Dream Home movie review (2010)

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Dream Home (2010)

"Dream Home" follows a thirty-something Cheng Lai-Sheung, the daughter of a dying builder who sells home loans by phone during the day and works as a sales assistant in ladies’ fashion stores in the evenings, in the hope of one day being able to buy her dream home in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. But when she finally has enough money for the deposit the owners decide to raise the price, something delicate finally snaps in Cheng. Armed with only household DIY equipment and construction tools, and with ever more imaginative usage of them, she sets about ensuring that she acquires the property, come what may. "Dream Home" is a bizarre gore-fest about an 'ordinary' woman who tires to achieve her long time dream of having the perfect home at all costs. And saying 'at all costs', I mean she brutally murders everyone who (she reckons) stands on her way of fulfilling her dream. Killing innocent people just to get a good apartment is a rather silly and quite ridiculous motive, hence, the whole story feels a bit forced and hard-to-believe, despite the palpable satirical twist on it. Other than that, "Dream Home" is quite refreshing and well-crafted gruesome tale that offers brutal deaths, tons of gore, wicked sense of humor and some nice visuals. The most horrific thing about "Dream Home" is the fact that this movie is based on real events, which automatically means that Cheng Lai-Sheung is a nonfictional character. And she's truly disturbing! Josie Ho's innocent face successfully misleads the viewer, as you could never guess what a ruthless, cold-blooded monster her character is. She kills with ease and cut throats with no mercy, obsessed with her fix idea of getting her "dream home", and led by disbelief and hopelessness. Ho portrays this monstrous character very convincingly, and she certainly deserves a credit for that. The other actors also deliver decent performances, but at the end of the day, it's all about Josie Ho. Ho-Cheung Pang does an impressive job directing this twisted horror flick. His camera provides countless breathtaking shots of one of the most exotically beautiful cities in the entire world, Hong Kong - a megapolis that dazzles with its ultra-modern futuristic buildings and high-rise blocks, as well as its stunningly exquisite nature. He perfectly captures the essence of the city, as well as the shocking violence, and the brutality of the murders. The death scenes themeselves are incredibly well-staged, very explicit and extremely gruesome. In terms of gore and violence, "Dream Home" is an honest splatter, that will satisfy every horror geek. The so-called twist in the end, however, may leave you disappointed, as it's neither as smart nor as effective as it thinks it is. Nicely-crafted and well-acted, yet hardly believable and quite ridiculous, "Dream Home" is a slightly chilling satire, that I loved as much as I hated.

• My Rating: 5.75/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 79% (6.0/10)
• IMDb: 6.6/10