In my 34 years, I’ve seen a lot of on-screen death in horror films. The slashing of throats and slitting of Achilles tendons don’t have the same effect on me as they once did. Like many horror fans, I feel as though I’ve become mostly desensitized to ghosts, gore, and goop. This doesn’t make me enjoy the genre any less, but it typically takes some serious creep factor in generic horror films to start pushing me over to the side of actually being bothered by a film. Everyone seems to have the one or two sub-genres of horror that makes their skin crawl. Demonic possessions, cults, torture porn, whatever it may be. For me, that sub-genre is home invasion horror.
RELATED: Coming Soon: ‘Saw’ Gets 4K Ultra HD Release May 11th
There’s something about this sub-genre that just bores into my brain and makes me feel unsafe to my very core. I’m not sure whether it’s the concept of sheer violation in the places we’ve taught ourselves are the safest, or the realism that comes with true crime stories from serial killers like the Golden State Killer or the Gainesville Ripper. We as humans, build up these ideas that a tiny little lock or a loud alarm system will stop some kind of evil force or person from entering our home and hurting us, and these films shut down those ideas with ease. So, I got to thinking, things that scare me often fascinate me, which led me down this path of researching the history of home invasion in horror films.
Before I get started, the content of a lot of these films can be extremely triggering for survivors of all different kinds of trauma, so please do diligent research before diving into any of the films I discuss.
Home invasion horror is one of those genres that consistently toes the line between the thriller and horror genres. Although the concept is horrifying in general, I’m going to stick to discussing films that offer a little more to the horror side. I really had no idea how far back home invasion went in film history, with the first being a silent short film from 1909, titled The Lonely Villa. If you’re a film buff, I definitely recommend heading over to YouTube and spending 12 minutes of your time watching it, for without it, you wouldn’t get some of the horror classics that would eventually come.
As most of the home invasion films from the 1920’s through the 1960’s primarily rested in the mystery and thriller genres, I’m going to fast-forward to 1968, where the first true horror home invasion film took shape, in Rosemary’s Baby. I know, I know, no one wants to talk about the director of that film, so we’ll stick to the story by Ira Levin. I think the concept of Rosemary’s Baby is so bothersome because the violation of Rosemary’s home was happening without her even realizing it. It was so much more than someone breaking, entering, and harming. The invasion was fast, silent, and produced from within, betraying a level of trust like we’d never really seen in films to this point. Rosemary’s own husband, and one of the only people she really knew and trusted, was the violator and invader in her own home. Mia Farrow played this part to perfection, flawlessly portraying the fear and isolation of being betrayed by the person that she loves the most. This is a concept that took a bit of a break but would be brought back in fan-favorites much later down the line.
RELATED: Trailer: Netflix’s Supernatural Thriller ‘Things Heard & Seen’
Mia Farrow would return to this genre just a few years later in 1971 with See No Evil, a surprising film from Richard Fleischer, who at that point had brought forth films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Dr. Dolittle (1967). This film featured the attack from a psychopath on a blind woman while she stayed at her family’s estate. Having the protagonist lose one of her senses was a great way to up the intensity for the audience, by still showing them what was happening, while having the main character be clueless. The use of psychopathic murdering antagonists caught on, and by 1973, Italian directors were using home invasion in their giallo horror films, like Torso and later, The House at the Edge of the Park (1980).
The 1970’s overall was an extremely popular decade for home invasion horror, spawning several different types. Films like Black Christmas (1974) and When A Stranger Calls (1979) really started the “the calls came from inside the house!” trope we’ve seen in countless films since. Both of these films are iconic and portrayed a similar internal space violation as Rosemary’s Baby, but in a different way, because the audience, nor the protagonist, knew the killer’s identity. The concept of a stranger living in your house and watching you at any vulnerable moment is terrifying, and these films took that fear and ran with it.
With the ’70s and early ’80s basically being known as the “Golden Age of Serial Killers,” many home invasion films were loosely based off the stories of these real-life villains. Some notable ones here include The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1977 – based on the Texarkana Moonlight Murders), Last House on Dead End Street (1977 – based on the Manson cult murders), and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986 – based on Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole).
