There are a lot of movies that fall under the horror umbrella these days and as summer began to wind down, we started seeing more of them as we head into the fall. However, it’s pretty rare that I am drawn to the mainstream stuff. Tense, raw, and emotional, The Night House is my kind of horror film and an impressive display of how to leverage the personal gravity of trauma into something that’s actually terrifying.
After her husband’s suicide, Beth battles near-crippling grief and depression that spirals out of control and begins to warp her reality when she starts investigating the details of his life.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen a truly effective horror film. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a number of horror movies over the years that I have enjoyed, but it’s been a very long time since I have been genuinely frightened by one. Part of that is just me getting older and not responding to the same fear stimuli, but part of it is also the genre itself having a tendency to reach for the low-hanging fruit because it’s easy and profitable.
I’m not trying to be snobby about it, but far too many horror movies over the past decade haven’t given me what I wanted. For me, horror isn’t about jump-scares and gore, although those can be effective elements, it’s about the kind of fear that gets under your skin and into your soul. That feeling you can’t quite shake after you leave the theater. That’s what I’m after and that’s where this film excelled and set itself apart from its peers.
This was only David Bruckner’s third full-length feature film, but he’s well-versed in horror and it shows. I love the minimalist approach because it can give the filmmakers a more narrow focus and it always feels like a better fit for stories that are more cerebral. The vast majority of the movie takes place in and around the couple’s home and he made the house feel like its own character, breathing a lot of life and character into the surrounding environment.
Truly good horror, like all stories, begins and ends with the characters, and Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski wrote a great screenplay that focuses its energy on its protagonist’s trauma and grief. There’s also a masterful push-and-pull that blends elements of the supernatural into the context of emotional pain and trauma. That arc is so closely tied to how the film and the fear elements work together, it was going to require a skilled performance in the lead and Bruckner was smart to keep that front and center.
Enter Rebecca Hall. I have long held her in high regard and a film like The Gift (2015) showed exactly the kind of skill required to pull this role off. She doesn’t just pull it off though, she’s fucking brilliant and I sure hope her name gets into the conversation for Best Actress because she deserves it. The role is layered with a variety of complex emotions as she navigates her grief but she handles each of those layers with incredible delicacy and attentiveness.
There weren’t many supporting roles but Sarah Goldberg fit perfectly as the concerned friend, Claire, and the legendary Vondie Curtis-Hall has a good small role as the neighbor. As I mentioned earlier, minimalism led the way so the supporting roles were there to highlight and frame Hall’s lead turn.
I can’t say enough nice things about this film. The mix of smart, well-placed practical effects and some subtle but very effective VFX blend together very nicely. Elisha Christian’s cinematography is very strong and does wonders with mostly limited location options. Most of it takes place at the house at the center of the movie, and Christian found a way to keep it creative. Ben Lovett’s original music hits all the right emotional cues and amplifies every scene and the sound design is incredible to go along with it. All those elements work together in harmony to max out the tone and timbre of what you’re seeing and feeling on screen.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a good horror film that’s actually scary, look no further. Come for Rebecca Hall’s performance and stay for the filmmaking.
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