Shubhabrata Dutta
With time, horror movies have gotten more and more humane. Today, it’s as much about the human psyche and its processes as it is about supernatural elements. One of the primary angles of horror that explores the human psyche is home invasion horror movies. Keeping that in mind, we bring you some such movies available on Amazon Prime that explore the genre in different and scary ways.
7. Intruders (2015)
Directed by Adam Schindler, this thriller follows three guys, Perry (Martin Starr), Vance (Joshua Mikel), and J.P. (Jack Kesy), who break into the childhood home of a woman named Anna (Beth Riesgraf), looking for cash. Unbeknownst to them, Anna has agoraphobia (an anxiety disorder underscored by the constant feeling that the environment is unsafe). So she doesn’t leave the house even after the guys, who had previously tied her to a chair, untie her and let her go. Slowly, it is revealed that while Anna cannot leave the house, she ensures that no one else can either. Ultimately, we see that the house is fitted with contraptions, thanks to Anna’s now-dead brother Conrad (Timothy T. McKinney), who was a serial killer who tortured and killed child molesters in front of Anna. Indeed, she has learned the tricks and is applying them to the intruders. You can stream’ Intruders’ here to see how rough things turn out for them.
6. Hideout (2021)
Directed by Kris Roselli, the film follows four thieves, namely Reed (Chris Wolf), Kyle (Brian Enright), Sarah (Katie Lyons), and Marshall (Mark A Baum), who are fleeing from a botched robbery and take shelter in a small farmhouse. In the house, they come across an old lady named Bee (Janice LeFlam), who seems to have a strange dark aura about her. She then introduces them to her granddaughter Rose (Audrey Kovar), who has an even darker presence and claims to have psychic abilities. While it seems fake at first, although Rose’s poker face works like a charm, mysterious events soon start to occur, making it clear that not everything Rose claims is a lie. Eventually, the gang realizes that in search of a place to hide, they end up somewhere dark and sinister. You can watch the movie here.
5. Motherly (2021)
Directed by Craig Wallace, ‘Motherly’ is anything but that. It follows Kate (Lora Burke) and her 9-year-old daughter Beth (Tessa Kozma), who live in seclusion. Kate’s husband/Beth’s father, Brad, has killed himself in prison, where he was sent for the murder of Beth’s friend Courtenay. But when Courtenay’s mother, Mary (Kristen MacCulloch), and father, Lewis (Nick Smyth), invade their house, questioning them, it seems that the truth is something else. Then, Kate and Beth do something terrible that proves who the real culprit is. A home invasion with a twist, ‘Motherly,’ can be watched here.
4. Knock Knock (2015)
Seduction can be fatal, and the events of ‘Knock Knock,’ directed by Eli Roth, are proof. Starring Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, and Ana de Armas, the movie follows Evan Webber, who is alone at home because his wife and children are on a weekend trip. Two young girls, Genesis and Bel, gain access to the house by asking for an address while a rainstorm is going on outside. Webber lets them in to try up. Big mistake as in almost no time, the girls force themselves upon up and end up having a threesome as well as raping him while filming it all. Now, he cannot do anything but go with the flow because they will leak the video if he doesn’t. From forks to electrical cords to guns to graves, the role play in this movie is varied. To find out how, if at all, Webber manages to get rid of these two girls, you can watch ‘Knock Knock’ here.
3. Mother’s Day (2012)
Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, this film is about a psychotic mother and her three psychotic sons who return to their former house looking for money. The issue is that the house has new owners and their guests. The sons have just robbed a bank and are on the run when they arrive at the house, only to discover their other has lost it. They inform her about it while holding the guests hostage. Then, the mother comes and takes the charge. Since mother knows best, anyone trying to act smart will face terrible consequences. Is money even a factor here, or is it all just a game? ‘Mother’s Day’ stars Rebecca De Mornay, Briana Evigan, Jaime King, Frank Grillo, Deborah Ann Woll, Shawn Ashmore and Warren Kole. You can watch the movie here.
2. Villains (2019)
In this dark comedy, a home invasion turns on its head after the robbers, lovebirds Mickey and Jules, break into a house and find a little mute girl, who is the child of the couple that lives there, chained in the basement. Their objective to free the girl turns into a mission to free themselves after they are taken captive by the couple, George and Gloria. Whether and how Mickey and Jules escape this psychopathic couple and whether they save the girl are what we find out in this wild, twisted, and entertaining flick directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. The movie stars Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe, Kyra Sedgwick, Jeffrey Donovan, and Blake Baumgartner. You can watch it here.
1. Sleep Tight (2011)
‘Sleep Tight’ (‘Mientras duermes’ in Spanish) is a psychological thriller that centers on a sadistic apartment concierge named César who enjoys making those around him miserable. When he finds his way inside an attractive lady’s apartment, his methods are revealed to us (messing with the woman’s body products and planting bug eggs, etc.) and make it clear that he is a psychopath. How he tries to get the smile on her face and tries to get away with it is what follows. Meanwhile, a teenage girl knows of his movements and makes her demands in return for keeping her mouth shut. Will César ever stop? You can watch this gripping Jaume Balagueró directorial right here to find out.
Read More: Best Abduction Movies on Amazon Prime
