Directed by newcomer, James Ashcroft, who co-wrote with Eli Kent, Coming Home In The Dark is a thriller, borderline horror, film based on a 1995 short-story of the same name by Owen Marshall. It follows a family who goes out on what started out as an idyllic trip out to the coast. There’s Alan ‘Hoaggie’ Hoaganraad (Erik Thomson), his wife, Jill (Miriama McDowell), and two boys, Maika (Billy Paratene) and Jordon (Frankie Paratene). As they try to enjoy themselves, they are interrupted by the sudden presence of two men, Mandrake (Daniel Gillies) and Tubs (Matthias Luafutu), who turn the experience into an absolute nightmare.
While this fits neatly into the thriller genre, this is a film that can be described as horror for the kind of experience it provides. It is a dark and brutal film, one that starts off at an 11, and holds the tension for practically the rest of the film’s runtime. It’s grounded in its approach, and doesn’t hold back in moments that would be greatly upsetting for audiences. It makes for a film that is a tough one to recommend, but there is a lot to admire in how Ashcroft was able to create an unbearable atmosphere while keeping things compelling.
Though it might seem easy to see the dynamic of the intruders and the family as a very straightforward good guys dealing with psychopaths situation, the film slowly introduces elements from Hoaggie’s past that brings to light motivations to Mandrake’s character that can make things somewhat understandable, though far from justifiable. I won’t spoil what exactly this backstory touches on, but it’s an issue that is sadly all too relevant. While I wouldn’t say it pushes the film in a way that transcends the genre thrills, it does show that the filmmakers have more on their mind than they initially let on.
Following a harrowing opening sequence, most of the film takes place in a car as we follow our characters stuck in the car being driven by Mandrake, making the trip back home. There’s lots of conversations, bits of pitch black humor, and great scenes of suspense sprinkled throughout when you think there might be a chance things could turn out in the family’s favor. Under less graceful hands, things could feel repetitive, but at a point, the lengths at which the filmmakers go to keep the tension going is incredibly engrossing, in a very twisted way of course.
The performances are what really sells it. Everyone is giving a fairly subdued turn. On paper, Mandrake might seem like an over-the-top villain given some of the actions that he takes throughout the film, but Gillies manages to bring in a level of humanity under the monstrosity that makes the character feel so alive and unlike your typical movie psycho. Plus, his dynamic with Thomson provides the film with its rhythm, with the two going back-and-forth throughout their nightmarish road trip, bringing in further tension and complexity to the film’s exploration of morality and justice.
Like I said, Coming Home In The Dark is not going to be an easy film to recommend. Even being as much of a genre enthusiast myself, there were points in here that caught me off-guard. The only relatively recent film I can compare this to, in terms of its dark and hopeless vibe, is probably 2008’s Eden Lake. Though, this brings a moral complexity that does differentiates how one might experience the events as they unfold. It’s not a gory film at all, or even a particularly bloody one, but it is not going to leave you in a good mood. Though that might seem unappealing, the craftsmanship and the performances, especially from Daniel Gillies, are more than enough to make this a film that is worth putting on your radar. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about this one anytime soon.
Coming Home In The Dark is now out in select theaters and VOD platforms.