His House (2020) Review

Yes, I know Halloween was last week and I am late with this review but better late then never so here is my review for the new Netflix Horror Film His House. The premise of the film sees a refugee couple arrive in the UK but struggle to adapt to new life. 

Main Character

Sope Dirisu who did a great job on Gangs Of London plays the main character here and once again he does a great job, he delivers a strong performance that makes you interested in his character. He just does a good job as a lead male in a horror film, there isn't much else to explain without spoilers just that he is really good. 

Supporting Characters 

Wunmi Mosaku who was on Lovecraft Country, though I didn't care much for her character Ruby, also does a great job here. Her and Dirisu have a great dynamic and actually it very well could be argued that she is the protagonist of the film and the moral centre. She does a great job here and adds plenty to her role and the film that you are watching. Matt Smith has a small role here and he does a good job when on screen, he doesn't take away from the film by being in it too much and actually adds plenty to the film and his relationship with the two leads works well. 

Story 

The story is good, especially in the last act for me. There is a twist in the movie that made it way more interesting for me and by holding off on it the reveal felt more impactful, also just the feeling of the surroundings was done well and made you feel stuck in this place with the couple. Though I will say that the first like 30 mins are fine but a bit slow, you aren't really given much in terms of plot and it feels a bit like it is moving through the numbers but it does pick up as it goes on. 

Script     

The script is okay, it creates a tense filled atmosphere and helps develop its characters to make them interesting. There is some decent dialogue here but nothing particularly memorable and no real moments to rise it above other horror films. 

Style 

The film does a good job of unnerving the audience and the characters, it relies on tension building instead of jump scares (mostly) which makes it more scary in my opinion. The film also is only 90 mins which is a good thing because any longer would have been too long, though I will say the pacing isn't quite there as I mentioned in the story section as to why it holds the film back. 

Overall

Overall, this is a strongly acted tension filled horror film that is a good watch. It isn't going to change the horror movie genre but if you like horror films and have 90 mins free then I would say it is worth a go. 

Rating - 7/10