The Night House: Movie Review
Surprise! It’s PLM here with another movie review! After such a long time.
I know you’ve missed me but don’t cry. No, no. Don’t cry. The popcorn is already salty enough.
Do I even know how to write movie reviews anymore? No idea!
This review is spoiler-free.
The Movie
The Night House is a psychological horror film released in 2021. Directed by David Brickner and written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, it stars Rebecca Hall as a widow (Beth) mourning her recently deceased husband (played by Evan Jonigkeit). Sarah Goldberg, Stacy Martin, and Vondie Curtis-Hall also star.
The Night House premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically released in the US in August of 2021 by Searchlight Pictures. It has also been nominated for two Critics’ Choice Super Awards.
Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth (Rebecca Hall) is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tries as best she can to keep it together – but then nightmares come. Disturbing visions of a presence in the house calling to her, beckoning her with a ghostly allure. Against the advice of her friends, she begins digging into her husband’s belongings, yearning for answers. What she finds are secrets both strange and disturbing – a mystery she’s determined to unravel. — Searchlight landing page for The Night House
The movie starts with Beth trying to unpack her summer home — a place she was expecting to share and create memories with her husband, who has just committed suicide. As she unpacks (both her feelings and the boxes), Beth discovers some strange things in her husband’s possessions. Additionally, she begins to experience paranormal phenomena in the house, and outside of it.
And across the lake, a house appears at night where no house should be.
The Review
What’s a woman to do when her husband commits suicide and then she starts discovering strange secrets while trying to move on? Sheesh.
Rebecca Hall does an amazing job in this film, portraying the complex emotions a person feels after the death of a loved one with masterful execution. Heavy with atmosphere, the film drowns you in suspense. Honestly it had my rapt attention the whole movie.
Regular readers of my blog will know I love movies that can be interpreted in different ways, depending on how you view it (ex. Oculus, one of my favourite movies of all time) and The Night House is no different. Everything that happens in the movie is seen through the eyes of a grieving woman, who also suffers from depression and is drinking rather heavily. Is what happens real? Or is it all just a metaphor for mental illness and grief?
That’s really up to you, dear reader. As always, I always lean into the supernatural.
Either way, this movie is a hell of a ride. The cinematography, the music and sound-scaping, and excellent acting create the perfect combination for a chilling experience.
This review might seem rather surface level, but that’s only because I really don’t want to spoil anything that would take away from your experience with the film. But trust me when I say, this was an awesome movie and a great example of how effective a slow burn of a movie can be.
8/10
x PLM
