Jack Goes Home (2016) User Reviews

uneven but interesting

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 11 August 2017]

Jack (Rory Culkin) seems cold to the news of his father being decapitated in a car crash. His pregnant girlfriend Cleo (Britt Robertson) is away visiting her parents. His lesbian friend Shanda (Daveigh Chase) finds him disturbingly sleepwalking. He goes home to care for his mother (Lin Shaye) and uncovers hidden family secrets. Shanda joins him.

Thomas Dekker is an actor trying to branch out into filmmaking. There is some good creepiness mostly due to Culkin's disturbing acting. This is a psychological horror which is outside the norm. Dekker's work is professional but lacks an excitement. There are moments of tension but it never maintains its intensity. It all adds up to an uneven attempt with some interesting aspects.

Great performance by Rory Culkin.

[Patient444 · 6/10 · 15 October 2016]

I enjoyed this one, because in my honest opinion, it had a lot to offer. From the great acting, to the dialogue, the effects, the plot, the confusion, everything falls quite lovely in place and the puzzle reveals itself little by little. I had fun here, I kept asking myself questions, I was waiting to see more, started to suspect one and the other.

It is a beautiful psychological drama, with some horror elements to spark the atmosphere, and pretty much no dull moments. So if you are a fan of the oldies and crazies like Identity, The Pact, Session 9, this one will fit the list just fine. Some will consider it better, some perhaps not so much, but you will find a lot of familiar traces here.

Jack Goes Home is indeed a little gem of a movie, that should be recommended and watched by more people because it surely delivers on so many levels. Of course, bare in mind, I did say, little movie. I won't place it up there, with your big budget productions.

Cheers!

Heh-Heh I Enjoyed This

[michaelant555 · 6/10 · 5 November 2016]

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm glad I watched this. A guy (Rory Culkin) receives a phone call to say his parents have been involved in a car crash and the film then follows his psychological reaction to the event. I don't usually enjoy slow, emotional dramas, but this had enough bite to it to keep my interest throughout. His lesbian best friend from childhood lends him support and a gay, nineteen year old, male neighbour befriends him, but throughout the film you're left to wonder what is really happening, and if any of it actually is happening. There are enough horror and mystery elements combined here that makes this film quite watchable, but sometimes more than a little uncomfortable. Great acting, great characters and a very well put together production that draws you in and just doesn't let you go until it's over.

I Liked The Premise But The Execution Was A Big Misfire

[HorrorOverEverything · 3/10 · 14 October 2016]

"Jack Goes Home" is a psychological Thriller (with some horror elements) about a boy named Jack (Rory Culkin) whose dad is killed in a car accident, after hearing the news he returns home to help his mother with the funeral and cope with the whole ordeal. As Jack struggles with the loss of his father he starts to notice strange behavior from his mother while also attempting to uncover possible secrets that his parents have been hiding from him for years. I thought the plot line was interesting enough, unfortunately the movie does a poor job of developing and delivering it.

The movie is essentially about a man's struggle with the loss of his parent and his own mental instability. I like movies that dig into the human mind and really focus on one individual slowly losing it, however "Jack Came Home" does a very poor job of pulling that off. Jack is a pretty unlikable character from the get go, he's emotionless, dull, and really has no interesting character traits so to be honest I really had trouble watching him mope around and complain about everything for almost two hours. Jack's mother (player by Lin Shaye) is an interesting character and makes for some of the more interesting scenes in the movie, unfortunately she isn't featured that much.

The movie tries to keep things interesting by throwing in a little bit of mystery but again they just do such a poor job of developing it, by the time big reveals are made you will have likely figured everything out and be bored with it. I saw the final twist coming a mile away, so much so that I kept telling myself maybe that wouldn't be the twist since it was so predictable. I feel like they had the right idea in a lot of places but then just completely dropped the ball in the points that mattered most.

As far as indie horror movie goes "Jack Goes Home" is far from one of the worst, even though it's barely a horror movie, but it is definitely not anything to write home about. It's predictable, drab, and pretty dry overall.

Spiral into Disjointedness

[Lou2413 · 4/10 · 15 October 2016]

The downward spiral into madness Jack Goes Home tries to imbue falls short. What's left is a disjointed film wondering what it wants to be.

While I do agree we get to see a different side of Lin Shaye from what we see in the Insidious chapters, I felt her performance to be over the top and wrought with cliché moments à la Mommie Dearest.

