Cinequest Film Festival 2025 – Writers/directors David Charbonier and Justin Douglas Powell know how to make a lean and mean horror movie. That was true of their 2020 film The Boy Behind the Door, and it’s true of their latest feature, Push. Their new film is a nasty home invasion movie set in a rural spook house. The protagonist, Natalie (Alicia Sanz), really goes through the ringer over the course of 90 minutes, battling an unrelenting intruder in the creepy old house.

Natalie works as a realtor. Her boss says that no one can sell the house because it’s apparently haunted. Many died in it in all sorts of violent ways. Confident in her skills, Natalie takes on the monumental task to sell the empty home, first by staging an open house. Most likely, she needs the money since she’s pregnant and widowed. Her partner, Matt (David Alexander Flinn), died in a car accident and the film contains a few flashbacks showing his grisly demise and the profound grief that Natalie feels.

Powell and Charbonier take a lot of time establishing the atmosphere. For instance, Natalie takes a long drive up a winding mountain before even arriving at the house. The drive resembles Stanley Kubrick’s adaption of The Shining when the Torrance family drives up the steep mountain to the Overlook Hotel, with ominous music playing. A similar mood and tone occur early on in Push. When Natalie arrives at the house, everything about it feels big, like it wants to swallow and devour her. The hallways feel long and shadowy and the rooms enormous. The house also contains strange tunnels and creaky metal gates. The location is incredibly effective in establishing an eerie tone.

Then, the intruder, played by Raúl Castillo, shows up. From there, the movie transforms into a punishing home invasion film. Natalie really endures a lot, and before the halfway point, her water breaks. Not only does she have to fend off the nameless intruder, but she also has to worry about her baby. At one point, the foe threatens to cut it out of her. Like The Boy Behind the Door, Push contains plenty of nail-biting scenes. Poor Natalie rarely gets any reprieve, and no matter how many times she whacks, stabs, or shoots the intruder, he always gets back up.  He’s a force just as much as the house.

It’s clear pretty early on that the intruder has some association with the house. He tells Natalie he knows everything about it. There’s a bit of an explanation about him given late in the film, but here’s where the film falters a bit. It’s great on suspense, tone, and atmosphere, but a bit weak on character development. The intruder’s story is flat, and though Natalie has a backstory, she feels a bit undercooked, too. Still, the rest of the film mostly fires on all cylinders, offering a gripping and bloody thrill ride.

While characterization isn’t Push’s strength, the film functions best as a suspenseful home invasion movie. The intruder is a brute force, stalking the pregnant Natalie. Sanz gives her character strength and resolve. Her performance is another standout. This is a highly atmospheric, edge-of-your seat film that rarely holds back. It’s a violent and harrowing watch.