videoviews

Director:Thomas Dekker

Cast: Rory Culkin (Scream 4, Intruders), Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland, Under the Dome), Lin Shaye (the Insidious series), Louis Hunter (The Fosters), Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black, American Pie), and Daveigh Chase (The Ring, Donnie Darko)

Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller

Rating: NR

Jack Thurlowe (Rory Culkin) is a successful magazine editor with a beautiful fiancée Cleo (Britt Robertson) who is seven months pregnant with their first child. However, this perfect life is turned upside down when Jack discovers that his parents have suffered a brutal car accident back in his hometown. His beloved father has perished while his mother Teresa (Lin Shaye) has survived. Upon returning home for the funeral, the volatile nature of Jack and Teresa's relationship boils to the surface and the constant barrage of sympathy from the town starts to weigh on Jack's grieving process.

With the arrival of a mysterious new neighbor, Duncan (Louis Hunter), Jack finds audio recordings and video tapes left behind by his father that lead him to question childhood memories and the very foundation of his identity. With pressure mounting and sanity crumbling, Jack comes to learn that the idyllic world he has believed in since infancy is in fact a nightmare playground full of lies, deception, violence and murder.

Jack Thurlowe's life seems to be going really well. He has a job as a magazine editor and his fiancée Cleo is expecting their first child together but Jack's world is about to fall apart. One day at work he receives a phone call telling him his dad and mom were in a terrible car accident. His mother survived but his father was killed in the crash. Jack hasn't been home in years and you can sense that the tragic events are already wearing on him. After arriving home we soon find out that Jack and his mom don't get along very well. In fact his mom acts like a crazy woman most of the time.

And then there is this mysterious neighbor, Duncan he spots through the window. Duncan will have the audience scratching their heads because at first you wonder where he fits into the over all story but when things begin to go south your questions are answered. Jack has been sleep walking lately and his best friend, Shanda tells him he was talking about the attic while he was sleep walking so after he arrives back home he decides to go up to the attic but before he can a cassette recorder falls out the door.

The Cassette tape inside has Jack's name on it and when he plays it he finds out that his father's voice is on the tape. At some point his father tells him to go to the attic but when he does he finds out about his family and the secrets that they kept all these years. After hearing all the tape’s Jack begin to lose his mind and all sense of reality.

"Jack Goes Home" is a slow burn, a psychological thriller that takes its good old time telling Jack's story. It takes a good while before Jack finds out the truth about his past, nearly an hour and 18 minutes but even then the madness doesn't end. The film does resemble a number of other movies like "Psycho" but make no mistake about it this is an original and powerful story that stands on its own.

If I were to talk about the plot too much here, I would risk ruining the film for those wanting to see it but I will say that Writer/Director, Thomas Dekker (star of NBC's Heroes, FOX's The Sarah Connor Chronicles) did an amazing job both with the story that keeps the audience both engaged and on the edge of their seats. There are no cheap scares in the film, instead most of it comes from within jack's mind which is where Dekker places the audience. Some of the scenes later in the movie are both terrifying and creepy which is enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

And last but not least and my favorite part of the movie, the cast. Rory Culkin gives a powerful performance as Jack. This role is without a doubt the highlight of his career so far. He really owns the character. Lin Shaye also gives a fantastic performance as his crazy mother and Daveigh Chase is terrific as his best friend, Shanda. The rest of the supporting cast did a great job as well.

"Jack goes Home" isn't going to be for everyone, fans of mainstream horror may find the film a little to slow but that is what makes the film so good. It scares the hell out of you but it also challenges the audience to think. The film starts off great and only gets better as it moves along. There is also a twist toward the end that I never saw coming. If you like a Horror that makes you use your brain or if you just love Independent Cinema in general then I highly recommend checking out this little gem. The film opens in Theaters and on VOD October 14.

Released by Momentum Pictures

**** Out Of *****