Movies

Lock It Down: 5 Horror Films That Are Stuck Under House Arrest

Published

5 years ago

April 7, 2021

It’s been… *checks watch* just over a year since COVID-19 started, and the world has been put on a long-term time out. I was thinking of what kind of list I could create to commemorate such an occasion, and it seemed only appropriate to focus on horror films in which the subjects just can’t leave the house.

In many, many horror films, we often find ourselves perplexed by the subject’s inability to wisen up and just get out of the damn house. “Why don’t they just leave?”, we wonder (while secretly glad they don’t… it would be a very short and boring movie, otherwise). Well in these films, they actually can’t leave. Whether they’re put on house arrest or held for the sake of their own safety (supposedly), these protagonists are simply stuck.

100 Feet (2008)

House Arrest Horror

After spending 7 years in prison for killing her abusive husband (in self defense), Marnie (Famke Janssen) is fitted with an ankle bracelet and held under house arrest for 6 months. She’s bored and lonely, but not alone — the spirit of her horrible husband is trapped in the house with her, and he’s pretty angry about the whole murder thing. As far as ghosts go, he’s rather hands-on, and Marnie is soon desperate to expel the spirit so she can serve her time in peace.

Full disclosure, the ghost effects are… not great. But the whole “you’re literally trapped in here with a very angry and motivated ghost with a score to settle” concept is a good one. And the early scenes of Marnie trying to find something to do in the house (pre-internet, poor thing) are pretty relatable.

Where to watch: Unavailable streaming

Housebound (2014)

House Arrest Horror

This New Zealand horror-comedy follows a troubled young woman named Kylie (Morgana O’Reilly) who is sentenced to 8 months under house arrest after she tries (and fails) to rob an ATM. But to add insult to her ego’s injury, she’s placed at her childhood home under the care of her eccentric mother, Miriam (Rima Te Wiata). Miriam is convinced the house is haunted, and as a reluctant Kylie learns more of the house’s secrets, she finds it harder to be a skeptic. But! It’s complicated.

This is really just a great film to check out for yourself. It’s the feature film debut for Gerard Johnstone, and he knocks it out of the park with a horror-comedy that works both angles well. Housebound has a lot of heart, particularly in the way it communicates Kylie’s challenging relationship with her mother and stepfather. You feel Kylie’s complex shifting attitudes towards her mother — annoyance and guilt, pity and frustration — and exactly how they affect Miriam, thanks to a masterful performance by Te Wiata.

Housebound has been highly praised by critics and fans alike, and took home the awards for Best Horror Film, Best Comedy Film, and Best Ensemble Cast at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival (one of my favorite fests).

Where to watch: Hoopla, Tubi

Intruders (aka Shut In, 2015)

Agoraphobic Anna (Beth Riesgraf) has not left her house in the 10 years since her father’s death. When a group of thieves break in to steal her hidden fortune (making the unfortunately inaccurate assumption that she’d not be home), Anna — unable to leave to seek help — is forced to take matters into her own hands.

Intruders is an interesting take on house arrest horror because the only thing keeping Anna trapped inside the house is herself. There’s no legal pressure. A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave areas that they consider to be safe, but with the security of her refuge compromised, Anna is confronted with a terrifying reality. Whenever she does try to leave, she’s overcome with a crippling panic attack that drives her back inside with such intensity that she physically can’t overcome it, even with the knowledge that she’s in grave danger.

One of the things that I love about Intruders is how it flips the script on the intruders. There’s a great moment when Anna turns the tide on their sorry asses that brought a cheer from the audience when I first saw the film at the Toronto After Dark Film Fest. The third act isn’t as strong, but it’s still a worthwhile watch.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Tubi

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

A spiritual successor to Cloverfield, the found footage hit, 10 Cloverfield Lane switches to a third-person narrative with a phenomenal (yet small) cast. In the film, two strangers — Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Emmett (John Gallagher Jr) — are brought to the underground bunker of a quiet yet imposing man named Howard (John Goodman, who is absolutely terrifying in this role). It seems that there has been some sort of attack and the air has been poisoned, and so the surprisingly homey bunker is their only safe haven. They are to be locked inside for at least a year, but Michelle begins to wonder about the legitimacy of Howard’s claims.

