Review of Dream Home (2010) by Sarfaraz A — 20 Feb 2014

Dream Home (Wai dor lei ah yut ho) Hong Kong horror slasher film. It was co-written (Derek Tsang - Jimmy Wan) and directed by Pang Ho-cheung. Starring Josie Ho (she is also co-producer of the film). It was premiered in Italy on April 23, 2010. The story is told in flashback from early 80s through 1997, 2004 and 2008.

Chen (Josie Ho) is working for the Bank as call-center agent - calling the clients to sell them new offers by their Bank. She is obsessed with buying a flat in Victoria 1 - the window of which should open to bay of Hong Kong. Film shows background story on Chen, how her family became victim of greedy estate owners of government officials, who were all set to expel poor residents of the town to erect giant buildings. The frequent fluctuations, de-fluctuations in mortgage and housing-investment have made Chen nervous and paranoid. The figure is unaffordable for her to buy, from what she has been saving over the past years.

The tenants have been living in the apartment - but at midnight Chen adopts disturbing personality and goes about teaching lessons to the tenants - killing security guard in the opening (rather in most disturbing death I have seen in horror films - due to asphyxiation), inflicting similar death upon pregnant woman, piercing knife through housemaid's eye, cutting open abdomen of high-on-opium fellas, cutting their fingers, pushing wooden stick of bed into the mouth of one of the call-girls, killing her father on purpose to receive his death-insurance amount etc.

I started watching this film, and it brought back similar experience that I went through, when I (last) watched 'Orphan'. This movie cannot be called 'gore' but 'disturbing' (yes). Probably there are going to rise countless questions - how could she get away on different spots? How does she overcome males (just because she carries giant knife)? Not even two professional cops could handle her, and ultimately become victim of hers! Definitely had there been no over-relaxation with the subject, there would have been no "Dream Home".

Too many of you might overlook this movie for because of my (mentioned) questionnaire, but I tell you, do not fall victim to menace in movie-industry called 'Overlooking' - just go ahead and grab it, you are not gonna get disappointed.