The Instinct (SOHOME) Challenges the Nature of Men in Reverse Home Invasion Horror
Title: The Instinct
First Non-Festival Release: May 16, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Juan Albarracín
Writer: Juan Albarracín
Runtime: 92 Minutes
Starring: Javier Pereira, Eva Llorach, Fernando Cayo
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Sohome Film Festival in 2025.
Agoraphobic architect Abel (Javier Pereira) lives a quiet but lonely life in his comfortable estate out in the country. Spending his days with his dog, Abel makes this life work with his colleague/ex Sonia (Eva Llorach) picking up the slack on any errand that requires leaving the house. One day she arrives with news. This meeting spells something unexpected as Abel must vacate his home for a work obligation. This simple existence is threatened when his dog runs away and Abel crosses paths with José (Fernando Cayo), a dog trainer who apologetically explains that he ran over the pup. In talking, the pair strike up an unusual bargain: José will train the agoraphobia out of Abel like a dog to make up for the death.
A deeply uncomfortable watch, The Instinct challenges conventions of the home invasion sub-genre as much as it does real-world issues.
[SPOILERS]
This review will contain spoilers for The Instinct as its central metaphor is impossible to discuss out of context. Interspersed throughout the film, Abel’s childhood abuse informs his psychological state. Is it so shocking that a person subject to such torture as a child wouldn’t develop difficult-to-break coping mechanisms as an adult. Abel’s abuse also serves as an avenue for this abuse to continue in a new form. Preyed upon by a man that seeks to impart his own toxic worldview on him, Abel must decide to continue or break the cycles that put him in this situation.
Hidden even deeper is the same message that hides underneath most movies tackling similar subjects, and that is in the way men are targeted as potential agents of terror. Aggrieved men smell blood in the water every time they cross paths with a damaged man. Understanding that the playbook works perfectly with the correct pressure and support, José uses Abel’s past and condition against him in order to train him into an obedient watchdog. His plan solidifies when Abel is forced to kill a woman for his own survival – effectively tying Abel’s safety with women’s danger. It’s sickening to watch but an all too real depiction of how evil men weasel their way into the hearts and minds of good men before facilitating a change for the worst.
This model that Abel is introduced to will turn into methods of abuse and grooming, furthering the audience’s understanding of Abel’s agoraphobia and how he reacts to this new trauma. José carefully plans each step to dehumanize Abel until he submits to his dogmatic worldview. His initially helpful advice on taking responsibility for himself and not being afraid of discomfort are good lessons. These lessons are easy sells for Manosphere types trying to twist their worldview in the minds of impressionable men. And Abel hits all the marks of an easy target to convert as José begins threading more sinister demands into his training.
He is paralyzed by his agoraphobia, disappointed by his longtime off-on ex-girlfriend, isolated from society, and has a history of unresolved trauma. None of this is his fault but all of these elements make him recruitable thanks to his delicate mental state. The Instinct doesn’t offer absolution for men in Abel’s state unless they are willing to do something about it.
Abel’s journey is painful to watch, not just on a visceral level but because of the psychological implications of his torture. It’s clear that he struggles with Josè’s message of dominating himself for many reasons but above all else: he doesn’t want to hurt others. There is no “instinct” for him to follow on the grounds of being a man because it doesn’t exist. The Instinct insists that all men have the choice to reject the violent worldview imposed upon them by failed strongmen and self-destructive incels.
Unfortunately, these very interesting threads don’t quite tie together in the end as The Instinct doesn’t know how to come full circle with its story. Its chaotic climax relies on just one too many conveniences to feel fully earned. It’s a great way to end Abel’s arc but the ease in which he is able to turn the situation around feels suspect at best.
[/SPOILERS]
Deeply uncomfortable but still on-message, The Instinct is a harrowing horror drama that cleverly subverts the home invasion formula. Touching on a variety of interesting topics, this reverse home invasion thriller thrives in its mental brutality. It doesn’t all work, but The Instinct provides enough shock and thrills to make up for it. No conditioning is required to agree that The Instinct is a killer Spanish language horror.
Overall Score? 7/10
