New Zealand confections curiously dominated last year’s Canberra International Film Festival with The Dead Lands winning the Best Feature prize and Housebound – narrowly bested – gaining a Special Mention. This comedy-horror film was a standout gem of the festival.

Kylie Bucknell (O’Reilly) is sentenced to the worst possible punishment for her crimes and misdemeanours: eight months’ house arrest at Mum’s place. Mrs Miriam Bucknell (Te Wiata) is something of a well-meaning gasbag who frets and dotes as all Mums will do. Kylie rebelled early in life and hasn’t been back home since she was a kid. It’s a dreary old place, with patchy television reception, dial-up internet connection, and absolutely nothing at all to do. Everything’s pretty dull, except… Mum reckons there’s a ghost in the house.

Kylie doesn’t scare easily. She’s not prone to believing superstitions. She’d rather investigate that creaking noise herself to prove that there’s no such thing as ghosts. Audiences these days don’t scare easily either. But both they and Kylie will be sufficiently, and frequently, freaked out. You’ll either be roaring with laughter or whimpering with apprehension.

Housebound is the directorial debut of Gerard Johnstone – how a first film can be such a crowd-pleaser is the real shock.