PopHorror Let's Get Scared
We all have skeletons in our closets, but what if we didn’t know about those skeletons until much later in life? Finding the horrible truth about your families history and expecting to stomach it? Well, all of this and more happens in the exciting horror thriller, Jack Goes Home (2016).
This film was directed by Thomas Dekker with an awesome cast starring Rory Culkin, Lin Shaye, Britt Robertson, Nikki Reed, Natasha Lyonne, and more. It follows the story of Jack (Culkin), who seems to have his life together with his fiancee Cleo (Britt Robertson) – they’re even expecting a baby! Everything is wonderful until he receives a phone call that his Dad has passed away and then all hell breaks loose in his perfect little world… piece by piece. He travels back home to plan his father’s funeral and take care of his ill Mother (Shaye), he soon discovers the truth behind his families history. What have they been hiding? The skeletons are about to unfold and nothing will ever be the same again.
The director, Thomas Dekker, made us all feel a sense of insanity throughout the story, but I think that is exactly what he was aiming for. From start to finish, I never knew what was going to happen, which is exactly how a horror movie should be. I would think the story was going in one direction, but every time it would go the opposite way, and the ending completely floored me. The only complaint I have is that I think he tried to cover too many topics in one movie, however, I still enjoyed what he brought to the table. Dekker had Rory reach a whole new level of “mommy’s little boy.”
One of the best things about Jack Goes Home is the fantastic acting. Rory Culkin delivers a stellar performance as Jack. Rory played Jack with such ease, this character had many challenges not to mention the biggest one – Mommy dearest. The legendary Lin Shaye plays her character wonderfully and tops many other performances that I’ve seen. She’s disturbing and a bit out of touch with reality… I can safely say that she won’t be winning the Mother of the year award anytime soon. Both Rory and Shaye brought so much life to the characters, raised the bar for acting, and I enjoyed watching them work together.
Final Thoughts:
Most people have given this movie a poor rating, maybe it’s because they went into it with high expectations. I think to enjoy and understand this movie, viewers have to keep an open-mind. Jack Goes Home is about going back to your family home and discovering things you never possibly imagined. After seeing Jack go home you may just send flowers and a card before thinking about going back.
