His House

Just when you think you think you have seen everything the haunted house genre can offer, Remi Weekes impressive feature debut offers more than just a simple haunting….

Any new horror film that manages to push the long old genre into a bold and refreshing new direction, will always deserve respect from fans and His House, which is winning rave acclaim from those who have already seen, is destined to be one of the best horror flicks you’ll see this year.

There is so much layers to Remi Weekes stunning directing debut that its amazing to think what else he is going to bring to the genre, his name now being added to the list next to Ari Aster as a one to look out for.

This film is haunted throughout, with each frame, dripped with the dread of what real life is for some people, forget the ghouls who are hidden in the walls, its the real life plight of Asylum Seekers and they hope to live in a Britain that is without question broken that is the most scary aspect of this plot.

Even before they enter their house of horror, the world has already been a scary and terrible place for two African refugees couple Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) having lost a child on their horrific journey to find a better place to live and finally being accepted in the UK and given a house and being watched over by the case worker ( a back seat role for the always excellent Matt Smith).

Its not exactly a warm place to greet you with loving arms, with decay in the walls, flickering lights and household waste littered outside. Things get even crazier when they both start hearing and seeing strange things. Ghostly giggles of a child, to freaky figures in the dark. to eventually something living inside the wall.

The horror scenes itself may surprise you as its expertly done with some frightful images that rank among the best you’ll see in any horror of 2020.

So what is it? Are the couple struggling with PTSD, or is there exactly something evil lurking in the far corners of their house? Its a journey that many horror fans will lavish to discover.

Like Get Out and the recent Spiral, His House uses social issues to bring the terror home. Here its the plight of people longing for a better life, which makes many viewers witness the horrors they see and live, long before a ghost shows up,

For that, director Weekes deserves all the credit and more for what he is trying to say with His House. The finale may leave some hoping for a bit more bite, but this is not that kind of film or tale,

The scariest moment of the film does not in fact involve any haunting figure but that of Rial, nervous, his brain crying out for help, having seen the terror within the walls of his house, hoping to convince his case worker that they need a new home. The reply that the authorities are just looking for an excuse to boot them back home, is a harrowing nightmare for Rial who is living a hell, that thousands out there are experiencing.

Its a real life horror, dressed up as a ghost story and yet its one of those harrowing reality tales that the genre so desperately needed.