The Home (2025) FRIGHTFEST Review
The Home (2025) Review
Evil never gets old in this horror thriller from the creator of THE PURGE and the producer of HALLOWEEN. Rebellious twentysomething Max is sentenced to community service at a quiet retirement home. The residents on the fourth floor are strictly off-limits, said to require “special care.” As his suspicions grow and he digs deeper, he uncovers a chilling secret that puts both the residents’ lives and his own in grave danger.
When THE HOME opened theatrically Stateside July 2025 the critics were less than enthusiastic, so unexpectedly I was surprised to find that I liked it. I did not expect too and that was purely based on who was cast as the film’s lead character Max – Pete Davidson. Previously I had found Pete Davidson to be an abrasive screen presence that rubs me up the wrong way. Here Davison is subdued and presenting a more vulnerable side. I found myself warming to him, something that I would never have thought based on previous performances.
THE HOME has echoes of GET OUT, THE SENTINEL, THE SHINING, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and SOCIETY. It also has an ending feels like it’s come from another movie, there is no build-up to it or winking in advance that it is going to happen, it comes right out of nowhere – a genuine WTF moment. That said, and whilst it does tonally jar with what preceded it, the axe-wielding climatic killing spree is very welcome, there is plenty of splatter and shock moments all of which elicited a genuinely excited and impressed ‘wow’ from me.
Before the climactic bloodbath, THE HOME delivers and builds up an ominous and foreboding atmosphere, assisted and enhanced by a near consistent score by Nathan Whitehead. The film’s look and Gothic vibe is also tuned to perfection. I did experience the occasional lull but that might not happen for you dear viewer as I was arrogant enough to think that I had second-guessed where the story was going and my attention consequently began to waiver, but I was wrong. I see that THE HOME is opening this year’s annual FRIGHTFEST weekend in London’s West End. It is an excellent choice for kickstarting the festival and I am sure that it will delight and surprise audiences there as much as it did me.
THE HOME is available on Digital Platforms 22 August and on DVD & Blu-ray 29 September. Distributed by Signature Entertainment
Trailer YouTube