RELATED: Teaser Trailer: ‘Army of the Dead’ Hits Netflix on May 21
Extremes were tested in the ’70s as well, where the often-detested “rape-revenge” style of home invasion horror had surfaced. Films like Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left (1972), Demon Seed (1977), and I Spit On Your Grave (1978) are often spoken of as one-watch wonders. These films were incredibly graphic, all with the goal intent leaning on shock value and the ideas of personal bodily violation and infiltration. Luckily, this type of home invasion horror has calmed down slightly in modern times, though many of these films spawned graphic remakes in the 2000’s.
The ’80s slowed things down a bit for home invasion horror. We got some slasher-esque films like Alone in the Dark (1982), The Stepfather (1987), and Clownhouse (1989). One of these films from 1989 that I really enjoy is the French film 3615 code Pere Noel. This Christmas-themed home invasion flick was basically the horror version of Home Alone that came out a year earlier. A child is home with his grandpa and must use his home-turf advantage to ward off a serial-killing Santa. I totally suggest checking that one out.
RELATED: Carlos Alazraqui & Jill-Michele Melean Talk New Zom-Com ‘Witness Infection’
In the ’90s, we saw a resurgence of several of the types of home invasion horror. Wes Craven built onto his home invasion resume with The People Under the Stairs (1991) and Scream (1996). Both of these were hits with the horror community, and both focused on different types of home invasion. The Scream franchise was particularly strong because of its ever-changing villains. The killers could have been anyone, at any time, in anybody’s home. There were no safe places, because as we found out, even the closest people to the protagonists could be revealed as killers. We also got a made-for-TV direct sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back, which reunited the director and lead actress from the first film. I also suggest checking out Funny Games (1997), as it’s a mostly solid flick and there is a lot of controversy surrounding the film’s ending. Though, I do think it paved the way from some of the heavy hitters in the 2000’s and 2010’s.
Aside from the occasional remakes, the big dog in the 2000’s was Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers. This film just hit differently than all others before it. It consistently gave us hope and stripped it away from us in brutal fashion. The performances were fantastic, and for one of the first times in home invasion horror, we’re hit with NO motive. An exhausted Liv Tyler desperately asks the killers, “Why are you doing this to us?” for which their response is, “Because you were home.” Geesh. That still gives me the chills. It’s simply just…they wanted to hurt her where she feels the safest because they could.
I’m geeking out a little hard, and I know I can’t touch on every film, but there are a few more important additions to the genre that I do recommend. Although I’m not a huge personal fan of 2013’s The Purge, the film turned into a relevant franchise that was loved enough to spawn three sequels and a TV show. With really only the first film being a true home invasion horror flick, the concept that invading someone’s home is legally allowed is a neat change. The Purge completely took away the false sense of security that your home offers. People can break into each other’s homes and hurt one another, and there are no consequences. It’s a scary thought. Mike Flanagan’s Hush (2016) and Chris Peckover’s Better Watch Out (2016) also add new unique takes on old ideas and are worth checking out.
RELATED: Sam Raimi Teases the Oldsmobile Delta’s Return in ‘Doctor Strange 2’
Lastly, I think my two most-recent go-to home invasion horror films are You’re Next (2013) and Don’t Breathe (2016). You’re Next offers a variety of interesting characters, both good and bad, while mixing ideas from classic home invasion with a more modern style. Plus, the final girl is as bad ass as they come. Conversely, Don’t Breathe is almost a reverse home invasion flick, offering a more unique approach where the invaders are the characters in danger, and Stephen Lang does a superb job at portraying any criminal’s worst nightmare.
I know I said home invasion horror gives me the creeps, and that still rings true, even though I love many of the films in it. Like most ups and downs, there are some that I watched once and will never watch again, and some that I can’t get enough of. What are your favorite and least favorite home invasion horror films?
RELATED: Interview: Stephen Lang Talks ‘Avatar’ and New Film ‘The Seventh Day