While they’re not exactly under house arrest, they are locked inside this underground “home” for a set amount of time, with no contact with the outside world. They’ve been told that they can’t leave — as much as they may want to. As with most other house arrest horror, there’s a montage of the ways they find to kill time, which — after this past year of isolated quarantine — feels all too familiar.

10 Cloverfield Lane is a bit of an unconventional addition to this list, but I feel it fits the theme.

Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube

Rear Window (1954)

House Arrest Horror

Widely considered to be one of Hitchcock’s best films, Rear Window is the classic tale of a housebound photographer turned armchair (wheelchair) detective. When L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies breaks his leg during a photography assignment, he’s stuck in his apartment, confined to his wheelchair and watching the neighbors through his window to kill his abundance of time. He gets wrapped up in the lives, loves, and losses of his fellow complex-dwellers, but in his near constant observance of their daily activities, he notices strange behavior from the man across the way that leads him to believe the man has killed his wife.

Come for the murder and study in voyeurism, stay for the gorgeous long shots that pan across the complex, focusing on each apartment and the rich lives that unfold within. It’s really a beautifully shot film, with a delightful romantic development between Jeff and his girlfriend Lisa (who he was initially going to dump because he thought she’d never be able to keep up with his rough-and-ready lifestyle).

It’s definitely more of a thriller, but to see how the concept can be given a more horror-friendly turn, check out Disturbia (2007). It’s really just a modern retelling of the Rear Window story, but with a serial killer neighbor and teen who’s stuck inside thanks to an ankle monitor that he earned by punching his teacher.

Where to watch: Rent on AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube
Where to watch Disturbia: Rent on AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube

Honorable Mention: Delirium (2018)

House Arrest Horror

Tom (Topher Grace) is released from a mental institution and placed under house arrest for 30 days, with the caveat that if he has any trouble, he will be returned to the institution. Tom has inherited his father’s mansion (note that his father committed suicide 5 days prior to Tom’s release) and will be staying alone in the house, with his parole officer sent to check up on him every now and then. He suffers from hallucinations and struggles to maintain a grip on reality, receiving garbled phone calls and seeing visions of his deceased father. The situation, predictably, escalates.

Ok, I’ll be honest, Delirium isn’t a great film. The script is awkward, the plot is predictable, and it really overextends the logic of the situation (you’re telling me that after 20 years in a mental institution, they leave the guy alone, in a house, with no guidance or ability to care for himself, and just say “you’ll be free if you can handle this for 30 days”? No). But! It fits the theme, so, here it be.

Where to watch: Netflix

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Movies

5 Horror & Thriller Films Premiering at Cannes 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2026

Kirsten Saylor

The Cannes Film Festival is widely considered the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held annually in Cannes since its founding in 1946, the invitation-only event showcases new films from across the globe, spanning every genre from auteur-driven dramas to boundary-pushing horror. Taking place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes remains one of the “Big Three” European festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival, as well as part of the global “Big Five,” which also includes Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.

The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival runs from May 12-23, 2026, with Park Chan-wook (director of Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016), and No Other Choice (2025)) serving as jury president. French-Malian actress Eye Haїdara will host the opening and closing ceremonies. At the same time, honorary Palme d’Or awards will be presented to Peter Jackson (director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Barbra Streisand. The festival opens with The Electric Kiss, directed by Pierre Salvadori.

But now let’s get to the really good stuff.

Among the lineup this year are several genre entries that should have horror and thriller fans paying very close attention for their theater releases which will be later in the year. Here are five films I’m especially excited about, all of which are premiering at Cannes 2026.

