Dream Home

You are working three jobs. You are not out boozing with your pals. You are saving every last red cent, but your Dream Home is still out of your reach? What's a girl to do? Come on, we are in a Hong Kong horror movie, what's a girl to do? Go on a killing spree in the neighbouring apartments to give the building a bad reputation and drive down the price, of course.

The back story of Li-sheung's life is simple, the premise is simpler. But how well equipped is a tele-sales girl for a killing spree? Actually she proves so adept at it you might want to reconsider that rude retort the next time you are rung up by someone trying to sell you something.

The film is very stylishly shot with three parallel timelines that director generally leaves up to us to marry up and sort out. There are the flashbacks to Li-sheung's childhood when she see violence being used to clear people out of buildings developers want demolish. There is the present day story of Li-sheung working, begging for loans and negotiating with the real estate agent. In parallel for these is the killing spree itself, which all happens on one night.

There is an element of social satire at work here but ultimately this is a slasher horror movie in which every victim is killed in a different (and sometime inventive) way. Unlike many such killers Li-sheung (played by the cute Josie Ho) is not omnipotent. Like her victims she is physically vulnerable. She mostly relies on the element of surprise and her ruthlessness. There is plenty of gore and unpleasantness to make you squirm and in the druggie flat there is some humour and nudity.

Review on MTV IGGY with trailer.
Time Out Hong Kong interview with Josie Ho.
Twitch interview with Josie Ho.


Ian's rating 3.5/5