Dream Home (2010)
Directed by Ho-Cheung Pang
Starring Josie Ho, Eason Chan, Norman Chu, Chu-Chu Zhou, Hee Ching Paw, Juno Mak, Lawrence Chou, Hoi-Pang Lo, Lap-Man Sin, Ching Wong

“In a crazy city, if one is to survive, he’s got to be more crazy.”

There are films that just seem to sneak by, getting a release on DVD but without much of a fanfare or announcement. Maybe because it came from Hong Kong, with no huge names attached to it might not have helped. Or maybe because there are so many films that come out each year, too many of them get lost in the multitude of titles. But it is a damn shame because it had been quite a while since I had watched a movie that had more quality kills in it, many I had never seen anything close to, and some even difficult to watch. So yeah, this one leaves quite an impact on the viewer.

The film starts off with a brief history on the housing market in Hong Kong, where a high population and not a lot of them making too much money, real estate is a high commodity. Then we go to an apartment complex where we see someone sneaking into the security room, finding a sleeping guard. You’ll never look at zip ties and an exacto knife the same again. We can tell from this sequence that this filmmaker is not going to hold back on any bloodletting. But this is only the beginning.

At the beginning, we see the current date and time. Then taking a cue from Tarantino’s style, the film timeline jumps around a bit, showing us different parts of the life of the female lead. All she wants to do is be able to afford her own apartment, but working as an underpaid telemarketer, as well as working a second job, this may take a while. As the story unfolds, we discover who this mysterious killer is and why they continue to slaughter different people throughout the films running time, all the while bodies continue to pile up.

We have eyes poked out, throats cut, guts spilling out, suffocation, quite a bit of nudity, and talk about coitus interruptus! There are several sequences throughout the movie that will either have you twitching or cheering. The effects are well done and effective and give the audience the impact they should. In fact, there are a few scenes that are pretty painful to watch. Not that it is graphic in the same nature as something like in Hostel, but still pretty intense. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, just wait.

Out of all the movies that I have seen over the last few years, I don’t remember any that had this high of a body count that has pretty much each and every one killed in such a unique and creative way. I guarantee that there are a few in here that will have the gorehound in you cheering for joy. Plus, all the effects are done extremely well, not only in their set up but in the payoff as well. Some are quick and will catch you by surprise, while others linger a second or two, giving your mind (and stomach) that chance to prepare for what you’re about to see.

Believe it or not though, this film isn’t just about the gore. There is a story here of a deeply troubled person but also with sort of a powerful social commentary here. Plus, the look of the film is great, with several times the use of the camera is so good, enough to where you notice the way the shot is. When something like that can take you out of the movie for a split second, just long enough for you to notice how the camera angle is or how the action is set up, it shows that we are watching a very talented filmmaker. We also need to give a little shout out to actress Josie Ho who plays the female lead. You can tell that she really is put through the ringer here, having to do a lot of physical action throughout the running time and she does it really well.

The DVD, put out by IFC Midnight, is packed full of extras. There are behind-the-scene segments on just about everything about this movie, from the story, the cast, the director, pre-production, the special effects, stunts, visual FXs and more. Each segment goes into a lot of details in the short time explaining and showing all the work that went into making this film. There were a lot of hard working people on this film, giving it their all, even at some physical pain involved.

If you’re looking for a great slice and dice film, with plenty of gore and some amazing and original death scenes, then you need to seek this film out and add it to your collection. I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.