Hope (Korean: 호프)

Directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), Hope looks like one of the most intriguing genre entries in competition for the Palme d’Or.

Set in a remote village near the Korean Demilitiarized Zone (DMZ), the film’s premise appears, at first, to be a contained crisis: a tiger sighting that throws the community into worried chaos. But as the situation escalates, something far more sinister begins to emerge, forcing residents to confront a terrifying unknown.

With a stacked international cast including Hwang Jung-min (Veteran, New World, I, the Executioner), Zo In-sung (A Frozen Flower, The King, It’s Okay, That’s Love), Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game, Disclaimer),Taylor Russell (Bones and All, Waves), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), and Michael Fassbender (Shame, Prometheus, X-Men: First Class), this one feels like it could be a major crossover hit.

Her Private Hell

From Nicholas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) comes a surreal, neon-drenched nightmare that feels perfectly at home within his filmography.

A mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic city, unleashing a deadly and elusive force. At the center is a young woman searching for her father, whose path collides with an American soldier on a desperate mission of his own: rescue his daughter from Hell.

Starring Sophie Thatcher (Companion, Heretic, Prospect), Charles Melton (May December, Warfare, Riverdale), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms, No Exit, Bleu de Chanel), Diego Calva (Babylon, The Night Manager, On Swift Horses — seriously, I’m so excited to see him in new work!) and more, this out-of-competition premiere could end up being one of the most talked about, and hopefully one of my personal favorites.

Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images – © 2025 Stephane Cardinale – Corbis

Karma

Directed by Guillaume Canet (Tell No One), Karma is a French psychological thriller that leans into moral ambiguity.

The story follows Jeanne, a woman attempting to rebuild her life in Spain while hiding a troubled past. When her young godson disappears, suspicion quickly falls on her, forcing her to flee to a religious community she once escaped. As her partner searches for the truth, the narrative spirals into a tense mystery.

Led by Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose, Inception, Rust and Bone), who always delivers an outstanding performance, Karma appears to be a slow-burn kind of thriller that will really keep audiences captivated.

Colony (Korean: 군체)

Zombie maestro Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) returns with Colony, a claustrophobic kind of outbreak thriller premiering in the midnight section at Cannes.

Set inside a sealed biotech facility, the film follows survivors trapped during a rapidly mutating viral outbreak. As the infected evolve in unpredictable ways, tensions inside the quarantine zone rise just as quickly as the body count.

This zombie film stars Jun Ji-hyun (Assassination) and Koo Kyo-hwan (Peninsula), and paired Yeon Sang-ho, I’m hoping we get a really great zombie thriller to add to the arsenal.

Photo by Ryan Plummer/Ryan Plummer – © 2026

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Yes, the title alone already earns a spot on this list.

Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), this meta-slasher follows a queer filmmaker hired to direct a reboot of a long-running horror franchise. Her fixation on the film’s reclusive “final girl” actress leads both women into an increasingly surreal and psychosexual spiral.

Starring Hannah Einbinder (Hacks, Seekers of Infinite Love) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall, Hannibal), this Un Certain Regard entry sounds as though it might be one of the boldest, and strangest, films of the entire festival.

While Cannes isn’t traditionally known for its horror under any circumstances, this year’s lineup continues to show that bold, genre-bending storytelling absolutely has a place on the Croisette.

iHorror will keep you updated on these films’ theatrical and/or streaming releases!

Movies

Which Poster Did It Better?

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2026

Timothy Rawles

We have a fun question for you: Who did it better?

Did you ever notice how similar the 1992 poster for Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive is to Wes Craven’s Scream that came out in 1996? They aren’t identical, but they could be considered spiritual sisters.

Not much is known about the Dead Alive poster. It appears to have its lead actress, Diana Peñalver, front and center with eyes wide open and mouth agape. It was a shocking image for a one-sheet at the time, but it was fitting for the film, which used over 300 liters of fake blood in the final scene.

