As a subgenre, home invasion movies hit harder than most horror flicks or thrillers. Playing on our common fear of having our residences and safety violated, home invasion films get our adrenaline pumping as we watch the protagonist and villain or villains engaging in a battle of stamina, wits, and wills.
Sometimes ending well, sometimes not, home invasion flicks are the best choice for an evening of frantic, nail-biting entertainment.
Here are the four best home invasion movies available.
Most are available on DVD, through streaming services, and on video-sharing platforms.
The Lonely Villa (1909)
The Lonely Villa is the granddaddy of home invasion films and is likely the first one ever made. Made in 1909, and looking every inch of it, the film was shot by the brilliant yet controversial director D.W. Griffith and employed the crosscutting technique for which he was famous to build tension and anxiety.
Starring “America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford, the plot involves a rich man leaving his wife and daughters alone at home. While he’s gone, burglars attempt to break in, but not without a fight by the mother and girls.
Father rushes to save them, and most of the film’s nearly 12-minute running time shows the women fending off the invasion while he races home with the police. Surprisingly suspenseful for its time, you can find this public domain film on YouTube and elsewhere. | Available on Turner Classic Movies
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- Shrink-wrapped
- Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, Nancy Gates (Actor)
Suddenly! (1954)
Suddenly! is the name of the film and the fictional town where the movie takes place. The president makes a stop in Suddenly, California, during his term.
John Baron (played by Frank Sinatra) is a former soldier and current hitman hired to kill the president. A house on a nearby hill provides the best vantage point for a sniper’s nest.
Baron and his men invade the home and take the family hostage, including the local sheriff. Suddenly! has plenty of surprises to keep you on your toes for an old black and white film.
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- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Brandon Quintin Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie (Actors)
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Plot twist! This time the home invaders are the good guys…sort of. A group of young thieves break into the home of the Robesons, a married pair of nasty landlords rumored to have a stash of gold coins.
Young thief Poindexter “Fool” Williams and his two conspirators end up making a series of disturbing discoveries including the Robeson’s truly evil nature and the titular folks who live not only beneath the stairs but in the walls. Apparently, home security doesn’t stop with door locks.
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- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss (Actors)
Us (2019)
The last of the four best home invasion movies available comes from the inestimable Jordan Peele, a comedian who made the transition to horror film director very well. Adelaide Thomas (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family go on a trip, staying at a beach house.
That night, a family of four who look suspiciously familiar invade their home away from home. As cartoonist Walt Kelly once wrote for his comic strip Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
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