The Night House

Ten Second Review: Stand out performances and delicate and effective scares make this horror'/thriller a good night out and a creepy night in.

I love a bit of horror. So bad it’s good, genuinely terrifying, campy b-movie; if there’s people down for the ride, I love to through on a horror film. So where does The Night House fall?

After her husband’s sudden suicide, Beth (Rebecca Hall) is returning to work and returning to the home that he built for them. When she here’s things in the night, she passes it off as nightmares but as her dreams and her reality start to blur, she’ll have no choice but to face them.

The tension in this film was at points palpable. It had me on the edge of my seat and I put this mainly down to two reasons. The first is the excellent use of cinematography and careful use of effects. The layouts and blending left me feeling cautious as the camera moved and excited to see where the story was going. It has a classic horror story vibe without ever feeling dated or pastiche-y. It hits just the right notes to keep it creepy and tense.

The second reason was Rebecca Hall. She gives a superb performance and really delves deep into the mind of a person suffering from grief. You really can’t know what’s real and what’s not and Hall sells this emotional rollercoaster perfectly in a stand out showing.

I’m sure some will feel that the story has some odd beats that maybe could have been explained a little better, but I would argue that some room for discussion and audience’s own interpretation is actually perfect for a film of this nature. It poses you the choice of what certain happenings might be or might mean.

The Night House is a wonderful blend of old and new that left me feeling the good kind of tense and scared. For those who like to curl up into their chair (or on the sofa at home), this one will surely give you what you crave.