Most movies have at least some redeeming elements. Even if not everything works perfectly, there can be a saving grace. But when a concept flails and it only gets more absurd as the film goes on, it can be hard to find something worthy of praise. Krazy House, screening in the Midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival, is an amalgam of multiple genres that never knows exactly what it wants to be, starting out as a parody of a 1990s sitcom and then morphing into a home invasion slash religious fervor thriller. If it doesn’t sound terribly coherent, that’s because it most definitely is not.

Bernie (Nick Frost) is a devout Christian who wears religious sweaters on a daily basis while struggling to keep up with his family. His wife (Alicia Silverstone) works all the time, his daughter wants a boyfriend, and his son is obsessed with science experiments. When a few major leaks spring in their kitchen, Bernie makes the mistake of hiring three very suspicious Russians who come to his door to repair the damage. At first, it seems like they’re just making more of a mess and there’s no break to the noise, but things soon turn much more sinister.

It’s hard to know where to start with this film, which never explains the sitcom format that structures most of its first half. Bernie is prone to seemingly demonic flashes where he is seen chomping at the bit and declaring “kill them all!” which he then just laughs and shakes off. The sitcom scenes are evidently meant to parody existing fare, but it’s not clear just what they’re referencing or mocking, and the paper-thin plotlines featured give way to even less believable and more unbearable developments later on as it becomes readily apparent that this family is in serious danger.

Frost is a talented actor whose energy is typically sufficient for the fare he anchors, but he’s saddled with a very broad part here that is extremely inconsistent. He certainly applies himself at every point and commits to the bit, but that still can’t make them work or make sense. While some of his dialogue is mildly funny, most of it is merely grating, and though he may well be the most attentive and alert character in the film, that’s really not saying much because every member of the family – and their contractors turned captors – are entirely unbounded and undefined.

This film’s placement in the Midnight section suggests that there might be an audience that could appreciate this film’s decidedly off-kilter nature. There’s ample gore to be found and a twisted subplot that somehow tries to tie everything together in the film’s third act. But its irreverence is not an asset, and instead allows for a wildly directionless film that only hangs on to certain pieces of its story throughout, conveniently forgetting and ignoring others that don’t serve the greater narrative.

Running under ninety minutes, this film should feel like a breeze but instead it’s endless and increasingly insufferable. It feels at times as if it might be headed somewhere credible that would make the entire peculiar experience worth it, but that’s not the case at all. This is a major misfire that doesn’t invest fully enough in anything but its own absurdity, falling short of expectations and potential in all areas: comedy, action, and horror. It might seem like a fever dream and is probably best written off that way, remembered as an unfortunate idea that never should have been stretched out even to an hour and a half. 

Grade: F

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Krazy House makes its world premiere in the Midnight section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.