Dead Alive was also controversial. In the UK and Australia, it was shown in its entire 104-minute run. But it had to be cut down to 94 minutes when it hit the German and American markets. Originally titled Braindead, it was renamed Dead Alive in those countries.

As for the Scream poster, we know it’s Drew Barrymore‘s face; she also has her mouth agape and her eyes wide open like Peñalver‘s.

In a classic on-theme misdirect, Barrymore appears to have a major role in Scream, given how prominent she is in the poster. In reality, she is only onscreen for 13 minutes.

Scream’s photo was taken by an unknown photographer. It doesn’t capture Dead Alive’s comedy element, but Scream wasn’t exactly a straight comedy. Its humor was more in the meta references.

Movies

‘Axes and Os’ Is Now Streaming — A Fresh Valentine Slasher With a Savage Creature Feature Twist

Published

2 months ago

February 13, 2026

Vivian Thorne

It’s happening.

Indie horror fans have a new killer obsession—Axes and Os, the wildly original Valentine-themed slasher that blends classic stalk-and-slash thrills with a monstrous creature-feature surprise. The film is now streaming and delivering blood, laughs, and a brutal new horror icon.

Love Hurts — Literally

Set during a chaotic Galentine’s getaway, Axes and Os follows four young women who escape to a quiet small town for a weekend of romance, friendship, and fun—only to find themselves hunted by the legendary Valentine’s Day Ax Killer, Luther Dremel.

Axes and Os

But this isn’t just another masked slasher story. When one of the girls undergoes a shocking transformation, the hunted becomes the hunter, and a brutal showdown erupts that turns the holiday of love into a full-on survival nightmare—a literal fight to the death.

A Cast Packed With Genre Favorites and Rising Stars

Axes and Os features horror icon Jamie Bernadette alongside rising star Cass Huckabay, who won two Best Actress awards during the film’s festival run. Madison M. Bowman and Sara Wimmer round out the ensemble, delivering both laughs and scares designed to appeal to a wide range of genre fans. Brandon Krum brings terrifying intensity as the relentless Axeman, Luther Dremel.

IMAGE: Jamie Bernadette as Abby in Axes and Os.

A Fresh Spin on Slasher Tradition

While Axes and Os pays tribute to classic slashers, it flips the formula with a creature-feature twist that sets it apart from typical holiday horror fare. Think traditional masked killer meets monstrous transformation—romance colliding with rage, friendship colliding with fear. The film blends humor, gore, and heart, striking a tone somewhere between Ready or Not, The Final Girls, and classic ’80s slashers—while still delivering modern indie edge.

IMAGE: Madison M. Bowman as Olivia, in Axes and Os.

A Festival Darling With 11 Award Wins

During its festival run, Axes and Os quickly became a standout on the indie horror circuit, bringing home 11 awards, including six Best Feature Film wins, three Best Director awards, and two Best Actress awards for Cass Huckabay. Notable wins include The Freak Show horror film festival, Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival, and the Nashville horror film festival.

IMAGE: LtoR. Producer Joe O’Connor, Actress Cass Huckabay, writer/director

The film’s mix of genre-bending horror, strong performances, and crowd-pleasing tone earned praise from festival juries and audiences alike, helping build early buzz ahead of its streaming release.

Why Horror Fans Should Care

Holiday slashers are having a moment again, but Axes and Os brings something rare: a true genre mashup with a female-driven cast, festival pedigree, and a killer premise that doesn’t play it safe.

With festival awards, strong early audience reactions, and a bold creature-driven finale, Axes and Os is poised to become a cult favorite for Valentine’s Day horror marathons.

Now Streaming

Axes and Os is now available to stream on Prime Video and Screamify

Love is in the air. So is the blood.

Four females on a Galentine’s weekend are hunted by legendary ax murderer LutherDremel, until one female turns out to be something otherworldly and battles the iconic axeman.

[This is a sponsored article]