Rory Culkin gets everything thrown at him including the kitchen sink, yet never deviates from the mouth agape, detached look expression he sports throughout the film. His acting skills are far superior to what we see play out during the movie.

Natasha Lyonne makes a cameo appearance at a receptionist desk. It makes you wonder if she said her four lines as a favor to Dekker. Fortunately for Lyonne, she can make a desk look good. It's unfortunate for us that we only get a glimpse of her.

On a positive note, there were a few creepy scenes any horror fan would enjoy. And it was also a beautifully shot film. There was enough glimmer of hope buried within Jack Goes Home to make me interested in Thomas Dekker's next move as a director and film writer.

Great base plot line, execution ends up being tangled disjointed mess

[codygdietrich · 5/10 · 23 May 2020]

Starts out slow with a boy going home for his father's funeral. Then things start to heat up with secrets from the past coming out with what seems to be some supernatural occurrences/entities. It proceeds deeper into the rabbit hole of twisting confusion of what/who is truly real/alive and what who is demonic/spiritual or is the main character having a psychotic break. Towards the end there seems to be some clarification on what is real, while leaving a lot of unanswered questions about the past and then it tries for another twist.

It tries to do too much at once and seems to fail to truly accomplish anything in the end.

Hey, isn't it Kevin ... but older ... and more confused !??

[peterp-450-298716 · 7/10 · 26 March 2018]

"There's nothing to do or say. Um... we live, we drive, we crash, we die. Had to happen sometime."

Coincidentally, I have just seen "Marrowbone". A film about someone who has difficulties in processing the loss of a loved one. And when I was about halfway with "Jack goes home", I realized that I was watching a similar story. And it might be that the ultimate outcome is identical. I wasn't far wrong. And to be honest, I thought this intriguing film slightly better than the previous one. And this only because of the brilliant acting of Rory Culkin. A portrait about how madness takes over someones personality.

I hadn't seen the name of the actor who's playing the leading role. So I was wondering for a long time where I had seen that face before. And when I finally found out his name was Culkin, it hit me. Damn, he looks a lot like his brother who made a couple of burglars their lifes a hell in "Home Alone". But I must confess that his acting performance surpassed everything that his famous brother Macaulay ever did. As Jack, Rory displays a whole range of feelings and moods. From pride to indifferent. From sadness to calmth. One moment he tries to unravel an old family secret. The next moment he flees into a daze of alcohol and drugs. He even experienced homosexual delusions. And all this after he was forced to return to his parental home because his father died in a car accident.

It's clear from the start that something isn't right. That indifference with which Jack tells his pregnant wife that his father died. Even though his father apparently was pretty important to him. The way in which he tells in detail about his beheaded father, is strange and frightening. On the other hand though it's strangely enough also funny in a certain way. The behavior of his mother Teresa (Lin Shaye) is also strange. Perhaps the traumatic effect after the accident? After her outburst during dinner about whether she should or should not mourn about the loss of her husband, you start to think she's relieved about that loss. Are those dark family secrets real? It results in a complex mother-son relationship which escalates as the film progresses.

"Jack goes home" is such a movie that makes you feel uncomfortable. Despite the total lack of bloody or frightening images (even with a creepy attic in the house), there's this constant feeling of tension. The psychological chaos is a constant in this film. "Jack goes home" balances between a ghost story and a psychological family drama. Jack is involved in a battle with his personal demons and seems to be gradually losing his grip on reality. And even though the characters are of such a nature that there is always the danger of relapsing in overacting, the main actors ensure that they do not fall into that trap. It feels like I'm repeating myself, but the acting of Rory Culkin is fascinating. For me this movie is worthy a watch. In other words, a must see. And if you get the chance to see it, let me know if I'm totally wrong!

It's okay

[serpentjane · 5/10 · 10 April 2020]

I'm not sure what the story was going for. Was it a psychological thriller? A horror movie? very strange. i like Rory Culkin, and he and Lin Shaye - who i adore - did the best they could with what they had. My recommendation is to see it for yourself, but if you don't, it would be no great loss.

Who are you? What am I?

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 18 September 2017]

Jack (Rory Culkin) writes for a magazine in L.A. He is a wordsmith, but doesn't interact normally, but is functional. Hearing that his father has passed in an accident, Jack goes home to help his mother (Lin Shaye) who has her own issues. Jack sleep walks, hallucinates, enjoys substance abuse, and has a secret in the attic. The ending has a twist which I should have seen coming.

