Hostage

A nice house on the outside equals a nice house on the inside, right?  Maybe not.

Hostage, directed by newcomer Eddie Augustin, has all the right makings for a cult following to grow in the months to follow its debut.  Tightly-made and solid in its handling of edge-of-your-seat thrills and spills, Hostage is not afraid to lead its audience straight into the dead of night on the chilliest night of winter as its mysteries unravel themselves at our feet.

"works on many levels as it twists its steely knife into the characters, their backs, and their loyalties"


From the rule of not wearing sneakers in the house to its Christmas Eve trimmings, Hostage is ready to deliver the Holiday goods with its character-driven crime thriller leanings.  It’s a home invasion gone wrong and I am here for it.

Co-written by Augustin and Laura Poliasena, Hostage is a dark and demanding story about a robbery gone wrong as one man gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to rob a house of its holiday cheer.  Quite simply, Mark, a down on his luck ruffian, has chosen poorly when it comes to homes to steal from.  He wants an easy ride to soften up his harder edges, but fate has other plans when Ashley, the daughter of the family that lives in the house he’s chosen to rob, takes him hostage.  Soon enough, he’s being grilled by her father who just wants some time to get to know this would be robber and, possibly, rapist.

And that’s just the warm-up in this guns a blazing home invasion story.

Hostage is full-on killer crazy fun as tables and expectations are turned while brutal secrets - long thought lost and abandoned - are revealed.  Ultimately, this is a thriller about choosing sides as an adopted cheerleader must decide between the past or the future in this yuletide bloodbath.  You see, she might have captured a home invasion loser, but the real threat might just be her adopted parents who - without batting an eye - don’t hesitate in showing just what it is that they can do when pushed to the edge.

After all, they’ve done it before.Hostage

Starring Nicole Hendersen, Mike Cannz, Daryl Marks, Tina Trineer, Hostage works on many levels as it twists its steely knife into the characters, their backs, and their loyalties.  It is grisly in that grindhouse way as characters are twisted and paraded around thanks to a cast who is all about capturing their essence.  Ultimately, the film works to create an atmosphere that is endlessly shocking thanks to its tight quarters and its “out there” characters.

Hostage is brutality on a low budget.  It has its fair share of twists and turns, and as almost everyone has a dark side in this suspenseful movie, the audience is never sure who exactly to root for.  It makes for some sparkling debate as the movie goes on and, as it ends on a rather shocking note, Hostage makes for an solid indie thriller thanks to an engaged cast and an active camera which showcases the set design and the characters within its haunted halls.

Hostage debuts from Terror Films on August 20.

3/5 stars

Film Details

Hostage

MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Eddie Augustin
Writer:
Laura Ashley Polisena; Eddie Augustin
Cast:
Nicole Henderson; Simon Pelletier; Daryl Marks
Genre
: Horror | Thriller
Tagline:
Some family secrets are deadly.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
Terror Films
Official Site:
Release Date:
August 20, 2021
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: From writers Laura Ashley Polisena and Eddie Augustin (also director), the film follows young cheerleader Ashley, who was adopted by her parent’s killers. Years later, during a home robbery, her crazed family reveal what they are really capable of and Ashley must decide who’s side she is on.

Art

Hostage