Homestead

"Survival brought them together. Will fear tear them apart?"

2024 1h 51m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 120

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A nuclear bomb is detonated in Los Angeles, and the nation devolves into unprecedented chaos. Ex-Green Beret Jeff Eriksson and his family escape to The Homestead, an eccentric prepper’s fortress nestled in the mountains. As violent threats and apocalyptic conditions creep toward their borders, the residents of The Homestead are left to wonder: how long can a group of people resist both the dangers of human nature and the bloodshed at their doorstep?

“Survival brought them together. Will fear tear them apart?”

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Cast

Dawn Olivieri
Jenna Ross
Neal McDonough
Ian Ross
Susan Misner
Evie McNulty
Bailey Chase
Jeff Eriksson
Jesse Hutch
Evan Lee
Kevin Lawson
Tick
Kearran Giovanni
Tara Eriksson
Currie Graham
Blake Masterson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ben Smallbone
Writers: Jason Ross, Jason Ross
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Ben Smallbone, shot by Matthew Rivera. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Benjamin Backus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Puckett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dawn Olivieri and Neal McDonough and Susan Misner carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Survival brought them together. Will fear tear them apart?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt29137778 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ben Smallbone directs. Matthew Rivera behind the camera. Benjamin Backus scores. John Puckett cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.2× over at the box office.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Directed by Ben Smallbone, shot by Matthew Rivera. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Benjamin Backus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor John Puckett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Dawn Olivieri and Neal McDonough and Susan Misner carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Survival brought them together. Will fear tear them apart?".
8IMDB entry: tt29137778 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "based on novel or book", "sense of guilt", "post-apocalyptic future", "dysfunctional family".

The technical file

Cinematography: Matthew Rivera
Original score: Benjamin Backus
Editing: John Puckett
Production design: Diane Millett
Costume design: Carolyn Leone
Makeup / hair: Tiffany Correa
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $20,811,864
Return: 416% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Homestead (2024)

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Ben Smallbone

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2025-12-02
★ 6/10
What happens to society when the bomb inevitably drops? This is the pilot movie for an ensuing series based on the Dark August books. Since I’m not interested in the TV series, I’m reviewing this as a standalone film. It comes in the tradition of post-nuclear war movies like “Testament” and “The Sum of All Fears” mixed with the spirituality of, say, the “Left Behind” flicks, just not as overt on that front. It works as far as giving you a glimmer of what it will be like: Suddenly, people will be drawn to the wisdom of preppers rather than writing them off as conspiracy nutjobs. I liked the rising tension between the owner of the homestead (Neal McDonough) and the head of security (Bailey Chase), as well as a great standoff between the homesteaders and a dubious govt detachment. I also appreciated the moral conundrum: Do you just protect your own and shut everyone else out or do you try to help as many as you reasonably can without seriously diminishing your chances of survival? Obviously the latter, but where do you draw the line, especially when desperate lives are at stake? When the proverbial sheet hits the fan, each person is expected to offer something worthwhile to the community and, if they can’t, you of course wouldn’t need them or want them. Speaking of which, I appreciated how the ending focuses on the positive in a challenging situation amidst great tragedy. This sets it apart from more nihilistic post-apocalyptic flicks like “Carriers” and “The Road.” The fact that it’s a movie that sets up a series reveals its weakness for those not interested in seeing the ensuing episodes: Some characters and their relationships are established, but there’s no payoff and therefore these subplots feel incomplete. Fans of the series or books will naturally appraise “Homestead” higher than me. As for the criticisms that this is “Christian propaganda,” get real. The Ross family are ostensibly believers and so there’s like one prayer sequence involving the teen girl. Whoopee. In other words, the spirituality is underdone rather than overdone. Have you ever noticed that no one accuses ultra-glum flicks like the aforementioned “Carriers” and “The Road” of being “atheistic propaganda”? It runs 1h 38m before the overlong end credits roll, which happen to acknowledge every single donor. It was shot in Los Angeles and (mostly) Bountiful, Utah, which is located 15 miles north of Salt Lake City. GRADE: B-

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