Netflix isn’t running shy of any new content and they’re only continuing to use their massive budget to create even more projects. Anything ranging from horror, romance, action, and even Christmas movies are showing up on the platform. With Halloween on the way this month, horror/thriller His House is on the roster waiting to be watched, and it has yet to get the buzz it should have initially. The movie was a Sundance Film selection, and with the right amount of viewing numbers, this one is sure to catch fire.
His House is a flick that is sure to raise eyebrows. This subject plays a major role in the plot, but as it turns out, that is only a piece of the puzzle.
In a day and age when refugees and asylum seekers take centre stage of the world, His House is a flick that is sure to raise eyebrows. This subject plays a major role in the plot, but as it turns out, that is only a piece of the puzzle. The leading characters ‘Bol’ and ‘Rial’ played by Sope Dirisu and Wumni Mosaku, are a refugee couple who’ve just recently made their way over to England on a long and dangerous trip from Sudan. After a brief detention period, the government places them on a probationary period for asylum seekers, providing them a small house and a chance to prove they can integrate into the United Kingdom’s way of life. As Bol tries harder to be a part of their new home, Rial clings to her homeland culture. Meanwhile, they find that they may not be alone in their house, as they begin to endure a presence of a super natural nature.
Believe this when it is said: this is unlike any horror/thriller movie ever produced. There is a lot about it that is straight forward, more about it that is thematic, and much about it that gives the audience a reason to care as opposed to being afraid. British writer/director Remi Weekes slam dunks his first feature film project, using source material from a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. The cinematography is exceptional, especially in how the dream scenes were shot, and the picture and editing are first class. Both leads deliver a smash performance, giving the audience a reason to feel sympathetic to their situation even though it’s written to eventually show just how flawed their circumstances actually are. The most impressive part is the story. It’s not going to be a movie that viewers are expecting to see, and that misdirection plays to the strength of it as a whole.
The only way to describe His House is by saying “wow”. On the surface it looks only like a typical horror movie. Nothing could be further from the truth, as this movie has more heart and soul than most movies like this are probably supposed to have. As contested a topic as asylum seeking is, it’s also a story that will strike a nerve more prominently with some whilst giving others a look into the harsh reality that is being a refugee and the unfortunate sacrifices they sometimes make in the hopes of a better existence.
