Movie Review: 'Paradise Cove' (2021) Your Dream Home Has Become A Nightmare

Paradise Cove is a horror/thriller with an ominous title. Maybe it’s a college vacation film where zombies take over a beach, maybe it’s a film about Stepford wives invading a suburb. After watching this film, I can assure you these plots were not part of the film. Directed by Martin Guigui (Beneath the Darkness, The Unhealer) and written by Sherry Klein (Star Trek Voyager), this film tells the story of murder, revenge, and manipulation.

Paradise Cove takes a page out of the typical Hollywood erotic thriller book but re-writes it so that it is not too typical and not cheesy. The film does an excellent job at entertaining us with a beautifully written storyline. Knox (Todd Grinnell) and Tracey (Mena Suvari) play the couple who find their perfect home to fix up and flip only to find that the house holds a deadly secret. A squatter, Bree (Kristin Bauer van Straten), stands in the way of their dreams as she carries the nightmares she endured beforehand. Bree seems harmless at first, but we soon begin to see her insanity unfold which is honestly interesting as it progresses. Her goal isn’t to seduce the husband and take the place of his wife. It’s simply to harm and break their spirits, whether it’s hiding their dog or even using their computer as an unwanted guest.

As previously mentioned, the thriller does turn to horror as Bree begins to up her game of cat and mouse by attacking the construction crew who are remodeling the house to cleverly putting the pooch in harm’s way to make it seem like the husband “accidentally killed the dog.” Each maneuver is cold and calculated as it impacts the lives of Knox and Tracey which puts their relationship in question.

Mena Suvari and Kristin Bauer van Straten give great performances. Mena playing highlighting a great dramatic take and Kristin playing a cool collective yet devious and ruthless. The film took an average plot device of the famous home invasion story and turned it around. There isn’t a lot of gore that some people may want, but it keeps the viewer entertained and interested. The ending is somewhat fitting and did not make me feel like I wasted time.

For the performances alone, this one is worth checking out. Paradise Cove hits ON DEMAND beginning February 12, 2021. Give it a shot and let us know what you think!