'Coming Home in the Dark' is a psychological horror thriller that follows a family of four, mother and father Jill and Hoaggie and their twin sons Jordan and Maika, as they are on a road-trip, go hiking and are confronted by a couple of drifters, Mandrake and Tubs, who take them hostage. Things turn for the worst and Hoaggie is forced to confront his past as the drifters impose on the family.
The film sets out by establishing an ordinary and loving family dynamic, as Hoaggie, Jill, Maika and Jordan make their way towards the mountains for hiking. As they journey through a mountain pass and come to pic-nick on a clearing, they are confronted by Mandrake and Tubs, a couple of drifters looking to rob them. As the family is taken hostage, they look to a passer by for help, yet they drive off without having noticed anything amiss. Things quickly escalate as Tubs shoots and kills Jordan and Maika and Mandrake knocks out Jill. After disabling Hoaggie by dislocating his arm, Tubs and Mandrake go through their loot and realise Hoaggie used to be a teacher at a boys boarding school.
Later, as Mandrake and Tubs take charge of the family vehicle and drive off with Jill and Hoaggie at gunpoint, the group talk and Mandrake coaxes Hoaggie to realise that, as he was starting out as a teacher's apprentice at the boys school, Mandrake and Tubs were a part of the student body and force him to reveal what went on at the institution. After stopping below a bridge and Mandrake holding Jill at gunpoint, Hoaggie admits that the boys were mistreated, often assaulted by the teachers there, and he himself did nothing to stop the torment. A specific story that Hoaggie retells reveals him to have witnessed a schoolmaster to have held down a 9 year old boy and to have scrubbed a self inflicted swastika tattoo from the young boys forearm with a steel scrubber. Devastated by the revelation, Jill is ashamed of Hoaggie, who himself admits shame about not helping the boy. It is implied that Mandrake was the young boy and after the quartet return to the car, Jill expresses her disappointment towards Hoaggie just before she jumps from the speeding vehicle. On trying to catch her, Mandrake chases Jill to an overpass, at which Jill jumps into the river below.
In continuing their drive, the trio now openly discuss what had transpired. Before long, the car's tyre bursts from a screw that Hoaggie had planted earlier, and he manages to make a run for it. As he comes to find a group of young people drifting on a race track, he convinces them to let him in the car and asks for them to drive off. Before they do, Mandrake catches up and convinces the group to not drive away. Panicked Hoaggie begs for them to go, but the group stay put and Mandrake proceeds to shoot and kill all but one of the teens that runs off. Afterwards, the trio drive to the boarding school. Mandrake marches Hoaggie through the halls to the courtyard, as Tubs refuses to go in. The two have an exchange, Hoaggie manages to strike Mandrake with a rock and Mandrake tries to shoot him. Exhausted, both collapse exhausted and Mandrake still tries to shoot Hoaggie until Tubs comes by and shoots Mandrake down. Tubs then tells Hoaggie he hates 'this place' and walks away, leaving Hoaggie to succumb to his injuries.
'Coming Home in the Dark' is an intense psychological thriller, - the film starts by presenting a relaxed and welcoming scene - a family enjoying quality time together, bickering amongst themselves, but exhibiting an overall loving atmosphere and dynamic nonetheless. The film lulls the viewer into a false sense of comfort before abruptly shifting to a brutal and violent tone. As soon as Mandrake and Tubs enter the scene, the film rips away any and all sense of ease, plunging the story into an aggressive downward spiral that seemingly gets more intense with each passing minute. After the twins are murdered, a sudden sense of dread and uncertainty washes over the viewer, disallowing for any hope of rescue for Hoaggie or Jill, as the drifters grip seems to tighten the further the group drive. The sudden shift in tone sets the scene for the rest of the story, clearly impressing on the viewer that this is going to be an extremely intense and brutal story.
As Mandrake and Tubs set off with Jill and Hoagie, the dynamic between the two criminals is explored. The two of them showcase a somewhat co-dependent yet familiar relationship, highlighting that Mandrake prefers to have the upper hand and stay in charge of their actions. Throughout the film, instances of Tubs's dismay towards Mandrake can be felt and their final meeting only cements the dislike Tubs has for Mandrake. As Tubs shoots down Mandrake in the abandoned school yard, both Tubs and the audience can rest assured that the man's rampage has come to an end, allowing for respire from the intense journey that has led us here.
At the heart of the story is Hoaggie, who must face his past, forced to out the truth to the drifters, his wife and ultimately himself. The actual details of what had transpired at the school all those years ago is not revealed until well into the second act, with the feature focusing more on the tension of not knowing, enhancing the viewing experience in the mounting suspense. The film chooses to share the screen time and attention Hoaggie and Mandrake have almost down the middle, allowing for both Mandrake's hate and twisted personality to go head to head with Hoaggie's guilt stricken and desperate demeanour. Ultimately the feature provides for an intense exploration of guilt and denial paired and contrasted with the result of past wrongdoings as illustrated by Mandrake and Tubs's troublesome and lawless actions.
The film features a superb cast with Daniel Gillies as Mandrake, Erik Thomson as Hoaggie, Miriama McDowell as Jill and Matthias Luafutu as Tubs. Each actor goes the extra mile in presenting their characters, expressing highly volatile and intense emotions when prompted and in discussion about abuse towards children, making the feature truly stick in one's memory, as the already heavy subject matter is further intensified by the visceral performances the cast delivers.
The film is an adaptation of a short story by Owen Marshall and directed by James Ashcroft in his feature directorial debut. By delving deep into exploring the ramifications of abuse towards children, the creator has managed to deliver an intense film that is brutal in both extended scenes of intense violence and through exploring the full spectrum of emotional damage that abuse cam have on all the parties involved. The film ends by showing us that life does go on, as Tubs watched the sun rise, however, the audience is fully aware of the extent of the weight and hurt the character carries, leaving us wonder about how Tubs will carry on and cope with his damaged psyche.
Score: 4/4
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