Dream Home (2010)

Cheng Li-sheung is a young, upwardly mobile professional finally ready to invest in her first home. But when the deal falls through, she is forced to keep her dream alive - even if it means keeping her would-be neighbors dead.

Director:

Ho-Cheung Pang (as Pang Ho-cheung)

Writers:

Ho-Cheung Pang (original story) (as Pang Ho-cheung), Ho-Cheung Pang (as Pang Ho-cheung)

Stars:

Josie Ho, Ching Wong, Helen To

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josie Ho	...	Cheng Lai Sheung
Ching Wong	...	Security Guard (as Wong Ching)
Helen To	...	Sheung's Colleague
Man Jan San	...	Man
Cindy Yu	...	Sheung's Colleague
Lai-Ling Chan	...	Receptionist in Love Motel
Eason Chan	...	Siu To
Chow Fei Kin	...	Man's Cousin
Michelle Ye	...	Flat 8A Female Owner
Jo Kuk	...	Flat 8A Female Owner's Friend (as Jo Koo)
Dewi Ariyantl	...	Filipino Maid
Vivian Leung	...	Young Sheung
Chung-man Pow	...	Young Sheung's Brother (as Benjamin Pow)
Cheng Hao Sum	...	Jimmy
Hee Ching Paw	...	Sheung's Mother (as Paw Hee Ching)

Storyline

Cheng Li-sheung is a young, upwardly mobile professional finally ready to invest in her first home. But when the deal falls through, she is forced to keep her dream alive - even if it means keeping her would-be neighbors dead.

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Plot Keywords:

female psychopath | severed penis | murder of a pregnant woman | female killer | insane woman | 

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Taglines:

What would you do, if someone blocked your view...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin Tagalog English

Release Date:

13 May 2010 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Dream Home

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

852 Films,Making Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Groove (2000)

User Reviews

Refreshingly great horror/comedy with a relevant social commentary

When going in to seeing this film, I knew the general outline of the plot and much talked about death scenes, what I did not expect was a genuinely well-made, acted, written and shot horror movie with a great blend of comedy and social context. Dream Home is one amongst a recent slew of fantastic Asian horror films, and shows that it is the foreign horror filmmakers who are making the top quality movies.

Ho-Cheung Pang (who directed and wrote) has made a simple story very entertaining. Cheng Lai-sheung (an incredibly beautiful Josie Ho) works two part time jobs in order to save her money to buy an apartment with an ocean view. This dream goes back to her childhood where various events and friendships lead her to this apartment. Unfortunately, with market prices the way they are she can't really afford the price being asked, and her obsession turns into a madness which only blood can satisfy.

Dream Home is not told in a chronological manner, rather, the story is told in bits and pieces, slowly revealing how Cheng became the murderer we are seeing. I found this to be a fantastic way to tell the story, as it doesn't follow that standard path of showing a descent into madness, instead, it gives us snippets in between the carnage in order to hold our attention, so we don't get bored with all the killing, but we also don't get bogged down with explanations. Speaking of the killings, this movie contains some extreme violence which most fans of this genre will love, I know I sure did. The majority of these are over-the-top and comic in the way they unfold (apart from the most talked about scene involving the suffocation of a pregnant woman), most of the scenes go for a few minutes, in which we see Cheng is not that adept at killing, and she will only get the upper hand out of luck. No body part is safe as we see eyes gouged out, heads blown off and major amounts of arterial spray. These scenes are also where the movies major drawback lays: the use of CGI. Although it wasn't terrible, it was obvious and did detract a little in some scenes, but that's just me being finicky.

Dream Home is not just about the death scenes, the film is technically well-made in all aspects. The directing, editing and cinematography give the film a beautiful look, with many gorgeous shots throughout the film. The scenes in the apartments where the all the murders take place are filmed in a variety of ways and angles, giving these scenes an intense, claustrophobic and sometimes surreal feel. The acting is fantastic from everyone, especially Josie Ho, who turns her psychopath into someone that at times you can sympathise with.

This movie, while being a great horror film, is also a very relevant commentary on the future home owners issue. With the price of housing increasing steadily (especially where I live) this story can feel a little close to home. Not that I, or any normal person, would go to this length to get a home, but it still brings up an important issue.

4/5