R RESTRICTED MPA
strong bloody violence and gore, language and some sexual content
The Home
A looming shadow falls over retirement care.
Directed by James DeMonaco (creator of The Purge), The Home stars Pete Davidson as Max, a rebellious twentysomething sentenced to community service in a serene—but eerie—retirement facility. Everything seems routine until he learns the fourth floor is off-limits and under “special care.” As Max investigates, he uncovers a horrifying secret that endangers both the residents and himself. YouTube+15Movie Insider+15Dread Central+15
🎬 Cast & Filmmakers
- Pete Davidson sheds his comedic persona for a darker role as Max, exploring trauma tied to his foster upbringing and recent strokes of guilt.
- Veteran actors John Glover, Bruce Altman, and Ethan Phillips fill supporting roles, rounding out the unsettling home’s staff and tenants. Bloody Disgusting!+9Movie Insider+9Wikipedia+9
- James DeMonaco, alongside co-writer Adam Cantor, draws from ’70s horror for a style that “simmers before exploding into glorious chaos,” featuring intense blood-and-gore payoff in its finale. GQ+13Movie Insider+13The Movie Waffler+13
The MPAA has rated the film R for strong bloody violence, language, and sexual content. YouTube+7JoBlo+7Movie Insider+7
🧟♂️ Early Reviews & Festival Buzz
Interestingly, there are two different films titled The Home hitting festival circuits this year—a Swedish supernatural chiller and DeMonaco’s American psychological horror. It’s essential not to mix them up.
Swedish The Home (SXSW feature):
- Hollywood News praised its “less-is-more” approach to horror, noting effective jump scares, an oppressive atmosphere, and emotional depth tied to themes of grief, guilt, and aging. The Home+15The Hollywood News+15The Movie Waffler+15
- Dread Central highlighted the strong central performance by Philip Oros (Joel) and described it as a “smart script” that “shatters your heart.” Rated 3.5/5. IMDb+5Dread Central+5The Hollywood News+5
- Cineuropa called it “a surprisingly devastating and extremely effective horror film.” Cineuropa
These reviews reflect the Swedish one, not DeMonaco’s. Still, they show the appeal of retirement-home horror this year. Bloody Disgusting!+5The Movie Waffler+5JoBlo+5
📊 Critical Scores & Audience Feedback
- Rotten Tomatoes currently lists The Home (2025)—DeMonaco’s version—as upcoming, with no critic or audience scores yet available. Cineuropa+15Rotten Tomatoes+15YouTube+15
- Letterboxd offers plot insights for the Swedish Home, but no ratings for DeMonaco’s film at this time. Wikipedia+3Letterboxd+3The Movie Waffler+3
✅ What This Means for Your Audience
- Anticipation & tone: The film fuses DeMonaco’s tense mid-century horror style with blood-driven release—an effective cocktail for fans seeking visceral thrills.
- Star power: Davidson’s departure from comedic fare to a dramatic, haunted role has already attracted attention.
- Festival momentum: While DeMonaco’s Home hasn’t hit festivals yet, the parallel hype for the Swedish version underscores a broader appetite for retirement-home horrors.
🧭 Final Take
The Home is shaping up to be a solid entry in mid-budget horror—leveraging an atmospheric setting, a dramatically transformed lead, and a director’s knack for suspense. With its July 25, 2025 theatrical release, critics’ reviews and audience scores will begin rolling in soon.
