by Aaron Schweitzer, Editor
As someone who would not label myself a horror fan, I desperately want to be one. Horror is the main genre that I think can get the laziest, and while there are some truly great films in the genre, there are far more films I have seen that miss the mark on everything that I love about film: compelling characters, interesting stories, world-building, and all the other things that make The Nice Guys so incredible. As someone who just wants every movie to be good, it is a true joy to now not be completely thrown off to the horror genre. With many truly great horror films released recently like Sinister, The Invisible Man, Get Out, Happy Death Day 2U, Doctor Sleep, and The Haunting of Hill House, I am so happy to say that The Night House joins the ranks of those that I love.
Looking at the trailer, I had one main thought: this movie is going to either be awful or incredible; it looks like it could go either way, but this will by no means be a middling film. While I fully expected a house that is in some way possessed or a portal to another parallel dimension, I am grateful the film decided to go a different direction instead.
There are three main elements of this film I want to praise and, as everyone should, we have to start with Rebecca Hall’s performance. If she does not get recognition this awards season, it will be an absolute travesty. Hall’s performance is in many ways, and this probably will not be the first time this comparison is made, on par with Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man. With a movie that relies so heavily on sympathizing with and rooting for our main character, it is important that the actress cast be able to carry that film. Hall’s journey through grief, trauma, anger, fear, and confusion are portrayed to a level that will make us not able to forget her and hopefully launch her career to the place we all know she can be.
The second thing to highlight is this movie’s intensity. I would say this movie is scary when it wants to be, but it is more of an “anything might happen at any time” movie. As someone who is scared easily, I found myself chuckling to myself in a theater with only three people because I was checking over my shoulder even though I sat the farthest back. Seriously, if you are going back to theaters at this point, try to see it in theaters; you will not regret the experience.
The final highlight of this film is the themes and messages presented. I was afraid this film was going to end like The Babadook, a film that I respect but do not ultimately like, in that it is a metaphor for a human internalizing their feelings rather than an external threat. I do not think it’s spoiler-y to say that this is not the case. Rather, this film does something in the likes of The Invisible Man or The Haunting of Hill House where it is both and does not sacrifice one for the other. On the surface, this film is a story of a woman dealing with a terror at her home. If that is all this film was, I would still give it a great review. As someone who appreciates depth and layers, it becomes increasingly clear that while this movie is just that, it is also a representation of a person dealing with grief and how her community winds up being the thing to help her fight against it (I think that statement is still vague enough that it does not spoil anything). The duality of this film elevates it to something that I cannot wait to revisit over and over again.
The Night House is my new favorite horror film since Sinister and will go down among my favorite genre pieces. It delivers everything that a horror/thriller should and leaves me with both a feeling of satisfaction and a desire for more. So far in 2021, this is my second favorite film of the year (not counting In and Of Itself). To sum up my feelings: Dear Hollywood, more films like this please!
Grade: A-
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