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Adrian Pasdar, Cady McClain, Austin Williams, Amber Joy Williams, Lucien Maisel ... see more see more... , Lucian Maisel

Upon realizing that their two young children are inherently evil, a pair of desperate suburban parents resign themselves to the fact that all they can do is document the youngsters' cruelty on camera ... read more read more...for all the world to see. A first-person shocker shot in the pseudo-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project and Diary of the Dead, Home Movie tells the chilling story of the Poe family, a middle class, suburban clan living in upstate New York. Clare Poe (Cady McClain) is a psychiatrist, and her husband David (Adrian Pasdar) is a Lutheran minister. Clare recently purchased a video camera to document her sessions, but when children Jack and Emily (real-life brother and sister Austin and Amber Williams) begin displaying some seriously disturbing behavior, the concerned mother can't resist the temptation to make some home movies. At first the footage seems fairly benign, but then young Jack hurls a rock at his father's face. Later, after Emily interrupts a tender moment by slaughtering a frog, a conversation between the parents reveals that the children have always been violent, and their anti-social behavior is getting worse by the day. When religion and medicine fail, the situation turns critical, prompting Clare to try some home counseling with her children as the patients. But it's already too late for Jack and Emily, and now the most that Clare and David can hope to accomplish is to document every moment of the madness so others can understand the true extent of their suffering. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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51% liked it

403 ratings

R, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Christopher Denham

Release Date: July 10, 2008

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DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009

Stats: 104 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (104)

  • MidnightMadwoman
    October 30, 2008
    MidnightMadwoman
    Apart from the Blair Witch Project, this film pulls off the "spontaneous horror movie" thing better than any other I've seen. This is a completely new side of Adrian Pasdar to me, and he is great as the goofy dad trying to retain a normal family life despite two increasingly evil... read more children. The woman playing his wife is equally terrific, and their dual roles (as a priest and child psychologist respectively) are wonderful and very believable onscreen. There are so many subtle little things in this movie that add to the aesthetic of found footage, most significantly I though the glimses of the family via a year's worth of holidays. I shudder to think what Jack and Emily got up to during the rest of the year when they weren't on tape.
  • panta2
    March 4, 2012
    panta2
    It was really hard to get this horror film, recommended to me by RT friend. I thought to give it a go and watch this directorial debut of actor Christopher Denham because it already received favourable reviews at Montreal's 2008 Fantasia Film Festival.

    I was told that is a do... read morecumentary, and the first disappointment was that has nothing to do with that genre. Really bad actors Adrian Pasdar (I am not sure if that word "actor" could be in any way connected to this individual), Cady McClain, Amber Joy Williams and Austin Williams were doing everything they know (and that wasn't much), to convince the audience that this happening on screen is real... if I was heavily mentally challenged, half blind and deaf maybe they would succeed! My wife started watching the movie with me, and after 10 minutes just left to read a book. I usually want to finish every movie I start... and I regreted that decision an hour later.

    This so called "compilation of the Poe family's home-made video footage" is so bad that even a teenager with three days camera training could do better job. I really question the Montreal's Film Festival credentials after giving a positive review to this "work of (try to be) art". The director didn't managed to establish any connection with any of us watching this "mocumentary horror" and even if it was "disturbing" for the friend who recommended it, I had no feel of anything, except the boredom!
  • alexyluthor
    October 7, 2009
    alexyluthor
    Good concept but the swinging of the camera really started to bother me as well as the way they went about trying to achieve what they did. If you want to see movies about evil kids, watch The Omen(original), The Bad Seed or The Good Son and if you want to see a horror film prope... read morerly done in the "found footage" angle watch [REC], Cloverfield, or most likely, Paranormal Activity.
  • cacutshaw
    November 2, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Decent first person film with interesting performances. Sort of the Blair Witch version of Joshua.
  • fb651221910
    April 27, 2012
    fb651221910
    Another "found footage" horror exercise, this time about a family with two nearly mute, clearly sociopathic children. Would work better if the parents behaved like normal human beings in the final act, but such is the nature of the genre more often than not.
  • fb555928095
    December 7, 2011
    fb555928095
    In general, I am not always attracted to the evil kid sub-genre of horror films--they all play out the same to me. But Home Movie brings the found-footage aesthetic to this sub-genre with stylish and striking results. A brutal, stylish, and unforgettable piece of horror cinema,... read more Home Movie slowly builds a disturbing feeling in the pit of your stomach. This horrific crescendo is periodically punctuated by moments of severe trauma. I don't want to give way too much--don't watch the trailer!--but Home Movie demonstrates how the found-footage format can still be used to create unique and startling works of horror.
  • dukeakasmudge
    December 5, 2010
    dukeakasmudge
    If Paranormal Activity & The Blair Witch Project made it into theaters then why couldnt Home Movie? Home Movie had me on the edge of my seat right from the beginning & was just as good as those other 2.Maybe it didnt get enough buzz or Christopher Denham didnt have the right Holl... read moreywood people backing him.
  • theSwitchbladeSister
    August 28, 2009
    theSwitchbladeSister
    I love point-of-view horror films and this is one of the best executed examples I've ever seen. It's absolutely riveting and chilling and more often than not my mouth was wide open as I watched disturbing advancement after disturbing advancement in plot. There's something to be s... read moreaid not only for the horror aspect, but the wonderful immersion. I lost myself in this movie which is brilliant because by the time you get to that last frame, you're begging to see more, unaware that 80 minutes have already passed you by in what felt like 15.
  • jdblackerby
    March 16, 2009
    jdblackerby
    Literally a home movie in which a pastor chronicles the bizarre behavior of his two children. Occassional slow spots, but a truly disturbing ending that'll make you check on your own kids before going to sleep.
  • greg4168
    November 1, 2008
    greg4168
    Creepy and disturbing, but somewhat disappointing too. Good idea but not executed very well, too slow moving, and no good payoff.

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Critic Reviews

Nick Schager
June 9, 2011
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Its characters' behavior eventually becomes so implausible as to be insulting. Full Review

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Home Movie Trivia

  • In what movie did John Candy offer to give Catherine O'Hara a ride back to Chicago because she forgot something there?  Answer »
  • which movie has this tagline? "A family comedy without the family"  Answer »
  • Anna Paquin plays a young girl that brought up a flock of geese in what movie?  Answer »
  • Which movie is Kevin always left behind?  Answer »
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