WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
We always feel that the safest place to be is at home – even though it is believed, and I’m sure mentioned in various horror films, that this is where the majority of accidents take place. I do apologise in advance for some of the more obscure views below; but I think once you watch these films you may see where I’m coming from…
Hell Is Where The Home Is
I would consider this film as more of a thriller than a horror but nowadays these are thrown in together. What I love about this film however is that it isn’t your typical home invasion horror because there’s no true motive, not where the victims are concerned anyway. It’s all just a case of wrong place, wrong time. The only reason for anything that takes place in this film is a photograph that the main characters have no idea about. Also, the majority of the violence is actually committed by the victims! Two characters are already dead before anyone truly breaks in and the action gets underway.
The Beach House
With this film I wanted to take on the same idea as I used with Sea Fever for my Get Out of the Water article, something different to the expected. In the same way, this film is based around a microbial virus that gets into the holiday home. I started to wonder if this was brought in by the oysters they ate at dinner or by the unexpected guests. Actually, in the end, I wasn’t sure the Turners were even real! Weirdly, you could easily look at this as an invasion on the land by whatever the beings are that wash ashore….the land being our home. Truthfully, this film doesn’t starting feeling like a horror film until there is only half an hour left.
The Purge
Now, we all know that I love the out of the box ideas and this film is no different. This is a home invasion without actually being a home invasion. Well not at first anyway, the real fear is invoked by the threat of entry! To make it worse, there’s almost a home invasion disguised as a rescue – by their own neighbours of all people! Interestingly, I actually feel that the neighbours attacking them may be considered as revenge for what they deemed as a home invasion as the security systems sold to them pay for the house that they feel isn’t in keeping with its surroundings.
The Owners
With many home invasion horrors, the villains break in while the victims are already home. However, this time the bad guys lay in wait for the owners to leave the house. Truthfully I guess this is more robbery gone. However, what is a robbery if not a type of home invasion? What I love about this film is because it’s British, there’s more subtlety to what takes place. For example, I’m certain Richard threatens them when he says the words ‘you’re making a big mistake’. Actually, he and his wife are the best thing about this whole film – especially with the way Richard plays with the robbers psychologically. However, the film takes on the same style as Don’t Breath as those who break-in start to realise they may have wanted to avoid this house in particular as things go from bad to worse. They start to turn on each other before two of them fall foul of Richard and his wife’s dark motive.
No Good Deed
I have been waiting to watch this film for so long, especially because it is so rare for Idris Elba to play a bad guy. I started to wonder if Colin actually picked Terry’s house on purpose after he crashes his car, but then – how would he know who lives where? Well there’s a massive twist at the end that answers that particular question! I guess this film may not technically be considered as home invasion because Terry actually lets Colin into the house. However, in my out-of-the-box way of thinking of things, he is invading her life and her personal space – especially when he forces her into the shower with him.
Shivers
As with The Beach House, this is another film I decided to use as it comes at the home invasion horror idea from a different angle than the typical. Also known as They Came From Within, some of you may wonder how it’s a home invasion if they’re already there but just stick with me on this one. The occupants of the apartments featured in this film are unaware of these parasites so for them this is a home invasion, even though they have always been there. In a different way of thinking about it these creatures also invade the bodies of the residents and what is our skin or body if not our personal ‘home’ – but I think some of you may think that’s me taking this a step too far. Not saying that I would want this film remade but I know for definite there are two scenes they wouldn’t get away with now! The fact that parasites seem to turn the residents into sex-mad people I don’t think this film would have been out of place in my Death by Sex article.
