Before my digital screening of Homewrecker could commence, director Zach Gayne informed me that he wished people would watch the film multiple times, as he felt that it would deepen the experience. Sadly, I cannot say that my first go round with Homewrecker suggests that there is any reason to partake in a rewatch ever.

Last week, I had a conversation with a friend about the overarching sameness of the independent art cinema scene, which has moved progressively towards a dilution of slowed-down hybrid docufiction. They’re ubiquitous at many film festivals. For genre film festivals, the slowed-down hybrid docufiction is the horror comedy masquerading as an elaborate reference. It’s a homage you see, the exact reference of which can be easily placed in a programming guide, review, or streaming service synopsis.

Homewrekcer is a comedic take on Misery, where this time they’re both women. Precious Chong plays Linda, a woman who becomes obessesd with a “friend” from an exercise class named Michelle (Alex Essoe). Hijinks ensue.

The chief frustration that I have with Homewrecker is its determination to use comedy as a masking agent for shoddy craftsmanship. Gayne uses an incomprehensible amount of split-screen, none of which is a compelling substitute for using the full frame for comedic purposes. The comedy appears in the form of slapstick, but set-pieces aren’t creative so much as they’re lazy. There’s no rhyme or reason to editing, which seems to be entirely done at time to provide the illusion that something is happening.

The best thing I can say about Homwrecker is that it goes off the rails violently, which means it probably has a long shelf-life buried somewhere within the greater Shudder library. This is a poor outing, and one indicative of a genre festival trend I’d like to see less of.