Coming Home in the Dark

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Coming Home in the Dark

Released Oct 1, 2021

1h 30m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

92%

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63 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

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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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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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

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

The filmmaking and acting talent on display is undeniable.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 1, 2021

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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

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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

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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

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Jonah K

sets up some intriguing questions, but then meanders far too long before providing a disappointing answer.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/31/24

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Chuck S

This is utter drivel This is utter nonsense This is a waste of your time The director is garbage There is no originality There is nothing interesting

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/31/24

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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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
Producer: Desray Armstrong, Mike Minogue, Catherine Fitzgerald
Screenwriter: James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, Eli Kent, James Ashcroft
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2021
Runtime: 1h 30m

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