His House is on a limited cinema run now and is out on Netflix on 30th October

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the horror film Saint Maud. Needless to say I didn’t like it and I said that horror wasn’t my usual cup of tea. Therefore, I made the indescribably stupid decision to go and watch another horror film only a couple of weeks later, His House and guess what…

His House is a British independent horror and a directorial debut for Remi Weeks. Our lead characters are a Sudanese couple who have migrated from Sudan to Britain, on a terrifying journey. Having been in a detention centre, they are given a house to live in until their trial with the clear instruction that they must stay living there or else they will be deported. Once in there, things start getting weird as supernatural forces haunt our two characters in this place they can’t leave.

For a haunted house film to give us a real reason the characters must stay is a change. The film is thematically strong, looking at the migrant crisis in a new light. A good horror can truly reflect the horrors of society and this one does. You sit there wondering whether the ghosts are part of their imagination. They are a representation of the trauma they’ve faced to get to the UK and what they have sacrificed. It all adds up and it’s a wonderfully put together script for a brilliant pay off. There are also themes of how to adapt upon migration, whether embracing the new culture or holding onto the traditions of old. There is one moment of light relief where the male is in the pub and sings along to a football chant about Peter Crouch.

Both actors put in fantastic performances as well. Sope Dirisu leads the film with so much control and panic alongside Wunmi Mosaku whom in her fear perfectly balances with his. Both are scared and irrational, yet willing to do different things to solve their problems. We have two fleshed out characters with stories which aren’t directly told, yet we care about them and both the threats from inside and outside the house.

The pacing of the film was spot on. While at night we see more jump scares, there are day time moments where we see the threats of wider society. More nuanced and reflective, these allow us to take a breath and evaluate where we are in the story.

The atmosphere is great. We very rarely see much natural light, with the windows out of vision. The house crumbles as a metaphor for their depleting sanity in the situation and constantly feels smaller and smaller.

For those of whom have a strong aversion to horror, you probably won’t like this film. There are a number of jump scares, but the smarter elements of the story make up for this. The film could be divisive.

Summary

A smart horror film brilliantly written and acted, His House looks at the horrors that migrants to the UK face within society and within themselves. While not for everyone, fans of the genre will definitely have something great to watch on Halloween. [Grade: A]