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Karma is a tricky thing in horror films. While it’s always amazing to see the primary antagonist get what they deserve, far too often scary movies adhere to a kind of black-and-white morality that has viewers rooting for the deaths of those who are just slightly annoying. Whether it be rich snobs getting axed or mean bullies meeting their end, this medium makes it easy to believe some of the onscreen bloodshed is deserved — and then there’s Coming Home in the Dark. Directed by James Ashcroft and streaming on Tubi, it follows a family as they’re kidnapped by a pair of violent drifters who believe the group’s patriarch is a malicious figure from their past.
The feature is an anxiety-inducing rollercoaster of bloodshed, standing out not only in the ways it subverts viewers’ expectations but how it interrogates this genre’s relationship with “justice.” It forces fans to question what true karma looks like, providing a nuanced vision of the concept as they’re met with someone who has past misdeeds, yes, but whose “rightful punishment” is a level of widespread carnage far more gruesome than any of his past actions. It’s a terrifying investigation into the horror genre’s relationship with so-called deserved violence, and it should reach much wider audiences than it has yet.
What is ‘Coming Home in the Dark’ About?
Even in a medium built on scary situations, few movies are as disconcerting as Coming Home in the Dark. It follows Alan (Erik Thomson) and Jill (Miriama McDowell), parents who think a hiking trip is the perfect excursion for their young (and slightly moody) pair of sons. What starts as a cute family film descends into terror as a pair of strangers, Mandrake (Daniel Gillies) and Tubs (Matthias Luafutu), suddenly appear and abduct the entire group at gunpoint. They eventually learn their kidnappers were once students at an academy Alan taught at — a school known for its horrifically public displays of “punishment.” Furious over a past that is slowly revealed throughout the runtime, the men do numerous horrific things all in the effort of getting the justice they think they deserve…no matter how many innocent lives it takes.
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Horror movies usually offer a comfortingly simple concept of morality; there are countless compilations detailing the deaths of aggravating characters who viewers believe deserved their bloody end. In a simpler plot, Alan’s past mistakes would make his agonizing experience deserved, with Tubs and Mandrake being gory anti-heroes. But as the men make it clear that they’re truly ready to murder anyone who impedes their blood-soaked catharsis, the film forces audiences to realize that no matter past pain, nothing is scarier than someone who believes their righteousness is worth more than any life around them. Through its wanton violence, Coming Home in the Dark topples this genre’s usual concept of justice, showing a pair of figures who may have been wronged in the past but who use their own pain as justification to inflict so much more on everyone around them. It creates not only a disturbing viewing experience, but a discomforting internal one, as audiences are forced to grapple with the easy vision of “justice” they’re used to, being twisted to its most horrifying potential.
‘Coming Home in the Dark’ Changes You
Beyond all of its thoughts on violence and karma, what makes Coming Home in the Dark a truly terrifying film is its ability to shock viewers. From surprise deaths to numerous revelations, the film always leaves viewers imbalanced, never sure where it is going next but making sure it is somewhere thoroughly petrifying. Within its chaos it manages an ingenious questioning of what karma really looks like, and if “justice” is worth it, if it means so many innocent people have to suffer. It’s a thoughtful, chilling film, and with its availability to stream on so many platforms today, it deserves many new fans.
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