The Home (2025): A Muddled Asylum Thriller That Finds Catharsis in Chaos
The Home (2025): A Muddled Asylum Thriller That Finds Catharsis in Chaos
"A thriller that forgets to explain its own rules—but ends with a gloriously messy revenge splatter." — 2.5/5 Stars
The Home (2025) review: James DeMonaco—director of The Purge—trades social satire for psychological horror in this muddled asylum thriller that stumbles through its narrative but lands hard in its final act. Set in a decaying psychiatric facility, it follows Max (Pete Davidson), a lost young man who takes a job as an orderly and quickly finds himself drowning in conspiracies, gaslighting, and escalating violence. I went in with low expectations—and honestly, I still had fun. Not because it’s coherent, but because it commits so fully to its own unraveling. That said, it fails to recapture the thematic clarity or cultural punch that made The Purge franchise resonate. If you’re looking for sharper horror this season, I’d point you toward my reviews of the incisive sci-fi satire Companion (2025) or the folk-tinged dread of They Were Witches (2025).
The plot is muddled from the start. Twists arrive with little setup, character motivations shift like sand, and the film’s central mystery hinges on a reveal so conceptually strained it feels less like a twist and more like a narrative Hail Mary. At times, it seems Max is meant to be gullible or naive—but even that doesn’t excuse the film’s refusal to establish consistent rules. By the end, you’re left wondering how the protagonist plans to explain any of this to the police… though that’s likely far beyond the filmmakers’ concerns.
John Glover Steals Every Frame
If there’s a saving grace, it’s John Glover. As one of the facility’s enigmatic figures, he’s chilling, charismatic, and utterly believable—every second he’s on screen crackles with quiet menace. He grounds the chaos with a performance that suggests entire lifetimes of regret and control. I genuinely enjoyed every moment he appeared, and he alone almost justifies the runtime.
Pete Davidson, meanwhile, is mostly adrift. His acting is lifeless for much of the film—flat, reactive, and emotionally inert. Oddly, the movie isn’t sold as a comedy, yet in the rare moments he’s allowed a dry remark or weary glance, he shines. It’s a missed opportunity: a more balanced tone might’ve let his natural cadence anchor the absurdity. Instead, he’s left playing confusion on repeat.
“Sometimes a movie isn’t about logic—it’s about getting to the blood.”
Worth It for the Final Act
Here’s the thing: for all its incoherence, The Home builds to a **wildly satisfying splatter revenge climax**. The entire film starts to feel like a vessel engineered solely to deliver this cathartic, gory payoff—and in that, it succeeds. It’s messy, over-the-top, and deeply unserious in the best possible way. After 80 minutes of confusion, the finale says: “Forget it—let’s just drench the walls in red.” And honestly? I was here for it.
It’s not a good movie by traditional standards. It’s full of plot holes, tonal whiplash, and unearned twists. But as a late-night horror oddity with a killer final act and a masterclass performance from John Glover? It earns its place in the October rotation.
The Home may not make sense—but it knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be in its final minutes. And sometimes, that’s enough.
Go in expecting logic, and you’ll leave frustrated. Go in expecting chaos, catharsis, and John Glover doing what he does best—and you might just have a good time.
Final Verdict: A narratively messy but oddly entertaining horror with a killer final act and a standout performance by John Glover. It doesn’t come close to the thematic success of The Purge, but it delivers a bloody, cathartic payoff. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Comments
Post a Comment