There’s a frequent story setup that goes like this: A group of young hoodlums break into the home of affluent or in some way “soft” members of society, only to have the tables turned on them. It was used to great effect in 2016’s “Don’t Breathe”, featuring the under-acclaimed Stephen Lang as the blind antagonist.  A classic from my youth, “The People Under the Stairs” was also painted with the same brush strokes.

As was the 2020 British film “The Owners.”

And why not? The premise is laden with tension. As viewers, part of us roots for these poor kids who suddenly have the script flipped against them. Surely, despite their faults, they don’t deserve the horrors that await? But another part roots for the homeowners and eagerly anticipates the tortures that will be delivered on these punks. (In the same way, we relish it when Jason Vorheens impales a privileged, oversexed teenager on a tree limb. “Get them, Jason! Good chap!”)

This moral conflict can be ably mined by a canny horror creator and “The Owners” director Julius Berg did a decent job. 

Of the gang of four burglars, three are male, one a total douchebag. The sole girl (played by “Game of Throne” actress Maisie Williams) becomes the protagonist we root for. Even before the house’s owners show up, this motley crew is already at each other’s throats. 

And when the owners do arrive?

Well, I was a bit disappointed. It’s an elderly couple, which is a nice twist, but I felt the vengeance they took on the hoodlums was a bit ho-hum. It never gave me the heebie jeebies the way “Don’t Breath” did, such that my sympathies are turned entirely towards the kids.

There’s a twist, of sorts, that you’ll probably see coming. The soundtrack had some creepy “soundscape” effects.

I will say, as an American, it’s a kick to hear Brits talk, especially in working class dialects. What a way with words!

I’ll give it three out of five.