Housebound

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Housebound

2014

1h 49m

Comedy

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A would-be thief (Morgana O'Reilly) is remanded to the custody of her estranged mother (Rima Te Wiata), who turns out to be correct in her assertion that evil spirits are afoot in their family domicile.

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Critics Consensus

Alternately hilarious, gross, and simply diverting, Housebound is the rare horror-comedy that delivers on both fronts.

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Aja Romano

Vox

Housebound is writer-director Gerard Johnstone's only feature film, but its unique tone has the confidence of an established, more experienced screenwriter

Jan 12, 2021

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

O'Reilly is terrific as the sneery discontent at the centre of the madcap maelstrom, while Rima Te Wiata walks a wonderfully fine line between pathos and aggravation as the long-suffering/insufferable mum whose forced smile is about to crack.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 5, 2015

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Kate Muir

The Times (UK)

Housebound does ghosts in the walls with the same wacky panache as the recent Wyrmwood did Aussie zombies.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 2, 2015

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Creating a funny, believable situation only to interrupt it with sudden spikes of fear is a tough trick to pull off, but Johnstone and team make it look spookily easy.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 31, 2024

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Common Sense Media

Combining a ghost hunt and murder story with a craftily wry sense of humor and genuinely likable, broken characters, this horror/thriller has good scares and atmosphere, but it also has heart.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 23, 2023

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

What starts as a relatively conventional horror-comedy eventually pivots into something genuinely creepy, though without betraying its established blend of scares and laughs.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 20, 2023

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Jason W

Fantastic horror/comedy from New Zealand. Blends the genres nicely. Production is great and the acting is phenomenal.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/25

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Les N

Brilliantly funny the way that only Kiwis can be.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

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Alissa R

Such an underrated masterpiece! Housebound is easily in my top 3 favorite movies of all time simply for it's originality, humor, and unpredictability. I wish I could go back in time and watch it for the first time again. Going from thinking it was a ghost story, to a home invader story, to a this crazy girl is seeing things story, then back again was an absolutely delicious unicorn that almost never happens with todays predicable garbage. Pure cinematic gold.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Allan L

If you are in the mood for a suspense filled who done it with a splash of dark English humor then you came to the right place. That's about all I will say other than this. Enjoy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/25

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Audience Member

A very underrated movie. Once I saw it was a comedy I thought it was going to be like the scary movies but no it really casually seeked comedy into it, it also has a very unique plot.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

Kevin R

Very unique horror-comedy. Did not expect it to be so well-crafted. Can’t believe I’ve never heard of nor watched it until a couple of nights ago. Morgana O’Reilly did an amazing job acting in this. It had some good jump scares and the comedic elements are extremely subtle. I do recommend watching this film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/25

Full Review

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Gerard Johnstone

Director

Morgana O'Reilly

Kylie Bucknell

Rima Te Wiata

Miriam Bucknell

Glen-Paul Waru

Amos

Cameron Rhodes

Dennis

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Synopsis

A would-be thief (Morgana O'Reilly) is remanded to the custody of her estranged mother (Rima Te Wiata), who turns out to be correct in her assertion that evil spirits are afoot in their family domicile.

Director: Gerard Johnstone
Producer: Luke Sharpe
Screenwriter: Gerard Johnstone
Distributor: XLrator Media
Production Co: Semi-Professional
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Runtime: 1h 49m

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