The Night House - A Movie Review

Keep the past locked up and move forward. Build new memories.

The Night House was released to theaters in 2021. After her husband commits suicide, Beths learns secrets. In her grief, strange events happen in her home. Learning about a separate house across the lake, Beth investigates further.

I had chills running down my spine while watching The Night House. Ever since I saw the movie poster I wanted to see this movie. While I have some issues with the ending, The Night House is an on-edge thriller that is open to interpretation.

Rebecca Hall is engrossing in her performance. Hall embraces her characters broken and frantic mindset. My favorite aspect of her performance was her extraordinary countenance. Learning secrets that she may have been better off not knowing, Beth’s instincts are put to the test.

After seeing her astonishing performance in the HBO series, Barry, I was so excited to see Sarah Goldberg. Goldberg is impressive showcasing more of her acting abilities. She does a tremendous job playing Beth’s supportive friend, Claire. You will always have a friend to watch your back.

Other credits include Vondie Curtis-Hall, Even Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin, David Abeles, and Christina Jackson. Overall, the cast did a great job. They all found the mindset of their characters, no matter how small their part was. And they were all supportive of Beth. That’s what I liked most. No matter how people grieve, give them time, and be open-minded.

The camera angles had a life of their own, inhabiting a physical presence. Indulging in close-ups of objects, land, or character reactions, the cinematography was impressive. It is one of the most notable features in the film.

David Bruckner did an incredible job with the execution of the film, especially with his actors. He knew how to interlace the horror. Sitting in the theater, my eyes remained glued to the screen the entire time. Every noise, camera pan, and subtle background moment made me jump. Another being is watching you. Bruckner did a great job with the editing.

Living alone by a lake adds to the horror. Filmmakers found a stunning location along with a beautiful house on the lake. Although I wanted to live in this house, every creek or dark corner put me on the watch for anything that would happen.

Let’s talk about the story. It lost its originality halfway through. Instead of talking about the house’s dark backstory, it decided to go on a different route. It made me think of The Invisible Man with the direction the story went.

There were missed opportunities to talk further about the unidentifiable presence in the house. More could have been done to discuss the house’s otherworldly effects. It had a cool angle. Based on design plans, I was expecting another dimension.

The ending is up to interpretation. The ending could have been written better because it came out of nowhere. Instead, it leads into a confusing story that feels like it should have been in a different film.

Don’t give up once the movie ends. There is a lot to think about by the conclusion. While I was confused, it allowed me to think about the meaning of the whole story.

I believe that the film’s meaning implies that we should let go of the ghosts from our past so we can keep living life. The past can hurt, but we have a chance to build new memories.

I recommend that you see The Night House in theaters. There were a couple of times where I jumped in my seat. It is not to be missed.