Home Is Where I Lay (2022) perfectly captures the cabin fever aspect of the unfamiliar settings. Similar to The Shining, the film uses its setting to not only be atmospheric but also address some heavier topics. As someone who has been hurt by the church and someone still active in the church, my viewing of Home feels like a really unique place. The authority element that the film addresses within the church is heartbreakingly accurate. Annabella Rich brilliantly serves as the archetype for the mental health of those of us who have been hurt. I don't know if it's just my viewing and past experience but this film feels extremely personal. In its that vulnerability that the horror thrives.
4 Reviews
A fun low-budget psychological/haunted house effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder19 October 2022
After moving into a new house together, a woman and her husband try to get used to their new surroundings, but when he leaves for business causing her to remain in the house alone she becomes convinced something is making her crazy and tries to find the cause of it to save her sanity.
On the whole, there's a lot to like here. One of the better elements here comes from the engaging setup that provides a worthwhile grounding for the thrills to come. With the cold open showing the initial dream of her murdering him in the house, the resulting switch into seeing the couple at the house settling in and trying to adjust to their new life offers a fine contrasting mark. The mundane nature of their lives together once this has been accomplished, from the quiet nights staring out at sea or their meals together showcases a fun atmosphere to get everything going. That provides a fantastic grounding to the eventual psychological torments that emerge once she's left alone in the house. After initially thinking the visions of figures in the house that act out violent tortures in front of her are figments of her imagination, the eventual reveal of this all being the final trick to cause her to snap at what's going on when her husband returns generate a slew of impressive and chilling confrontations. This ends everything with a great connection between the terrifying dreams and what's actually happening to make for a lot to like here. There are some slight drawbacks to this one. The main issue here is that, since this is a two-person show in the most literal sense as there's no one else on-screen other than these two, the film can easily fall into spells of boredom. With very little happening beyond setting up their life at the new house and no one to bounce off of, there are sections towards the middle of the running where it does feel like it's dragging itself out to reach a feature-length running time without much else surrounding the main story to cause it to go this long. It's not a truly problematic issue like the overarching cause of this with its low-budget nature being available quite readily, again from the lack of others around them to the cramped one-location setup and general lack of effects that focus on the singular notion of what's happening at the moment being pulled off effectively rather than going for anything bigger or more extravagant. The psychological angle that takes centerstage here keeps all that locked away which is what makes for a more obvious low-budget take that some may not always gravitate towards but is somewhat impactful.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Full Nudity, and Violence.
On the whole, there's a lot to like here. One of the better elements here comes from the engaging setup that provides a worthwhile grounding for the thrills to come. With the cold open showing the initial dream of her murdering him in the house, the resulting switch into seeing the couple at the house settling in and trying to adjust to their new life offers a fine contrasting mark. The mundane nature of their lives together once this has been accomplished, from the quiet nights staring out at sea or their meals together showcases a fun atmosphere to get everything going. That provides a fantastic grounding to the eventual psychological torments that emerge once she's left alone in the house. After initially thinking the visions of figures in the house that act out violent tortures in front of her are figments of her imagination, the eventual reveal of this all being the final trick to cause her to snap at what's going on when her husband returns generate a slew of impressive and chilling confrontations. This ends everything with a great connection between the terrifying dreams and what's actually happening to make for a lot to like here. There are some slight drawbacks to this one. The main issue here is that, since this is a two-person show in the most literal sense as there's no one else on-screen other than these two, the film can easily fall into spells of boredom. With very little happening beyond setting up their life at the new house and no one to bounce off of, there are sections towards the middle of the running where it does feel like it's dragging itself out to reach a feature-length running time without much else surrounding the main story to cause it to go this long. It's not a truly problematic issue like the overarching cause of this with its low-budget nature being available quite readily, again from the lack of others around them to the cramped one-location setup and general lack of effects that focus on the singular notion of what's happening at the moment being pulled off effectively rather than going for anything bigger or more extravagant. The psychological angle that takes centerstage here keeps all that locked away which is what makes for a more obvious low-budget take that some may not always gravitate towards but is somewhat impactful.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Full Nudity, and Violence.
Impression amount of tension
gm7photography14 December 2022
Having already been quite impressed by Annabella Rich in Acting, I wanted to check this one out and again, she is doing the lion's share of the work here to great effect. The film makes great use of a limited budget to set up the concept and executes it very well. The interesting use of visions/time jumps is also quite effective and plays into the idea very well.
Although the bulk of the story is contained within the house, the outdoor shots (obviously filmed during lockdown) really add to the sense of isolation and bleakness, as though the couple really are the only people in the world. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Although the bulk of the story is contained within the house, the outdoor shots (obviously filmed during lockdown) really add to the sense of isolation and bleakness, as though the couple really are the only people in the world. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Annabella rocks!
robert-bailey3029 May 2023
Home Is Where I Lay perfectly captures the cabin fever aspect of the unfamiliar settings. Similar to The Shining, the film uses its setting to not only be atmospheric but also address some heavier topics. As someone who has been hurt by the church and someone still active in the church, my viewing of Home feels like a really unique place. The authority element that the film addresses within the church is heartbreakingly accurate. Annabella Rich brilliantly serves as the archetype for the mental health of those of us who have been hurt. I don't know if it's just my viewing and past experience but this film feels extremely personal. In its that vulnerability that the horror thrives.
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