Be careful what you read, as the twist makes the film and can easily ruin it. The plot spoilers are out there. The film is a psychological thriller, as we unlock the secrets in the attic with Jack. During the film, there is a house close next door that can be seen from Jack's window. At the end they show an aerial view of the house, which clearly doesn't have any house that close. I liked the performances and dialogue is spite of some formula writing.

Guide: F-word. MM sex. No nudity

Complete Waste of My Time

[samjaminc · 1/10 · 15 November 2016]

I believe this could have been a good movie - IF the writer finished the story BEFORE he filmed it. The cinematography, the location and the actual idea - was fantastic. The actor who played Jack was monotone at best. I could not believe any emotions he was trying to portray, and trust me...I sincerely tried. I feel like the story is incomplete, several parts were completely wasted and could have been nurtured into a real movie. But sometimes you have to see to believe - if you are sick and need to rest and get some sleep, please feel free to watch.....And because I have to write a minimum of 10 lines.....Go get something for the headache you will have, grab some popcorn and a drink - and be prepared to be disappointed

A Harrowing Psychological Trip...

[anrfreelance · 9/10 · 15 March 2016]

While "Jack Goes Home" may be the first major directorial debut of actor/composer Thomas Dekker, it reads light years from any 'novice' effort on his behalf. The script itself, also written by Dekker, is a harrowing tale of a young magazine editor who finds out that his beloved father has died in a car accident back in his hometown and he must return to set his affairs in order. Along the way, accompanied by his jaded and nihilistic best friend (Daveigh Chase), he begins to unravel some very unsettling family secrets and long-buried skeletons in the old homestead.

It's hard to describe the film or give an accurate synopsis because the twists and turns unfold slowly and with such intensity that it would be a crime to deprive the readers of their own journey. Rory Culkin is absolutely magnetic as Jack and it is impossible to look away from him on screen. He is matched by veteran actress Lin Shaye, who takes a sharp divergence from her recent 'Insidious' roles to play Jack's unstable, emotionally- manipulative and completely jaw-dropping inappropriate mother. The supporting performances by Daveigh Chase and Louis Hunter are equally charismatic and effective; Hunter plays the depraved boy-next-door neighbor. With brief roles from Britt Roberson as Jack's fiancée and Nikki Reed as Chase's girlfriend, the cast stays small and intimate, adding to the claustrophobic and smothering emotional tone of the film.

The film is shot beautifully, with stunning visuals. And it has several creepy and startling moments, as well as a few genuinely unsettling scares. Most of the horror, however, isn't of the breed one finds in a traditional scary movie. Instead, the horror of "Jack" comes from within; it's in the nightmarish unraveling of a family unit, the internal and external pressures that are putting cracks in Jack's sanity as the film progresses, and the reveals that challenge everything Jack once held dear.

The movie is a deeply personal vehicle for Dekker, who suffered childhood abuse as well as lost his beloved father a few years ago, so the moments of emotional truth in the film ring clear as a bell and honest in what could easily be lost to pretense or false sympathies. One can feel the pain of Dekker's loss channeled so beautifully through Culkin and can't look away, a slow-motion autopsy of a grieving soul.

All in all, a strong narrative film with bold, unconventional choices and unrelentingly powerful performances from its small indie cast. Highly recommended to those who like psychological drama and horror films that aren't afraid to show their heart instead of gratuitous gore and jump scares.

A dark train ride into the darkest corner of our minds...

[wildsparrow16 · 6/10 · 13 November 2016]

There is a list published of the events that cause the most stress and trauma in the human experience. The #1 "event" listed is death of a spouse. Surprisingly, losing a parent is not that high up on the list,although many of us would beg to differ. There are many events not included in the list. Culkin is phenomenal as the snotty hipster turned severely emotionally damaged as he delves into secrets long left behind in his old childhood home that he revisits. I mean, he really was incredible. The mother play equally well, as the Mother From Hell (my words) who has occasional slips of the tongue where you think she may actually be normal. She is not. No one in this movie is normal - no one. Everyone is broken in some way. This movie is incredibly dark - it really was too dark for me, but I can't fault it for that - it did keep my interest and the acting was superb. It did leave me feeling unsettled - I won't soon forget this movie. But I wish I could. Make of that what you will. I do question the retention of memories of trauma, but I am not a mental health professional. However, I obliged for purposes of watching this movie. Oh - and yes, it is a creepy movie. There are fine lines between what a tormented mind can come up with, what really happened and what is happening in the world beyond us. I found this movie had elements of Sybil, Flowers in the Attic and The Changling (the old one with George C. Scott, not the Jolie one which is a different movie of the same name).

