Where Was Coming Home In The Dark Filmed?

Coming Home In The Dark was filmed entirely on the Wellington coast near Wainuiomata and the Hutt Valley. The filming lasted 20 nights in 2019.

The movie was made with only a $1.4 million budget. The shoot for the movie was also not extended and wrapped up quickly in its primary filming location New Zealand.

Some significant parts of the movie were filmed in the Hutt Valley. Hutt Valley is located in the lower North Island of New Zealand that offers a range of landscapes from lush green hills to rugged coastlines.

The area is well known for its picturesque harbor, the Hutt River, and its proximity to the capital city of Wellington. Filmmakers concerned with the movie took advantage of the area's movie studios for production.

Some of the scenes from the movie were recreated in an automobile racing venue in Upper Hutt. The rest of the parts of the film it was set in Wainuiomata.

Wainuiomata is a suburb of Lower Hutt in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, located about 15 kilometers northeast of Wellington city center. It is renowned for its scenic beauty, with its dramatic coastline, hills, and native bush providing an ideal backdrop for films and television shows. 

The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are some movies and shows filmed in Wainuiomata.

Coming Home In Dark Cast

The horror movie has a great ensemble cast. The members portrayed the character perfectly, bringing the story to life. 

The film's main cast includes Daniel Gillies, Matthias Luafutu, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowell, and Billy and Frankie Paratene.

Daniel Gillies' performance in the role of Mandrake brought a clever and attractive appeal to the movie Coming Home in the Dark. His dialogue was friendly yet harsh, creating the perfect balance.

Matthias Luafutu can expertly portray a range of emotions through his facial expressions, even when those emotions are difficult to express, such as anger and apathy.

Erik Thomson plays the part of Hoaggie, a regular husband and father who will go to great lengths to protect his family.

Miriama McDowell portrays Jill, and she conveys her immense distress and sorrow at being unable to save her children. Billy Paratene and Frankie Paratene play Mika and Jordan, Alan and Jill's sons.

The movie starts with a family on a road trip. The family members are shown to be enjoying a picnic by the water.

While having a good time, Alan, Jill, Jordan, and Maika are confronted by Mandrake and Tubs, two strange men with rifles. Alan is confused when Mandrake calls him "Hoagie," an old nickname of his.

The family soon realizes they are in danger. Mandrake killed Alan and Jill's sons in a shocking act of violence. 

Following the shocking development, it is revealed that teachers at his school abused Mandrake, and Alan, an assistant teacher at the time, may have been involved.

Alan sadly admits that he saw a lot of mistreatment, including physical punishment and sexual harassment, while he worked at the same school as Mandrake.

Alan recounted an occasion when he had to help with roll call at the school, which was called "on-line." At the time, Alan witnessed a teacher using a nylon brush to painfully remove a swastika tattoo from a young boy's skin, who turned out to be Mandrake.

Mandrake believes that Alan should be held responsible for not stopping the abuse he suffered and has punished him and Jill by torturing them and killing their children.

Alan confesses to his mistakes, and Jill jumps off a cliff into the water, leaving Alan to face the consequences alone. Mandrake and Tubs take Alan back to the school, where Alan admits he acted cowardly when Mandrake was being mistreated, but he still believes the young boy deserved it.

Mandrake shoots Alan, who in turn is severely wounded by Mandrake's bullet, but instead of finishing him off, Tubs shoots Mandrake dead and walks away without harming Alan.

It is unclear what happens to Alan, but he likely dies from his gunshot wound as he cannot get help. The movie conveys that Alan could not escape the consequences of his past choices.