprinkled in.
Review by bionicwalker ★★★★

miriam is a friggin gem
Review by Spinal_Trap ★★★½

Really clever, suspenseful and funny comedy horror that leans more on the horror than comedy. It's quirky and off kilter, but a really well written story full of tense turns and surprises. The gore is very well done and everything about this is intriguing. While it starts off slow and dry, Housebound really builds up to something great.
I don't want to get into any spoilers, so I'll just say the third act really pays off. Give this one a watch and get through the long initial setup because it's storytelling and suspense done excellent. Streaming (for now) on the free app Tubi.
Review by SquidKnee ★★★★

Hilarious writing and great acting all around, this was the perfect mix of comedy and horror. The movie kept me in suspense and was pretty stressful at times but maintained a humorous tone throughout. It did start to feel a little long towards the end but there was a lot of mystery to unravel so I wasn’t too upset about it.
Review by leamarie_23 ★★★

pretty good plot if i hadn't watched much thriller films but was lacking some uhmpf iykwim
Review by ddahlia ★★★ 1

First time I've seen this, I was kind of drunk and distracted. Because of this, I picked up some pieces but didn't totally get a full grasp of the film.
Four years later, I rewatched it and, well, it's not as exciting ang thrilling because I already knew the plot twist. However, I did somewhat enjoy the humor that is the stupidity of the characters.
Thinking about it, the plot is actually pretty cool and complex. The implementation such as the acting, background music, camerawork, etc. are a let down, however. Maybe if I've seen this sober for the first time, maybe I'd appreciate it much more.
Review by shutupmacks ★★★½

Muddled to bits but incredibly endearing. Clearly everyone was having fun with this unnecessarily twist-filled and manic romp