I actually feel dumber after watching this movie

[kamikazesquirrel · 1/10 · 6 November 2016]

This movie's script would of been put to better use as toilet paper and left with the other excrement. If your going to attempt to make a "psychological" thriller at least take a gosh darn psychology course for a day. As for horror the only thing scary about this p.o.s. is the possibility of the writer/director making more movies. If anyone working on this film had any actual real life experiences outside of smelling of their own farts we could of had a semi descent watchable movie, but alas we have this instead. People Do NOT forget traumatic experiences, they are burned into your very soul, when your whole life is based on one you ooze it out of your every pore.

Brutal dog death

[GrayedMan · 1/10 · 14 May 2019]

Small cute dog brutally murdered and then graphically shown being carried around. Forget the fact that the ending doesn't work, or the plot holes, or all the unresolved questions. Killing the dog did nothing to further the plot, or explain anything. There was no reason for it. That speaks volumes about the writer and director.

Hallucinogenic mess of a film.

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 3/10 · 21 December 2020]

Largely unpleasant film that calls the main character's perception into question. Muddled story with quirky unpleasant characters that tries to gain something through the story, but it simply leads to selfishness, drugs, trauma, and then goes nowhere. Tries for something greater than it is and fails ultimately. Acting is either superb or bizarre depending upon the actor or your personal tastes. Intriguing but hopeless.

Very Strange, Very Slow and Very Boring.

[dfa120374 · 4/10 · 26 April 2020]

I can imagine that some people will say "You didn't like it because you just didn't get it." to those of us who don't rate this film very highly. Well, that will be pretty hard because there is nothing to get (apart from maybe an overwhelming urge to commit psychological suicide). Right from the outset, you knew this was going to be a very strange, slow-going type of film with subtle nuances, which is not a bad thing. When it's done well. This, however, wasn't. I'm actually struggling to find words to put into this review, which is not unlike how I felt after watching the film. It's like you know you didn't like it but you can't put into words as to why. Part of the reasoning for that could be it wasn't the kind of film I was expecting. I guess I was expecting an intriguing psychological thriller with a bit of creep factor added, but I got none of that (or hardly any at least). The only real saving grace was the nice wee twist at the end, but this was in no way enough to save the movie itself. It was just the best bit of an otherwise boring piece of drudgery, and it's a shame to see Lin Shaye in such a disappointing movie as her talents deserved more. I guess if you like strange, "hidden meaning" type of films then this could very well be up your alley, but just be prepared for possible disappointment. I was.

When I'm sorry is not enough

[lmaples-95240 · 7/10 · 7 July 2021]

This movie expounds upon the insincerity of "I'm sorry", "let me know if there is anything I can do", or "sorry for your loss." When people are really hurting and we don't know what to do for them, just speaking these cliches can cut even deeper. A wake up call for how we treat the grieving. Jack responded positively to the woman who mentioned God. He needed real help, not just words.

Missed opportunity, too much boring stuff.

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 17 November 2020]

It's a long time to wait until something significant happens in Jack Goes Home. The major part of the movie it's just boring conversations about futile things, not immediately the kind of stuff that make it an interesting story. The part where it gets interesting is towards the end but by then it's already too late to save this movie. Disappointing ending as well which didn't help either. The acting was decent though, so you can't blame the cast for making Jack Goes Home ultimately a movie I wished I didn't waste my time on. It could have been much better so missed opportunity here.

Poor connection between characters

[Gordon-11 · 19 January 2017]

This film tells the story of a young man who receives a phone call to inform him that his father died in a car accident, when his mother was at the wheels. He goes home, discovers strange happenings at present concerning his mother and the house. To compound with the grief, he discovers evidence of his secret traumatic past that he has no memory about.

"Jack Goes Home" may sound interesting on paper, but I think it does not work for me. I think that the film cannot decide whether it is a drama or a horror story. There are many things that are touched on briefly but not explored, such as Jack sleepwalking or windows in the lounge breaking. It show a collage of scenes that basically tells how weird the mother and Jack both are. It is not scary, it is just a freak show of two weirdos who are weird in their own ways, with hardly any connection with each other. Actually, the characters all seem to be drowning in their own world, and have poor connection with each other. Even the neighbour Duncan, who tries to seduce Jack, has a poor connection with Jack because Jack looks like he is in another world. I find "Jack Goes Home" quite a disappointment.

