Part of Netflix’s packed Halloween lineup, dubbed “Netflix and Chills,” the streaming platform fittingly saves its most chilling entry for release on Devil’s Night. Merging real world horrors with the supernatural, by way of striking horror imagery that’ll leave you clamoring for the night light, His House delivers potent scares perfect for the Halloween season.
His House follows husband-and-wife Sudanese refugees Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku). They’ve fled their war-torn village, crossed the ocean, survived a degrading stint in a U.K. detention facility, and have been finally granted an opportunity for housing in their new country. That opportunity comes in the form of a large yet dingy apartment, full of roaches and rot, in an unfriendly neighborhood where they seem to be the only immigrants. Almost immediately, it becomes clear that Bol and Rial don’t just face hostility outside the walls of their new home, but inside as well. Each night brings visceral terrors, as evil may have followed them over from their old country.
Straight away, writer/director Remi Weekes’ feature debut answers the question that plagues most haunted house stories; why can’t the residents simply flee and never look back? Bol and Rial are stuck in place by bureaucracy, forced to adhere to strict rules and regulations of living there. They’re to report to an assigned social worker (Matt Smith), who treats them with thinly veiled disdain that sends the clear message that the slightest bit of trouble will result in their ousting back to the detention center, or worse. The real-world application adds heft and stakes to the increasingly disturbing paranormal activity.
Weekes demonstrates a clear vision and firm grasp of scare crafting here. His House offers one of the year’s most effective scares, and a menacing new figure of terror. Credited as The Witch, played by horror stalwart Javier Botet (REC, It), this evil entity unleashes nightmarish torment upon the couple. This spectral torment, combined with the stresses of their past and present situation, puts a severe strain on Bol and Rial’s marriage. Though, considering the increasingly dangerous encounters with The Witch, that’s likely the least of their worries.
Where His House wavers, however, is in the increasingly muddied unfurling of Sol and Rial’s full account of their escape and the sins committed during the increasingly dangerous journey. As Weekes weaves back and forth between memories, nightmarish visions, and moments in time, it takes a while to process what the narrative is trying to convey about Sol and Rial’s relationships and character. What saves it from becoming too convoluted is the potent imagery, both real and imagined. That stunning imagery is bolstered by gorgeous cinematography from Jo Williams (30 Days of Night).
His House does present a clear picture of the terrors of immigration and the oppression that entails. Still, it’s more interested in exploring survivor’s guilt and the haunting memories of what’s left behind. There’s an ocean of unspoken pain between Bol and Rial, which threatens to sink them both in their precarious new life. While Dirisu and Mosaku bring emotional authenticity to their roles, their characters’ arcs feel disjointed in places.
Still, it’s a strong debut by Weekes and nails the essential part of a horror movie: the horror. For all the existential terror that Bol and Rial face in their new lives, the director keeps a firm grip on the supernatural, too. It’s clear His House aims to scare you, and it succeeds, even when the story falters a bit. The mythology presented behind the evil plaguing Bol and Rial leaves you wanting to know more. It helps that Botet has an uncanny talent for bringing monstrous characters to life. For those in the mood for a good scare this Halloween, His House brings the chills.
His House is available on Netflix now.
