VOD Review: Jack Goes Home (2016)

"Jack should have stayed away from home."

The first movie directed by Thomas Dekker (you may remember him from starring in movies like Laid to Rest, or the Nightmare on Elm Street remake), Jack Goes Home is an interesting one.

On one hand, it's a bit of a somber drama about a guy mourning the sudden death of his father, all while losing his mind a bit at a time.

On the other, it's a ghost story that takes Jack to some pretty disturbing places on a journey of self-discovery.

Critics have pretty much panned Jack Goes Home as being lazy, muddled, and scattered, among other things, but there's something about this movie that we really liked.

Jack Thurlowe is a hotshot writer who has a gorgeous fiance, who just so happens to be pregnant, so he's basically living the life... until he gets a phone call telling him that there's been a car accident which has claimed the life of his father, and left his mother injured and recovering. That's why Jack Goes Home.

SOMETHING IS WAITING FOR JACK AT HOME.

Jack has the support of his sexy best friend, Shanda, who is with him every step of the way, helping him deal with his grief. His mother, on the other hand, is a basket case, and not a very nice person to be around. Then there's the gay kid who lives next door, who jerks off in the window in front of Jack. There's also a ghost in the house who keeps leading Jack to clues of a horrific incident in his past that he doesn't have any memory of.

Or maybe Jack is just going crazy.

DON'T GO IN THERE.

So is Jack Goes Home a movie about a guy suffering a mental breakdown, or is it a Haunted House story? Both, I think. If you pay attention to the last shot int he movie, it's apparent that Jack wasn't seeing things clearly, although that could be because he was being haunted. Then again, the movie is about grief and a guy that's dealing with horrific repressed memories of his past, and that's haunting enough on its own.

The movie was interesting enough to keep us watching because we were curious to find out exactly what was going on, but it just didn't pack very much of a punch. It was meant to be what it is -a movie about a guy who not only has to deal with the death of his father, but with horrific memories from his past coming back to haunt him- but it was also a movie with a Supernatural bent, and that aspect of things fell a bit flat.

Rory Culkin was fantastic as usual as the tortured Jack (who went home), and he carries the entire movie. Daveigh Chase has sure come a long way from playing the creepy Samara in The Ring; not only did she grow up hot, but she's become a pretty damned good actress too. She's a solid supporting character for Culkin to play off of. And of course, Lin Shaye turns in another great performance as Jack's mother.

So it's safe to say that we liked this one as much as we did because of the cast, and the characters they brought to life. 

OH, DAVEIGH...

A little bit of blood here and there, but it's not that kind of movie.

THIS IS ABOUT AS BLOODY AS THINGS GET.

Only Rory Culkin in a bathtub, and it wasn't very sexy.

SHE REMAINED FULLY CLOTHED. SIGH.

Jack Goes Home is a good movie. It's a bit underwhelming in the Horror department, but it's got some great actors turning in some compelling performances (especially Culkin and Chase), and its mystery had enough of a hook to keep us going until the end.

It might not make an ideal addition to a Halloween movie marathon, but it's worth checking out if you like psychologically-charged Genre flicks.

B

Jack Goes Home is available now on VOD.

Daveigh, Brittany, and Nikki.