The House (2022) SPOILER-FREE Review: a Morbidly Mindbending Satire
- Eve Andrews
- Feb 2, 2022
- 2 min read
From the moment of its release on January 14th 2022, The House has had audiences buzzing. People are fascinated by this new addition to the Netflix original catalogue, but does it live up to the hype?
Well, there’s no real way to put it simply. As a film, while its layout is simple, its messages are complex and highly nuanced. But put simply as possible, it is captivating.
The House follows an episodic format, containing three separate stories set in the past, present and future, each of which examines similar, universal issues of the human condition. It’s a thought-provoking message, suggesting that while the passage of time can change a great many things, there are primal aspects of humanity that remain fundamental to our being, e.g., desire for power, status, and belonging.
The movie begins with the origin story of the mysterious house, following themes of familial pressure and the tyranny of materialism. And thus begins the curse.
With all three stories written by the playwright, Enda Walsh, each one takes on an entirely unique tone with masterfully crafted dialogue to match each time period. With Walsh’s script, paired with the direction of Niki Lindroth von Bahr and Paloma Baeza, The House presents its audience with a new breed of psychological thriller.
One of the most notable quirks is the film’s distinctive stop motion style. The freakishly innocent-looking characters, almost resembling child’s toys, lend themselves beautifully to the haunting underlying atmosphere of each of the three stories. This was particularly prevalent in the first of three, in which human characters are used, while the following two are carried by a cast of anthropomorphic animals, the aesthetic of whom recall to mind Wes Anderson’s beloved 2009 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox.
Furthermore, the eerie score by Gustavo Santaolalla adds an entirely separate layer of atmosphere to the movie’s overall tone. Right from the get-go, you are dragged into the intriguingly sinister setting, with a segment of appealingly peculiar 2D animation paired with the sombre twanging of Santaolalla’s string-lead soundscape. With a sense of foreboding that both intrigues and repels, The House invites its audience in the same way it does the characters. From the first few seconds, you’re dying to know more.
With its masterful puppeteering, excellent cast and general overarching ambience, The House is a breath of fresh air within the horror/ thriller genre. Offering a myriad of satirical messages, it's as meaningful as it is aesthetically beautiful and builds tension via complex layers of audience curiosity instead of relying on cheap jumpscares.
With few films like this made thus far, it's an offshoot of horror we’re hoping to see more of.
Have you seen The House yet? If so, what did you think? Let us know your take in the comments below!
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