Housebound
| Housebound | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Gerard Johnstone |
| Produced by | Luke Sharpe |
| Written by | Gerard Johnstone |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper |
| Cinematography | Simon Riera |
| Edited by | Gerard Johnstone |
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Production
company |
Semi-Professional Pictures
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Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
Housebound is a 2014 New Zealand horror comedy film written, edited, and directed by Gerard Johnstone. It is his feature film directorial debut. The film had its world premiere on 10 March 2014, at South by Southwest and stars Morgana O'Reilly as a woman sentenced to house arrest in a potentially haunted house.
Kylie, a troubled young woman, attempts to steal the safe from an ATM. Her accomplice knocks himself out while attacking the ATM with a sledgehammer, and, when she is slowed by attempting to save him, the police capture both. Due to her history of recidivism, she is sentenced by the judge to house arrest for eight months under the care of her mother, Miriam. Kylie does not get along with either her mother or her step-father, Graeme, both of whom she considers to be nothing but boring annoyances. A security contractor, Amos, explains that Kylie's ankle monitor will alert the police if she ever leaves the premises of her mother's house.
Kylie is further frustrated when Miriam calls a radio talk show and says that her house is haunted. After a disembodied hand grabs her ankle in the basement, Kylie becomes convinced that an intruder is in the house. Amos, responding to an alert from her ankle monitor after it reports tampering, takes Miriam's suggestion of a haunting seriously, much to Kylie's annoyance. Amos promises to return with ghost hunting equipment and perform a thorough examination of the house for free. When Kylie expresses continued skepticism, Amos chides her for having a closed mind.
After a series of unexplained experiences, including repeatedly encountering the same animatronic teddy bear, Kylie comes to believe that there may be a ghost in the house. Dennis, a clinical psychologist assigned to Kylie, becomes concerned with what he believes to be possible delusions in both Miriam and Kylie. After reviewing footage from security cameras, Amos does not believe her reports and accuses her of lying. However, once Graeme reveals to Kylie that their home was once a halfway house and the site of a horrific murder, Amos once again becomes interested. As they investigate further, they discover evidence of the crime, including an orthodontic retainer. During a visit, a blackout occurs, and Dennis is attacked by an unknown assailant. The police are skeptical of Miriam's insistence that a ghost is responsible, but they do not push any further.
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