The Home (2025) is directed by James DeMonaco, who wrote the script alongside Adam Cantor. It stars Pete Davidson, Bruce Altman, John Glover, Mary Beth Peil, Mugga, Adam Cantor, Denise Burse, Stuart Rudin, Ethan Phillips, Nathalie Schmidt, Victor Williams, Marilee Talkington, Jessica Hecht, Cali DeMonaco, and Linder Sutton. The film follows Max (Davidson), a troubled young man who’s sentenced to work at a run-down nursing home after he’s arrested for breaking & entering. Still coming to terms with the mysterious death of his beloved older brother years prior, Max struggles to connect with the residents. Just as his situation starts to improve, he begins to notice strange behavior from not only the residents but also the staff. When it becomes clear that his life is in some kind of danger, Max sets out to uncover the truth of his new workplace before it’s too late.

Pete Davidson, in the lead role, does his typical Pete Davidson thing, which is to act like a moody teenager who’s occasionally sweet.  Honestly, his performance was generally better than I expected, but when the climax arrives, the character begins to act in ways that seem comically ill-suited for Davidson. The character is also, in general, kind of an asshole to the residents, even when they’re being genuinely kind. This would’ve been fine, considering that his distrust is eventually justified, but as strange behaviors from the residents start to occur more frequently, he oddly chooses to be more vulnerable. So he’s supposed to be distrusting and is, but as soon as he’s given viable reasons to distrust someone, he opens up on a deep personal level? It doesn’t make any sense. There’s demonically weird shit happening left and right from the moment he arrives. Still, for some reason, the only thing that seems to concern him is having to clean up the occasional fecal-related accident. Even when he does decide to alert those around him, he kinda just casually asks if they “heard all the screaming last night?” For Pete’s sake (literally), the screaming is the least strange thing he encounters up to that point. What about all the residents randomly bleeding from their heads and eyes in demonic ways?? 

The film is a hodgepodge of both the horror genre’s darkest and cheesiest tendencies. For example, it features a goofy, turn-of-the-century computer program that aids Mitch at specific points, a dated score that closely resembles something you’d hear in Goosebumps (1995-1998), and performers who chew the scenery to an almost comical extent. On the other hand, the film features some surprisingly shocking horror imagery, some fun story surprises, and a dynamite climax. This mix of elements doesn’t exactly gel, but it is interesting. 

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyably stupid, B-horror romp that consistently finds ways to be entertaining, despite its poor quality. It’s essentially the less intellectual, more messed-up version of The Rule of Jenny Pen, from earlier this year. Davidson once again fails to prove himself as an actor who deserves to lead as many films as he does. I can’t recommend the film to anyone who doesn’t enjoy somewhat low-brow scares, but for those who do, you’re likely to have a decent time if you don’t hate Pete Davidson. There are numerous fun elements here, and although a handful are lazily executed, they elevate the film just above forgettable. C+