‘Model House’ Review: A Home Invasion Thriller with a Remarkable Cast

What is Model House About?

Model House is a home invasion crime thriller. The home being invaded is a rental house that serves as the temporary lodging for a group of five fashion models while on location for a multi-day swimsuit photo shoot. Among the group of established, well-known models is Zoe (Cory Anne Roberts), an aspiring model currently working her first photo shoot. Zoe is shy and awkward around the more freewheeling industry veterans she’s sharing a house with, but she finds a friend in Nadia (Kyra Santoro) who offers advice and calms Zoe’s nerves.

The first night at the model house begins with a little partying, some slight friction among the models, and a whole lot of time spent on social media. Each model—except for Zoe—has a massive online following, and they all appear to be tied to their phones in one way or another. Later in the night, the model house is invaded by a masked duo (Chris Zylka and scream queen Scout Taylor-Comptom) who hold the models at gunpoint with a dastardly plan in mind. They are going to steal money from the models’ online fans by using their accounts to set up and advertise a fake fundraiser for a fellow model who recently died in a freak accident. Of course nothing goes as planned, and the night spins wildly out of control when unexpected guests arrive, and when the in-fighting among the criminals turns the situation deadly.

Model House Review

Model House is really good, and it all begins with its cast and characters. Zoe is the lead and is fleshed out the most, but every character is given a distinct personality that feels essential to the story. With five models, two villains to begin with, and more people showing up along the way, that’s a lot of people to give screen time to. Some characters could fall into the background if the actors aren’t up to the task. But the cast of Model House imbues each of their performances with exactly what each role needs to stand out as a unique individual while keeping the collective tension simmering among their various conflicts. The whole cast is quite impressive and wholly entertaining.

Of course, the actors can only do so much if the script isn’t any good. Thankfully, the story in Model House is a tightly wound crime thriller that manages to keep the plot moving in interesting new directions without becoming ridiculous. There are funny moments in Model House, but it isn’t a comedy, so the plotting has to make logical sense, and it mostly does. There is a section later in the movie when something happens that defies the logic of what we’re shown: (tap to see a slight spoiler) a character appears to have been killed or at least horribly injured, but they show up later mostly fine. But other than that, the story unfolds in a sensible way that is driven equally by character and plot. So, despite a slight stumble or two, Model House never loses its momentum.

The one area where Model House falls short is in its depiction of physical action. Most of the conflict in first half of the movie is done through dialogue, but verbal altercations naturally lead to physical attacks, and the results are mixed. Some of the action is fine. A running tackle, a surprise ambush, a struggle for a gun. They’re all straightforward and good. But other actions look really awkward and not terribly believable, and they undercut the well-earned tension of the film as it barrels its way towards the finale. It’s really unfortunate because the most awkward moments are also some of the most crucial. By that point though, you should hopefully be invested enough in the characters to forgive some weirdness. Plus, the final moment of action is well done, which ends things on a high note.

Who Will Enjoy Model House?

Further Reading

• Best Home Invasion Movies: The Definitive List
• Best Isolation Horror Movies
• Scary Movies About Social Media and the Internet
• Night Shift Review: Creepily Good Times at a Rundown Motel
• Dagr Review: There’s a Lot to Like About this Found Footage Chiller