Don't Come Home is a new mystery horror series from Thailand about a runaway mom, Varee who took her daughter Min with herself to her childhood home. Little was she aware that the demons residing in that house were far more dangerous than the one she was running from. Varee’s husband abused her and to protect her and her child, she escaped from him. Keeping Min (the daughter) hidden from the cameras at the filling station and grocery shops, Varee managed to take her to her childhood home. Upon arriving there many strange things happened (typical of a horror film). Despite knowing that something wasn't right, Varee decided to stay there, and due to this poor decision, she lost her only child. Min communicated multiple times that she didn't like it there but Varee didn't have any other place to go to. She thought that she was choosing the lesser evil. Imagine that the first episode contains just this much of the story and is 49 minutes long. The first episode relies heavily on the horror element and it's only after this one that the mystery begins to unfold. The effects used to show these horror elements aren't as scary and convincing still, they've done the job right.
Don't Come Home has been kept as the title of this project because it serves as a hint for what the mother-daughter duo was going to face. The timelines alter as the mystery unfolds and the audience gets to learn about who the spirits were and their motives. If you look at this Thai series, two points of interest are who were these two spirits and why were there paranormal activities. I was disappointed with how Varee handled the situation initially however, she's the one who has to pay by blood in the end. Spoiler alert, the way you put the chandelier on top of her body and then it caught fire, it felt inspired by Bollywood. There are various genres incorporated in the show that some might like. The horror isn't exactly heart-thumping still, it's dedicated to the storyline.
In my opinion, Don't Come Home on Netflix is a weak title that neither gives you chills nor great performances by actors. It's usually the first episode that carries the duty of developing the intrigue of the audience. As there were just six episodes and the first one itself was such a flop, I didn't expect much from the series and preferred skipping the repetitive parts. A lot of time has been wasted in including unnecessary things and logic is missing. When Varee knew that her daughter wasn't able to adjust and that they both were seeing different spirits, wasn't the indication enough? The Thai series might be liked by some nonetheless, it's just an average watch. Due to its short duration, you can binge-watch it without any expectations. The ending of Don't Come Home is brutal and I didn't expect the writers/makers to give it such a bad ending.
Final Score – [4/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times