Colorado?!

[briivanity · 6/10 · 4 June 2022]

I'm not sure why everything says "Colorado" when in the movie the cop says he's calling from the Hudson Valley PD (just outside of NYC) and that his parents were returning either to or from (can't remember which) "the city" which refers to NYC, most of the time anyway. Plus everything was filmed in Kingston NY, which is in...the Hudson Valley.

Good Psycho thriller

[cjstanford-65097 · 5/10 · 12 August 2022]

Kept me interest and mostly entertained. Acting was excellent. Has very effective twist that I didn't see coming, and I usually do. The characters are fairly unique, but also believable. Definitely go my money's worth on Pluto.

brilliance

[chicagovesuvi · 10/10 · 14 October 2016]

I give kudos to Thomas Dekker for writing and directing a layered psychological drama (with horror elements) that I found utterly compelling. I'm so grateful that I took a chance on it... because I hadn't read or heard anything about it. I just recognized some of the names on the cast/crew list... and now, in the afterglow, I feel like I won a cinematic jackpot.

Rory Culkin, Lin Shaye and Britt Robertson all had Oscar-worthy moments in the clarity of their emotional expressions. I must also give mention to Daveigh Chase and Louis Hunter who did fine jobs as well.

This movie won't be for everyone, unfortunately. But I think people who appreciate good, methodical, dramatic storytelling (and those who understand how torment can warp the psyche) should find this flick an immensely satisfying piece of art.

Rated this film a 1 because minus digits weren't available.

[awhiteford · 1/10 · 17 October 2016]

I thought this was the worst film i have ever seen.. so much so that i actually made an IMDb account just to warn other viewers not to waste their time.

This film is disturbing and left me feeling traumatized,i mean i'm into gruesome,chilling films but this was just awful.

If you are thinking about watching this film i would urge you not to as you will have wasted your time.

I would honestly rather stick a fork in my eye than be subjected to watching this film again.

Overall a horrendous film.

This could have been a good film.

[astaknut · 5/10 · 15 January 2017]

The film centers around Jacob, who is weird and defensive and maybe a jerk or maybe a misunderstood, damaged soul. Jacob's girlfriend is pregnant and then he gets a call that his father has died in an accident. So Jacob goes home. Rory Culkin as Jacob is in almost every scene and that's a good thing. Even though this film was disturbing and ultimately disappointing, I watched all of it. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what the hell was going on. Which is part of this movie's problem: too much was going on. Had the story been stripped to its bones and had the film been cut back in length, it would've been better. As it is, it's atmospheric but frustrating and messy. It's beautifully shot and Rory Culkin was pretty amazing. I read another review saying he was basically a block of ice but I completely disagree. The leads (especially Culkin) made what otherwise would've been crappy dialogue sound natural and all round I thought the cast was decent to very good. What I don't get is why anyone would hire Natasha Lyonne or Nikki Reed to then only give them one short scene. Makes me suspect scenes were cut and somebody hadn't figured out beforehand what do storywise.

Not quite a horror movie

[jfost75 · 5/10 · 22 June 2020]

I am a big horror/suspense fan, saying that, this movie was definitely more suspense than horror. Caulkin plays a 20 something expectant father who returns home after learning of his fathers death in an auto accident. Clearly there is a complex relationship between Jack snd his surviving mother. The plot also throws in a gay neighbor who seems determined to have sex with Jack, a pregnant girlfriend who never actually appears in the movie except for via video chat before randomly losing the baby (no explanation as to why as this was unnecessary for the plot) and Jacks lesbian best friend who also serves no purpose to the plot. The acting was good and Culkin does a great job playing an intelligent but twisted and tortured character, however the entire plot seemed irrelevant. Almost immediately, Jack discovers some audio tapes left by his father that direct him to the attic, whereupon he discovers evidence that he 1. Had a twin brother and 2. Was sexually abused as a child by his babysitter. Eventually we learn that his twin was murdered by the father, suggesting that his father suffered from severe mental illness. In the end, after jack attempts to murder his mother, we learn that BOTH jacks parents had died in the accident and (apparently) Jack was suffering from a breakdown as he was unable to process the loss of both parents at once. The acting was good, but the plot felt almost entirely unnecessary. It was worth a watch but if youve read this you already know all the major twists, so its probably going to bore you.