Coming Home in the Dark

Released Oct 1, 2021

1 hr. 30 min.

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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List

92%

65 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A family's idyllic outing at an isolated coastline descends into terror when high school teacher Alan 'Hoaggie' Hoaganraad, his wife Jill, and stepsons Maika and Jordon unexpectedly come across a pair of murderous drifters -- the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his hulking man-child accomplice Tubs -- who thrust them into a nightmare road trip. At first, the family's terror seems to be born of a random encounter with two sociopaths, but as the night drags on, Hoaggie and Jill realize that this nightmare was set in motion 20 years earlier.

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Premiered Nov 01

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Critics Consensus

Smart, well-acted, and above all scary, Coming Home in the Dark finds first-time director James Ashcroft making his mark with a white-knuckle ride for horror fans.

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Ana L

Never in my life have I watched a whole movie & had absolutely NO idea what even happened. This movie explained nothing, no storyline, no plot, no thrill to it what's so ever. Like I literally don't know. Do not waste your time. & for the people rating it high…. I literally don't get you.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

Full Review

Mark N

Apart from the shocking moment near the lake, the rest of the film seemed frustratingly predictable and dull. There were no parallel plot lines of any consequences to the actions which happened on the journey ‘home' and the ending of the film felt totally pointless. The storyline was shallow and the actions were senseless.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

Full Review

M D

The movie is deep in a "who among us is really the monster?" kind of way. Suspenseful but very violent in trying to make its point.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Hannah D

Ooooft. What a rotten movie. 😜 This could've been condensed. So much to say about this movie but so little time. I guess the filming and directing is descent. I just despised the plot. Human fallacy at its finest.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

Thomas R

WTF? I only watched the first 20 minutes of this cruel, heartless movie and I hated it, HATED IT, H-A-T-E-D I-T. "Coming Home in the Dark" reminded me of "Funny Games," which I also H-A-T-E-D. No premise. No back story. No explanation. No nothing. Just shoot the two teenage sons in the head and expect us – the viewing audience – to care about or relate to this reprehensible antagonist.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/23

Full Review

Claire F

Sometimes torturous to watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/13/23

Full Review

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James Ashcroft

Director

Daniel Gillies

Mandrake

Matthias Luafutu

Tubs

Miriama McDowell

Jill

Erik Thomson

Hoaggie

Frankie Paratene

Jordan

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Coming Home in the Dark: Trailer 1

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

It's Gillies' performance that raises Coming Home in the Dark from fascinating to utterly chilling, complimenting Matt Henley's cold, angular cinematography and John Gibson's score.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 15, 2021

Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

The filmmaking and acting talent on display is undeniable.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 1, 2021

Full Review

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

Ashcroft and his cast - and especially Gillies as the menacing and charismatic Mandrake - excel at drawing out the moment-to-moment tension of a crime in progress.

Sep 30, 2021

Full Review

Paul Lê

Tales from the Paulside

Coming Home in the Dark never lets up until the very end. The suffering is extensive, and the sorrow is ceaseless. There is only so much people can take before they have to look away out of fear for their own wellbeing.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 23, 2023

Full Review

Mitchell Beaupre

Awards Radar

With his debut, Ashcroft shows a knack for bringing visceral thrills to a genre audience craving some gnarly fun in the middle of the night.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 22, 2022

Full Review

Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

In the end, Coming Home in the Dark provides enough intellectual stimuli with adequate gritty tension to chew on, even if it isnt entirely persuasive in its intent.

Apr 20, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A family's idyllic outing at an isolated coastline descends into terror when high school teacher Alan 'Hoaggie' Hoaganraad, his wife Jill, and stepsons Maika and Jordon unexpectedly come across a pair of murderous drifters -- the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his hulking man-child accomplice Tubs -- who thrust them into a nightmare road trip. At first, the family's terror seems to be born of a random encounter with two sociopaths, but as the night drags on, Hoaggie and Jill realize that this nightmare was set in motion 20 years earlier.

Director: James Ashcroft
Executive Producer: James Ashcroft
Screenwriter: James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, Eli Kent, James Ashcroft
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English (Australia)
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2021

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