🛣️ Some journeys don’t lead you home… they lead you to hell.

Genre: Thriller | Drama | Horror
📅 Release Date: 2021
🎥 Director: James Ashcroft
🌍 Country: New Zealand
🕯️ Runtime: 93 minutes

💀 Plot Summary

What begins as a peaceful family outing into the remote countryside quickly descends into horror in Coming Home in the Dark. A high school teacher, Hoaggie, his wife Jill, and their two sons are enjoying a day by the water when two mysterious strangers appear — Mandrake, charismatic but deeply unsettling, and the volatile Tubs.

With calm menace, Mandrake reveals that this is no random encounter — the teacher’s past may be far darker than he wants to admit. What follows is a relentless, harrowing road trip through the backroads of trauma, revenge, and retribution. There is no escape, only the slow unpeeling of truths and the chilling realization that sometimes, the past comes calling — and it doesn’t forgive.

🔥 Cast

• Daniel Gillies as Mandrake – Cold, articulate, and driven by a deep grudge

• Erik Thomson as Hoaggie – A man forced to face his buried past

• Miriama McDowell as Jill – A mother desperate to protect her family

• Matthias Luafutu as Tubs – Silent, intense, and deadly

💣 What Makes It Stand Out

• Not your typical horror – Coming Home in the Dark blends psychological tension with social commentary.

• Its stripped-down style enhances the raw performances and bleak landscapes.

• Uncomfortable, gripping, and brilliantly acted, it’s a masterclass in atmospheric dread.

• The film doesn’t pull punches — it’s as much about inner darkness as external terror.

💬 Critical Praise

“Unrelenting and devastating… a haunting thriller that grabs your nerves and doesn’t let go.” – The Guardian
“A bold, brutal descent into repressed guilt and violence.” – IndieWire

🗯️ Taglines

“The road doesn’t forgive. Neither do they.”
“Some pasts don’t stay buried. They find you.”
“Revenge never forgets.”

🌌 Coming Home in the Dark is not just a thriller — it’s a moral reckoning on wheels. Prepare for a haunting ride into the heart of darkness.