The Home

Story: Max, a troubled man doing community service at a retirement home, uncovers sinister experiments tied to his past on the forbidden fourth floor.

Review: ‘The Home’ begins on a strong note, establishing a chilling premise that immediately pulls you in. Set in a secluded old-age home, the film creates an atmosphere thick with loneliness, silence, and suspicion. There’s something undeniably eerie about the long, empty corridors and the strange, quiet residents. In the beginning, the film hints at psychological horror, using space and silence to build tension. However, as the story unfolds, it pivots into familiar slasher territory, relying on blood and grotesque visuals rather than sustaining dread through narrative or mood. The carefully built intrigue soon gives way to chaos.

At the center of the story is Max (Pete Davidson), a young man with a troubled history. To avoid jail, he agrees to do community service at a well-maintained, isolated retirement home. What appears to be a normal facility soon reveals darker undercurrents. When Max befriends Norma (Mary Beth Peil), a resident who warns him about the place, the mystery deepens. The staff behaves strangely, and Max is explicitly forbidden from going near the fourth floor. But disturbing sounds and unexplained incidents ignite his curiosity. As he investigates, Max uncovers secrets tied to a larger conspiracy, including a shocking connection to his own deceased brother. He realizes his arrival at the facility was never coincidental—it was pre-planned.

Director James DeMonaco initially shows restraint, hinting at horrors without revealing too much. The setting feels lived-in, the mystery simmering. But once Max breaks into the forbidden floor and uncovers the truth, the film loses its grip. Instead of developing the deeper themes of aging, the narrative becomes increasingly absurd. The eventual revelation—that the facility is part of a government-backed experiment—throws the film into bizarre and unconvincing territory.

Pete Davidson, cast as Max, struggles with the emotional demands of the role. While he holds his own in quieter scenes, he falters when the film asks for psychological intensity. In the final act, when Max takes matters into his own hands, Davidson tries to channel unhinged rage, but the performance feels forced and disconnected. His final act in the film—where he charges ahead in a rage, wielding an axe à la ‘Scarface’—feels more comical than cathartic. Davidson fails to anchor the film with the gravity it needs.

The film’s descent into gore is both sudden and overwhelming. Faces are disfigured, eyes are punctured, and needles are used liberally in ways that feel gratuitous rather than unsettling. Rather than elevating the horror, these elements dilute it. The final half-hour plays out more like a chaotic grindhouse reel than a psychological horror film with something to say. In the end, ‘The Home’ is a frustrating watch. It begins with promise, teases something original, and presents a world rich with potential. But instead of deepening its premise, it leans on genre clichés and shock value. What could have been a tense exploration of institutional cruelty and buried trauma turns into just another forgettable thriller. For all its build-up, ‘The Home’ forgets its heart—and with it, the audience.