Intruders [AKA Shut In] (2015) Review

Being shut in to the Vue West End for the long weekend of FrightFest is my idea of heaven and Intruders  (or Shut In as it was called when I saw it!) was one of the many movies that made it all the more pleasurable.

Revolving around agoraphobic Anna (Beth Riesgraf best known for TV series Leverage) Intruders opens with her looking after her terminally ill brother, something she has done for a long while since their parents passed away.

Desperate to see his sister live her life to the fullest, even if it is from beyond the grave, when he passes away Anna’s beloved sibling leaves her a massive amount of money with the hope she will spread her wings and fly from the confines of her home which seems haunted by the ghosts of their painful past and mysterious upbringing.

Sadly Anna’s agoraphobia is completely paralyzing and even on the day of her brother’s funeral she cannot bring herself to go outside. This proves to be a terrible twist of fate as a gang of men break into her house assuming she will be out and unaware that she is still there.

Unable to escape and get help even if she could evade the trio terrorising her Anna must do all she can to outwit them but as the home invasion takes some surprising twists and turns both victim and villains discover unexpected elements to what appeared to be a simple robbery making their time Shut In all the terrifying.

Excellently directed by first time helmer Adam Schindler from a great script by V/H/S: Viral’s Vicious Circles segment writers T.J. Cimfel and David White, Intruders is a home invasion horror where not only can’t the victim leave the house in more ways than one but all is most definitely not quite what it seems.

The cast are brilliant and at the center of the whole horror Beth Riesgraf brings great depth and sadness to the character of Anna as trapped in her own mind over her horrible history as she is in the house.

Although fragile and profoundly debilitated by her disorder there is an inner strength to the character which slowly emerges making the film as much a journey of discovery for Anna as it is a nerve wracking thriller.

Alongside her Rory Culkin does a great job as the meals on wheels guy who brings her brother food and a smile to her face on a daily basis for a fraction of time and Martin Starr known mainly for his hilarious roles in comedies like Knocked Up and a ton of TV sitcoms brings forth a superb and surprisingly chilling turn as one of the house breakers.

Keeping the audience guessing throughout while maintaining a taught level of tension Intruders  takes an idea that could have been made into a one trick horror and transforms it into something deeply effecting and disturbing while managing to entertain and scare along the way as well.

Movie Rating:  

Trailer: