Nazis, Cheap Thrills, And Big Bad Wolves: The 13 Best Horror Movies Of 2014

8) Housebound

Horror movies are often the biggest offenders of terrible storyboarding when done wrong, but Housebound is a rare case when a writer discovers one unique gimmick that ties everything together – and it works. In the case of Gerard Johnstone’s New Zealand horror comedy, the filmmaker realized characters have no reason to stay inside a haunted house without sound reasoning, which is why he places his main character under house arrest. It’s easy to write-off stupid genre characters who refuse to leave a house that’s obviously haunted, yet when someone is chained there by an ankle bracelet, the story somehow comes together with a respectable intelligence – and PLENTY of humor.

Morgana O’Reilly plays a clumsy robber who hilariously gets caught mid-crime, forced to live at home with her parents, and she does a phenomenal job carrying this funky genre laugh-fest. There’s a security guard moonlighting as a ghost hunter, spooky suburban settings, and a perfect tonal balance of guffaws that leaves audiences in hysterics while O’Reilly fights her childhood demons. Housebound is a labor of love, and Johnstone’s patience ensures quality in every scene.