THE NIGHT HOUSE – Review

Okay, we know. Last Friday was the thirteenth, the day that the studio generally releases a spooky flick to chill the bones (and get butts in the seats). And the thriller sequel DON’T BREATHE 2 was unleashed. But that doesn’t mean that the following Friday can’t get one too. And what better place to encounter some “unfriendly spirits” than a creeky ole’ haunted mansion. That’s the reasoning behind the new fright flick, except…This spectral showcase is nearly brand new. Still, there are lots of strange stuff happening when the sun goes down at THE NIGHT HOUSE.

As the story starts, we’re viewing shaky home videos and wedding photos of the happy couple who occupied the newly built home tucked away in the woods on the banks of a tranquil lake. “Occupied’ is the proper term as the two-story lovenest is the site of a tender goodbye, as a friend tries to console recently widowed Beth (Rebecca Hall) after the memorial service for late hubby Owen (Evan Joingkeit). But people mourn in very different ways. As soon as her pal’s car pulls away, Beth dumps her food tray (a pan wrapped in foil, perhaps a lasagna) into the trash. Then it’s an uneasy overnight alone she’s awakened by odd noises and visions. The next morning Beth is surprised to see the gate to the dock swinging open. Luckily a concerned neighbor, Mel (Vondie Curtis-Hall) volunteers to help out and cover the canoe with a tarp. Her best pal Claire (Sarah Goldberg) is stunned when she returns (a little too early) to her job as a speech teacher at the local high school (a brusk meeting with a pushy parent does not go well). The nighttime weirdness continues as Beth begins sleepwalking. As she packs away Owen’s stuff she comes across obscure books about mazes and architectural “trickery” (he had done most of the building work on their home). Soon Beth is drawn to the area surrounding her home and discovers another, smaller version of the house that Owen built in a hidden spot in the forest. This raises “red flags” with both Mel and Claire as Beth begins getting night texts from Owen’s old number. Is he trying to tell her something? Perhaps warn her? And what of the handgun, the one that Owen used to end it all, that seems to move from one packing box to another?

Everything here depends on the performance of Hall as Beth, who’s basically our surrogate eyes, witnessing all the strangeness for us (and reacting to images and sounds that may not really exist). Hall elicits our sympathy in the first act as she navigates her new journey into widowhood. She has the expected vulnerability, but Hall surprises us by revealing Beth’s simmering anger, mostly directed at her hubby, and a bit at herself for not picking up on the “signs”. And just as she appears to give in to the terrors of the darkness, she fights back by diving deep into Owen’s shadowy past with a fervent zeal. The talented Hall has expertly balanced her career between intimate “indies’ like this (CHRISTINE is a stunner) and studio blockbusters, more recently as the big ape’s aide in GODZILLA VS. KONG, and even dipped her toes in the MCU with IRON MAN 3. Goldberg, best known as the flighty actress/girlfriend of HBO’s “Barry”, is very effective as Beth’s concerned and often puzzled BFF. And Curtis-Hall brings great warmth to his role as the neighbor pal who just may know more than he says but does his best to steer Beth away from a most deadly and dark path. Also of note is Stacy Martin, a bewildered bookseller somehow sucked into the secret life of beth’s secretive spouse.

A veteran of horror features and shorts, David Bruckner, directs with a deft hand, eschewing the loud noise “jump-scares’ so overused in many genre flicks. The quiet nighttime scenes build in intensity as he cleverly uses the angles of doorways and columns to suggest sinister silhouettes. There’s some gruesome imagery, but he never goes in for shock close-ups and doesn’t dive into gory details. An overall feeling of dread seeps into nearly every scene, even in the bright daylight, as the looming trees almost lean in to swallow up Beth. Unfortunately the script “goes off the rails” in the far too confusing third act, exploring parallel dimensions and spirit possessions, leading to a final denouncement that falls flat. leaving us with more queries as the end credits begin to roll. But Hall is a powerful and capable “horror heroine”, and her work more than merits a harrowing couple of evening hours in THE NIGHT HOUSE.

3 Out of 4

THE NIGHT HOUSE opens in theatres everywhere on 8/20/21