The Home

James DeMonaco, the creator of The Purge franchise, turns his attention to a different kind of institution in this horror-thriller. The film follows Max, a troubled young man played by Pete Davidson, who takes a job as a night caretaker at a mysterious retirement home. The facility, run by the enigmatic Lou (John Glover), houses a small group of peculiar residents and a staff that seems to know more than they let on. Max is strictly forbidden from entering the fourth floor, a locked area that becomes the focal point of his growing obsession.

Shot in just 22 days on a budget of $5 million, the film uses a decommissioned hospital in Kingston, New York, as its primary set. DeMonaco, working from a script he co-wrote with Adam Cantor, aims for a claustrophobic atmosphere that recalls his earlier work while exploring themes of trauma, memory, and exploitation. The result is a tense, slow-burn mystery that relies more on psychological dread than jump scares.[edit]

Max, a former foster child with a history of suicide attempts, is hired as a night caretaker at The Home, a retirement facility run by the stern Lou. The residents include Doc Sabian, a sharp-tongued former physician; Sadie, a kind but frightened woman; Norma, a quiet resident who observes everything; and a mysterious man kept sedated in a locked room, whom the staff call the Screaming Man. Max is assigned basic duties and warned never to go to the fourth floor, which remains locked and off-limits.

During his first night shifts, Max notices strange occurrences: doors that creak open on their own, residents who vanish without explanation, and flickering lights that seem to lead him toward the forbidden floor. He forms a tentative bond with Ellie, a social worker investigating the facility for potential abuse. Ellie shares her concerns that the residents are being mistreated, but Lou dismisses her inquiries as meddling.

Max begins to experience disturbing hallucinations and flashbacks to his childhood, though he cannot piece together why the place feels familiar. He discovers hidden medical records in the basement, suggesting that residents are being subjected to experimental treatments. When Sadie tries to warn him about something she saw on the fourth floor, she suddenly disappears the next day. Lou claims she was transferred to another facility, but Max does not believe him.

The staff, particularly Juno and Les, become increasingly hostile as Max asks more questions. Les, the most nervous of the group, hints that the facility has a dark history involving former foster children. Max's own memories remain fragmented, but he begins to suspect that he was once a resident at The Home as a boy. The Screaming Man, whose room Max sneaks into, seems to recognize him and tries to communicate, but his words are garbled and incoherent.

Ellie is denied further access to the facility, and Max realizes he is on his own. He decides to break into the fourth floor, convinced that the answers to his past and the residents' fate lie behind the locked door. The film builds to this moment, with Max gathering tools and preparing for a confrontation with Lou, all while his mental state deteriorates further.[edit]