Pete Davidson accepts a new job as a caretaker at a retirement home and soon beings uncovering sinister secrets that seem to revolve around the resident Dr. Sabian (Bruce Altman) in the eerie first trailer for The Home. Lionsgate will distribute the film theatrically this July.
The Home comes from The Purge writer and director James DeMonaco. DeMonaco directs and co-wrote the script for the new Lionsgate film alongside Adam Cantor, who previously appeared in The Purge: Election Year.
Watch the terrifying trailer below.
Based on the first look, Davidson's character, Max, is instructed to keep tabs on the patients but to stay away from the forbidden fourth floor. "Those patients need special care, off-limits to you," warns a nurse.
The trailer also teases some body horror, with the ominous Dr. Sabian taking notice of Max's eyes and a brief clip showing poor Max getting strapped down to an examination table, a close-up on his eyeball.
Other scary moments teased by the trailer include someone dragging their bloody fingers along a window, "find the marked ones" scrawled on a wall, and someone falling out of a window.
Admittedly, I fear this might just be another "old people are scary" horror movie, a trope I've become fatigued by throughout the years for a myriad of reasons. But I also admit to being intrigued, though Davidson's choice in scripts has been very hit-or-miss. On the other hand, medical horror is almost always suitably terrifying so if The Home leans into that angle then I'm keen to see what unfolds.
DeMonaco wrote and directed the first three movies in The Purge franchise along with penning the script for The Forever Purge and creating the television series. This is Home is his first new project since the 2021 drama film This Is the Night.
Discussing The Home, DeMonaco teased that he was hoping to "capture the spine-chilling eeriness of 70's horror, where suspense simmers and ultimately erupts into glorious chaos."
The director says Davidson gets to explore his more dramatic side in the role, which will be interesting to see. Below is the official synopsis shared by Deadline.
"Davidson will play Max, a troubled man who starts working at a retirement home and realizes its residents and caretakers harbor sinister secrets. As he investigates the building and its forbidden fourth floor, he starts to uncover connections to his own past and upbringing as a foster child."
Davidson is best known for his long-time stint on Saturday Night Live, but he's been acting more in recent years with projects like Bupkis, Dog Man, The Pickup, and Dumb Money. Avid horror fans will recognize him from the A24 comedy slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies.
The Home also stars John Glover of Smallville and Gremlins 2: The New Batch fame, along with Ethan Phillips and Marilee Talkington.
The Home will be released exclusively in theaters on July 25.