When going in to seeing this film, I knew the general outline of the plot and much talked about death scenes, what I did not expect was a genuinely well-made, acted, written and shot horror movie with a great blend of comedy and social context. Dream Home is one amongst a recent slew of fantastic Asian horror films, and shows that it is the foreign horror filmmakers who are making the top quality movies.
Ho-Cheung Pang (who directed and wrote) has made a simple story very entertaining. Cheng Lai-sheung (an incredibly beautiful Josie Ho) works two part time jobs in order to save her money to buy an apartment with an ocean view. This dream goes back to her childhood where various events and friendships lead her to this apartment. Unfortunately, with market prices the way they are she can't really afford the price being asked, and her obsession turns into a madness which only blood can satisfy.
Dream Home is not told in a chronological manner, rather, the story is told in bits and pieces, slowly revealing how Cheng became the murderer we are seeing. I found this to be a fantastic way to tell the story, as it doesn't follow that standard path of showing a descent into madness, instead, it gives us snippets in between the carnage in order to hold our attention, so we don't get bored with all the killing, but we also don't get bogged down with explanations. Speaking of the killings, this movie contains some extreme violence which most fans of this genre will love, I know I sure did. The majority of these are over-the-top and comic in the way they unfold (apart from the most talked about scene involving the suffocation of a pregnant woman), most of the scenes go for a few minutes, in which we see Cheng is not that adept at killing, and she will only get the upper hand out of luck. No body part is safe as we see eyes gouged out, heads blown off and major amounts of arterial spray. These scenes are also where the movies major drawback lays: the use of CGI. Although it wasn't terrible, it was obvious and did detract a little in some scenes, but that's just me being finicky.
Dream Home is not just about the death scenes, the film is technically well-made in all aspects. The directing, editing and cinematography give the film a beautiful look, with many gorgeous shots throughout the film. The scenes in the apartments where the all the murders take place are filmed in a variety of ways and angles, giving these scenes an intense, claustrophobic and sometimes surreal feel. The acting is fantastic from everyone, especially Josie Ho, who turns her psychopath into someone that at times you can sympathise with.
This movie, while being a great horror film, is also a very relevant commentary on the future home owners issue. With the price of housing increasing steadily (especially where I live) this story can feel a little close to home. Not that I, or any normal person, would go to this length to get a home, but it still brings up an important issue.
4/5
Ho-Cheung Pang (who directed and wrote) has made a simple story very entertaining. Cheng Lai-sheung (an incredibly beautiful Josie Ho) works two part time jobs in order to save her money to buy an apartment with an ocean view. This dream goes back to her childhood where various events and friendships lead her to this apartment. Unfortunately, with market prices the way they are she can't really afford the price being asked, and her obsession turns into a madness which only blood can satisfy.
Dream Home is not told in a chronological manner, rather, the story is told in bits and pieces, slowly revealing how Cheng became the murderer we are seeing. I found this to be a fantastic way to tell the story, as it doesn't follow that standard path of showing a descent into madness, instead, it gives us snippets in between the carnage in order to hold our attention, so we don't get bored with all the killing, but we also don't get bogged down with explanations. Speaking of the killings, this movie contains some extreme violence which most fans of this genre will love, I know I sure did. The majority of these are over-the-top and comic in the way they unfold (apart from the most talked about scene involving the suffocation of a pregnant woman), most of the scenes go for a few minutes, in which we see Cheng is not that adept at killing, and she will only get the upper hand out of luck. No body part is safe as we see eyes gouged out, heads blown off and major amounts of arterial spray. These scenes are also where the movies major drawback lays: the use of CGI. Although it wasn't terrible, it was obvious and did detract a little in some scenes, but that's just me being finicky.
Dream Home is not just about the death scenes, the film is technically well-made in all aspects. The directing, editing and cinematography give the film a beautiful look, with many gorgeous shots throughout the film. The scenes in the apartments where the all the murders take place are filmed in a variety of ways and angles, giving these scenes an intense, claustrophobic and sometimes surreal feel. The acting is fantastic from everyone, especially Josie Ho, who turns her psychopath into someone that at times you can sympathise with.
This movie, while being a great horror film, is also a very relevant commentary on the future home owners issue. With the price of housing increasing steadily (especially where I live) this story can feel a little close to home. Not that I, or any normal person, would go to this length to get a home, but it still brings up an important issue.
4/5