By David Dent
James Owen’s debut feature, 2022’s Bite, saw a couple of con artists hiding out in the house of an elderly woman, with murderous results. Four years on and arguably he reuses the same setup, but in this case the hiders are two health care professionals whose intentions are far more honourable.
Community heath nurse Eric (Paul Casar) and his medical student assistant Melissa (Daisy Jelley) are doing the rounds, administering flu jabs to the housebound or those who otherwise couldn’t get protected. They’re an awkward pair – you get the sense that Eric is uncomfortable around younger women – but they have a job to do. And their next visit is to the home of Doris (Terry Bamberger from this year’s Daggers Inn), living with Alzheimer’s, and her husband/carer Fred (David Sterne).
Arriving at the house, they find it in considerable disarray; the couple are clearly in need of assistance. While his wife seems almost comatose, Fred, resistant to any intervention, is obviously an alcoholic. But when Eric administers the jab, the old woman finds reserves of energy, punching the nurse and shouting “he will return!”. This is the point at which Hoarder changes from a dark social commentary comedy to, well, a dark horror comedy, although the secret of what lies within the house is never fully divulged; the only thing we know is that the ‘hoarder’ of the title may not just refer to the house’s human occupants.
I really liked Owen’s slow burn approach to the horror elements of this movie; indeed little happens for the first hour (although a prologue hints at the nastiness to come) and most of the tension lies in what Eric and Melissa uncover in the course of what they think is a routine house visit. A great set design thoroughly convinces the viewer that Fred and his wife live in deep squalor and our health care professionals are also very believable (Owen is an ex surgeon so I guess the medical details would be accurate). There are a few head scratchy plot points, but I’d advise you to enter into the dark spirit of the movie; there’s a lot to like.
Bloody Flicks 