Imagine
if Jerry Zucker’s Ghost had been tweaked into a terrifying horror movie rather
than a paranormal romance. That is basically where this film starts, but it
goes off in a crazy occult direction all its own. Being a grieving young widow
is still painfully hard and it only gets harder in David Bruckner’s The Night
House, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
It
is hard to blame Beth for using a whole lot of wine to self-medicate the pain
of her husband Owen’s recent inexplicable suicide. He left a note, but it takes
her a while to summon the resolve to read it and when she does, it makes
absolutely no sense. As she drinks herself to sleep, she starts to feel Owen’s
presence. The sensation grows in intensity, as things start to go bump in the
night. That might sound like a relatively conventional movie haunting, but the
uncanny goings-on take on sinister metaphysical dimensions as Beth follows Owen’s
trail down the rabbit-hole.
Getting
too specific would be spoilery, but there are a number of original elements in Ben
Collins and Luke Piotrowski’s screenplay that are really creepy. This might be
Bruckner’s best work at the helm (even better than The Ritual), but he
gets critical contributions from the art and design team. From the eerie
looking lake house to some ominous rare books Beth unearths, the props and settings
really help intensify the vibe of deepening dread.
To
put it in plain language: this film is terrifying. However, Evangelicals and other
devout Christians should be strongly cautioned—this film will profoundly
trouble you. That is not because it portrays Christians as caricatures or mocks
their faith. Such boorishness is easily dismissed. This film cuts deeper than
that.
Be
that as it may, Rebecca Hall gives probably the most emotionally raw
performance in a horror film since Toni Collette in Hereditary. Her unflinchingly
honest portrayal of Beth is probably just as unsettling as all the supernatural
stuff. She is nicely balanced by Sarah Goldberg, who comes across as very real
and genuine playing Beth’s close friend and school colleague Claire. Plus, it
is also nice to see Vondie Curtis-Hall bringing some gravitas to the film as Mel,
the concerned neighbor (and he should be concerned).
This
is a remarkably accomplished film, in which all the elements work in concert to
scare the pants off viewers. Elisha Christian’s spooky cinematography and David
Marks’ incisive editing are particularly effective at keeping us on the edge of
our seats. Very highly recommended for horror fans, The Night House screens
again tomorrow (1/29) and Saturday (2/1) in Park City, as part of this year’s Sundance.