It starts out quite good, while I'm still trying to stay gullible, asking myself where all this may lead... But soon, the makers of the film must have thought: 'Let's go with some stale old clichés, improbabilities and stupid actions.' I understand it's not easy to try and come up with something original, but this was rather poorly done.On the other hand, I have to admit I don't always mind a simple, predictable thriller. More so if there are some pleasant leading ladies appearing in it.To call this a good film and rate it positive, is yet another thing... 5 out of 10.

I tried so hard to like this film because it was on netflix and they don't get very good movies on there. The plot was obviously derivative which I can forgive because most modern films usually are. The acting was of a reasonably good standard for a low budget film but the dialog was abysmal and the plot followed such a standard trajectory that each scene became more obvious than the last. Where I gave up was in the bathroom scene, A woman who you know is going to try to kill you, and you just give her a knock on the head. Love B movies and indie flicks but this was poor! I know when I think a film is bad when I give it the 5 minute test i.e. I will give it another 5 minutes then it's off. It lasted 50 minutes but only just!

When seeing this film, I immediately thought of Kathy Bates' Oscar winning performance in holding James Caan hostage in "Misery."A young freshman accompanying her boyfriend back for a weekend homecoming gets much more than she bargained for when she is held captive by his vicious ex-girlfriend.The movie becomes a cat and mouse affair where the victim frantically tries to get away from her tormentor. Obviously, this is met without success.The ending could have been better. After getting a tremendous thumping from her helmet, when she is rescued by her boyfriend, the film appears to end only to have the demon waking up. Lord knows what else is in store. In addition, our fiend, Shelby, shot the policeman cousin of her lover when he discovered her escapade. Was he shot dead or just wounded? That's never clearly explained.

IMDb plot says: A jilted ex-girlfriend has a plan in store for her former beau, who is coming back to his small town with a new lover. Gavin says: This is true, if we say he's coming back for one weekend and that her plan is only developed on accident, not ahead of time.I had a difficult time with "Homecoming". The film is not anything particularly new. Many have compared it to "Misery", and you can see a connection in just about any kidnapping film. So, if you're looking for a whole new plot, you won't find it. You will probably just end up wondering why the kidnapper (Shelby) doesn't kill the girlfriend right away. I mean, if she wants to get back with her ex, it doesn't really help to have his current love tied up in the bedroom. But the difficult time for me wasn't because it was bad -- in fact, the suspense was so well crafted, I kept myself up well past a sensible bed time to catch the end.Mischa Barton does a fine job as Shelby. Her personal problems aside, Barton is a decent actress. Most people probably know her from "The OC", but since I never saw that show, I know her from a little film called "Walled In" (which, I suppose, was not as good as "Homecoming"). The other actors are also good, but I've already forgotten their names.Director Morgan J. Freeman (no relation) has an interesting vision. The film is bland in its cinematography, its angles, its use of music, its pace... there's really nothing exciting here. There's the suspense, as I said, and a little bit of gore. But the film doesn't shine as bright as Freeman's "American Psycho 2" (which I loved, I don't care what you say). For the first twenty or so minutes, I thought my boss had sent me a drama to review, and I was somewhat bitter about it.But yes, the film is decent, and better than many of the films you'll find on the video shelf. I think two other films I caught recently, "Nature's Grave" and "Sick Girl", would be better choices for the horror fans, but if you want a light thriller, this might meet your needs. By no means will it go down as a classic or even all that memorable, but it's worth a view.