HOME SWEET HOME

A parked motorist is strangled by escaped mental patient Jay Jones, a PCP addict who was institutionalized after bludgeoning his parents. Jay carjacks his victim, and runs down an old woman while driving through Los Angeles.

On the outskirts of the city, nine people have gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving at the ranch of Harold Bradley. Among the revelers are Harold's girlfriend Linda; his tenant Scott and his girlfriend Jennifer; Linda's friend Gail; Harold's business associate Wayne and his girlfriend Maria; Harold's son "Mistake," a Kiss Army soldier; and Harold's young daughter Angel. As there is no wine in the house, Linda and Gail borrow Scott's car to go and get some, while Jay cuts off the house's power. Harold turns on the emergency generator, leaves to get more gasoline for it, and happens upon Jay's abandoned station wagon. As Harold tries to take the battery out of the car, Jay body splashes on the hood down on him, crushing his skull.

Jay severs the telephone line, and when Wayne goes out to look for Harold, he is garroted by Jay, who was hiding in the backseat of his car. Linda and Gail, who had become lost, run out of gas, and as they try to find their way back to the ranch, they run into Jay. Jay slams Gail's head into a rock, and stabs Linda to death with a broken bottle. Afterward, Jay returns to the house, where the remaining guests and members of the Bradley family have sat down to a turkey dinner.

When Maria goes to the washroom, Jay stabs her, and proceeds to chase "Mistake" around the property, eventually catching and fatally shocking him with his own electric guitar and portable amplifier. Scott discovers Maria's body while collecting firewood, runs back to the ranch, and secures the building with Jennifer and Angel. Jay manages to break inside, and as he tries strangling Scott, Jennifer wounds him with a knife.

Jay recovers, slits Scott's throat, and pursues Jennifer, who faints while hiding in Scott's room. In the morning, Jennifer awakens, and is assaulted by Jay when she ventures outside. A pair of police officers, alerted to the situation by Angel, pull up, and blast Jay with a shotgun. As one officer places Jennifer in his car with Angel, the other checks on Jay, who suddenly opens his eyes.

After a bloody night, the killer is apparently shot by police when they arrive, but he suddenly opens his eyes as an officer checks on him.

The film concludes with the killer seemingly dispatched, only for the classic slasher sting: he survives the police intervention, leaving the possibility of further violence. This ambiguous final shot cements Home Sweet Home’s place in the holiday horror canon, playing with audience expectations and refusing to provide tidy closure.