Sartaj Singh
Written and directed by Anna Elizabeth James, ‘Held Hostage in My House’ follows a single mother as she is tied up in her own vacation home and tries to piece together who is responsible for the transgression. Initially titled ‘Blunt,’ the Lifetime mystery thriller follows Dawn Van Brocklin (Amy Smart), a struggling artist and single mother who rents out her house as a vacation retreat. As she paints in one of the rooms, Dawn generally leaves the home open for her guests, unmindful of the dangers it may pose. In the current season, her house hosts a range of zany guests hiding secrets of their own. When Dawn abruptly wakes up tied down on her bed, she has to decipher the possible motives of each of her guests to determine the identity of her assailant. The harrowing ordeal Dawn is subjected to raises questions about the possibility of the movie being based on a true story.
Held Hostage in My House is a Genre-Bending Fictional Film
While one may think of horrifying cases of sexual assault when watching ‘Held Hostage in My House,’ its story, thankfully, is a work of fiction written by Anna Elizabeth James. The narrative marinated in the writer-director’s mind for eight years before she finally put pen to paper and wrote the intriguing mystery film from a female-centric gaze. A notable feature of the film is its genre-blending nature, as it features mind-bending sequences, darkly comedic elements, and a compelling whodunit setup.
“I love when a female lead is the detective of her own story,” said James in an interview. “It’s a captivating playground to be in, and one I think is rarely tapped into, especially from the female gaze. Amy and the rest of our cast delivered a performance beyond my wildest imagination, and I am thrilled with what we will be sharing with our audience — a classic who-dun-it with mind-bending elements and, what I’d like to think, is a progressive and pulpy take on the whole post-pandemic, app living world.”
Held Hostage in My House Has a Mind-Bending Style Reminiscent of Similar Features
The surreal nature of the audio-visual experience created by ‘Held Hostage in My House’ combined with tantalizing sequences may remind some of other movies featuring a similar style. One of the closest in this regard to the Lifetime film is ‘Deadly Illusions,’ Anna Elizabeth James’ 2021 Netflix psychological thriller. Also featuring a star-studded cast, ‘Deadly Illusions’ follows a successful author suffering from writer’s block as she hires a beautiful nanny, Grace, to take care of the kids and house chores. However, she begins to have vivid fantasies about her while also seemingly catching Grace seducing her husband. The film plays with the concept of an unreliable narrator, and the suspense hinges on the author’s deteriorating grasp of reality.
Another notable film that featured a similar concept of an unreliable narrator is ‘The Butterfly Effect.’ It follows Evan Treborn, who suffers from blackouts that make him forget entire portions of his life. He begins to uncover an ability to fill in the gaps left in his memory, leading to a reality-bending roller coaster. Additionally, ‘The Butterfly Effect’ also featured Amy Smart in a leading role. “I did ‘The Butterfly Effect’ a number of years ago, and this sort of feels a bit like it,” said lead actress Amy Smart in a behind-the-scenes interview of ‘Held Hostage in My House.’ She continued, “It’s very mind-bendy. You’re not sure at one point what the reality is. Who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys? It’s the sort of film that makes you think at the end. I think it’s also very inspiring for women.”
The movie also creates authenticity through its narrative that resonates with the experiences of its intended audience. Therefore, despite being a fictional film, ‘Held Hostage in My House’ may feel familiar to some while resonating with others. James herself best describes the culmination of such elements in an Instagram post, writing, “‘Blunt’ is a classic who-dun-it with Hitchcockian vibes and mind-bending elements. Kiss and Tale’s target audience want more relatable stories, more stories of women figuring it out, sexual angst and mind-bending puzzles to solve, we want originality and not recycled rape trauma. we want that which reflects our lives.”
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