VeronicaW345

Over the years, I have noticed that New Zealanders seem to find it very hard to make a straightforward horror movie! They have to have this quirky sensibility that just seeps into all their horror movies.

The Writer/Director Gerard Johnstone also seemed to have drawn inspiration from some classic movies like "The Changeling" and "The Shining," in a way that still feels fresh rather than derivative. But he brings something extra to the table, that wickedly quirky New Zealand sense of humor. While still harrowing and spooky, he brings humor to the movie from the very first scene.

Clever and spooky, "Housebound" manages to take a lot of clichés and make them feel fresh as new and the acting was superb by the whole cast. In short, a must-see for those who like some laughs!

This isn't the kind of movie that will make you jump, but it works at a different level with being more insidious.. There is a lot of suspense with waiting to see what Emelie will do next, as well as a consistently strong performance from Sarah Bolger and the child actors, as well as high-quality cinematography.

I did think it played a lot on parents fear of what could happen, and for the way this movie was written it certainly worked. It did fall flat in some spots and some things that happen do seem too far fetched, but I won't go into spoiler details.. Other than that it was a good watch.

As a story, there were some good ideas.. but what made the movie fall flat was the dreadful sound, the lack of suspense and the casting.

So you have the Father: who looks good for his age but can still pull off the young father look, and to also note - I thought he acted the part quite well.

Then you have the daughter: who is supposedly still in school, yet looked the same age as the father! Which I found disturbing..

Some actors must think if they keep going for younger roles all the time, it may "extend" their career or something, but what made it worse, she couldn't even act her character's age either. If you don't look the part - at least try to act it!

In short, the DVD cover is pretty misleading in relation to the film inside.