Housebound (2014)
85%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 22 nominations
Alternately hilarious, gross, and simply diverting, Housebound is the rare horror-comedy that delivers on both fronts
Housebound is a horror-comedy that will have you laughing and jumping out of your seat at the same time. The cast is fantastic, with standout performances from Morgana O’Reilly and Rima Te Wiata. The film’s unique tone and production design make it a must-watch for horror fans looking for something fresh and exciting. Plus, who doesn’t love a good haunted house story? Housebound is the perfect movie for a Friday night in with friends and popcorn.
Production Company(ies)
R. P. Productions, Heritage Films, Studio Babelsberg
Distributor
XLrator Media
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2014
Genre(s)
Comedy/Horror
Keyword(s)
Housebound, Comedy, Horror, 1h 49m, Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Gerard Johnstone, Luke Sharpe, written by Gerard Johnstone, XLrator Media, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Aja Romano, Mark Kermode, Kate Muir, Mike McCahill, Matthew Thrift, Tom Huddleston, Trace Thurman, Joe Lipsett, Nicholas Bell, Andrew Todd, Shannon McGrew, MPAA rating, haunted house, ghosts, thief, estranged mother, evil spirits, family domicile, talkative mother, detention, court ordered, sledgehammer, cash machine, rebellion, society, tension, jump-scare, deadpan humor, absurdity, fighting, laundry basket, gory horror, dark comedy, fresh, surprising, unpredictable, American remake
Worldwide gross: $241,347
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $301,623
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,852
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 32,892
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rima Te Wiata – Miriam Bucknell
Glen-Paul Waru – Amos
Cameron Rhodes – Dennis
Millen Baird – Officer Grayson
Ross Harper – Graeme
Director(s)
Gerard Johnstone
Writer(s)
Gerard Johnstone
Producer(s)
Luke Sharpe
Film Festivals
South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 22 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (2)
Housebound is writer-director Gerard Johnstone’s only feature film, but its unique tone has the confidence of an established, more experienced screenwriter
January 12, 2021
Aja Romano
Vox
TOP CRITIC
O’Reilly is terrific as the sneery discontent at the centre of the madcap maelstrom, while Rima Te Wiata walks a wonderfully fine line between pathos and aggravation as the long-suffering/insufferable mum whose forced smile is about to crack.
July 5, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Housebound does ghosts in the walls with the same wacky panache as the recent Wyrmwood did Aussie zombies.
July 2, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Johnstone is one to watch.
July 2, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Mike McCahill
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Housebound winningly sticks two fingers up to tired genre persuasions, effecting a barnstorming crowdpleaser populated by people you want to root for and tension you can chew. It’s the stuff Friday nights at the movies were made for.
July 2, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Matthew Thrift
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
First-time director Gerard Johnstone may not possess the wild visual invention of his patron Peter Jackson, but he’s ruthlessly proficient at old-school scares.
June 30, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Tom Huddleston
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A perfect marriage of horror and comedy, Housebound is an outstanding debut feature for writer/director Gerard Johnstone.
January 31, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
Funny and tense in equal measure, Housebound is a genuine delight. The production design of the house is a huge asset to the film’s success; director Johnstone knows exactly how to frame and shoot the action to maximize the frights and laughs
January 26, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Joe Lipsett
Horror Queers Podcast
As the film gets more outlandish, everything about Housebound begins to feel either borrowed or silly.
September 6, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
There’s a lot to be said for a low-budget premise that uses its budget as inspiration rather than limitation.
September 1, 2019
Andrew Todd
Birth.Movies.Death.
It’s one of those movies where you will be grateful for a change from the modern every day “scary” movies.
June 11, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Shannon McGrew
Nightmarish Conjurings
It is not just in its writing and direction that Housebound excels; the production design is a feast for the eyes.
February 28, 2019
Naila Scargill
Exquisite Terror…
Plot
Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam – a well-intentioned blabbermouth who’s convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam’s superstitions as nothing more than a distraction from a life occupied by boiled vegetables & small-town gossip. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers & strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she’s inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who’s less than happy about the new living arrangement.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Housebound.
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