#Home invasion 1997 movie

In this story about a lovely little family held hostage by a pair of well-dressed, well-mannered young men, no one comes away clean - especially not the people watching. Haneke toys with genre tropes, forcing the audience to feel very uncomfortable about their choice of entertainment. Available to rent and purchase on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Google Play.ĭirector Michael Haneke’s divisive take on home-invasion horror is twisted, frightening, and at times maddening. Sure, this one is a zombie classic, but it’s also great way to mix up your home-invasion marathon.Īvailable to stream on Hulu. Here’s a terrifying question: What do you do if the sinister home invader is a woman pretending to be a babysitter, and you entrust her with the lives of your children? That is the premise of Emelie, which is powered by an utterly disturbing performance from lead actress Sarah Bolger. Just remember: You want the original version of this movie, not the 2006 remake starring Camilla Belle.

#Home invasion 1997 movie

Is any question more chilling than, “Have you checked the children?” It’s the line that puts this movie in the horror hall of fame. The first 30 minutes of When a Stranger Calls capitalize on the fundamental terror of home invasion in a way that few movies have ever been able to replicate. It’s a French film, and the French are straight crazy with their horror. A couple is alone in their dark, cavernous house, where they’re hunted by a mysterious person - or persons - who revel in torture. Īvailable to rent or purchase on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Google Play.īefore The Conjuring tested nerves with those scary hands clapping in the dark, the villains of Them chipped away at audiences’ sanity with some wretched noisemakers. Just the fear of your ultimate safe space being violated and used against you. The premise is simple: Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are trapped in their house as three masked sociopaths taunt and terrorize them.

Upon its release, The Strangers became a home-invasion classic, which is a true testament to the power of this horror subgenre. The impact of this film vastly overshadows its poor critical performance. It’s the connective power of art in practice, manifested in mutual terror.īelow, we present 24 home-invasion movies to ensure that you don’t sleep soundly until Christmas. There’s plenty here for both the bloodhounds and those who prefer less gory frights. The universal fear of domestic violation transcends language and local custom. It’s pretty twisted to think about watching movies that exploit these fears for fun, but there’s something to be said for sharing such an emotional experience with people from across the world. It’s why wind chimes become instruments of terror when the sun goes down. Home-invasion movies are driven by a universal fear: Who hasn’t worried about someone breaking into their home with malicious intent? It’s why creaks and bumps scare you when you’re home alone. Obviously, we’re not talking about porno flicks, but, rather, the 10 Most Disturbing Home Invasion Movies.Photo: Lionsgate, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Sundance Institute Several other movies have made it even tougher for us to sit home alone on Friday nights. Kidnapped is a battering ram on one’s nerves, but it’s not the best of its kind. A trio of criminals disrupt a family’s first night in their new home, holding the fam captive until things head south and people die, savagely.

The latest entry into horror’s “home invasion” subgenre comes directly imported from Spain: Kidnapped, a vicious assault of a flick that presents its unflinching coldness in 12 single-take sequences (and opens in limited theatrical release, as well as on Video On Demand, this Friday). But, time and time again, cinema has scoffed at such a lily-livered outlook by staging some of the craziest attacks and tensest action right inside households that resemble the ones we lived in as rugrats. Growing up, kids are taught that a person’s house is his or her safe place, the haven where life’s ills can’t infect one’s well-being. As much as we appreciate the wet side of the latter, the former lesson is rather unsettling. And that hot chicks with fake boobies almost always take a shower before dying in some horrific manner. If horror movies and thrillers have taught us anything, it’s that door locks are useless.