Arriving on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment here in the UK on 23 March is the new suspenseful thriller ‘No Good Deed’. Golden Globe® winner Idris Elba and Academy Award® nominee Taraji P. Henson star in this thriller about an unstable escaped convict who shows up on the doorstep of a women’s house under false pretences and continues to terrorise the women and her two children. So we thought this would be a good opportunity to take a quick look at some of the other more memorable home invasion thrillers from the past few years.
Panic Room – 2002
David Fincher once more delivers some quality thrills and set pieces in this his follow-up to 1999’s excellent ‘Fight Club’. This time around Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart find themselves trapped in a secure panic room in their new home as a gang of thieves break in searching for a missing fortune.
Black Christmas – 2006
In this seasonal home invasion horror former X-Files producer Glen Morgan takes the helm to retell the classic Christmas slasher. Based on the 1974 original this remake features a new gang of sorority sisters who face an escaped maniac who returns to his childhood home for some brutal payback.
When a Stranger Calls – 2006
The gorgeous Camilla Belle stars as Jill, the unsuspecting babysitter whom spends most of her night fending off a mystery invader inside a remote house instead of looking after the little one. It’s fairly standard horror fodder yet still manages to throw in a few jumps and jolts along the way.
Funny Games – 2007
Back in 1997 German director Michael Haneke bought us ‘Funny Games’, a notable psychological thriller which was a violent yet smart commentary on the relationship between on screen violence and the audiences that watch them. The self-exploratory setup was revisited by Haneke a decade later and molded into this thrilling, almost identical, US remake of his original. There are also some stand out performances from its two sinister home invaders played by Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet.
Inside (aka À l’intérieur) – 2007
Violent and bloody French horror film ‘Inside’ arrived on our shores in 2007 bringing with it some terrific tension and shocking brutality. What sets ‘Inside’ apart from other home invasion chillers is that it predominantly revolves around two women. One young pregnant women home alone has to fend off a disturbed, psychotic female home invader intent of getting hold of her unborn baby. ‘Inside’ marked a fresh new wave in French horror which pushed extreme themes even further in the genre.
The Strangers – 2008
Instead of a relaxing weekend to help with their marital issues Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) face more than they expected during a visit to a family holiday home. A trio of masked invaders intent on causing pain and distress with no obvious motivation gain access to the home and terrorise the young couple.
Mother’s Day – 2010
The still hot Rebecca De Mornay stars as the twisted ‘mother’ in this home invasion thriller that sees a villainous family return to their childhood home in order to save their mothers house by holding the new owners and their guests hostage in the home.
You’re Next – 2011
Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s highly praised home invasion thriller ‘You’re Next’ stars the gorgeous Sharni Vinson who becomes the surprising hero when a family reunion is interrupted by a gang of masked intruders. Vinson plays the skinny Erin who manages to unexpectedly fend off the mystery attackers using her wits and some typical ‘final girl’ determination.
The Purge – 2013
Set at a time when the US government have sanctioned an annual 12-hour period when all crime is legal this thriller from director James DeMonaco was an interesting notion. As exciting as ‘The Purge’ is it was a shame that the high concept wasn’t explored further as opposed to simply concentrating the action into a home invasion thriller.
‘No Good Deed’ arrives on DVD on 23 March.
For over 20 years the Horror Asylum has continued to bring you the very best genre news, reviews, giveaways and interviews in the horror world.