The Night House — Very Scary without Gore and Makes You Think
Watched The Night House last night and it was one of more scary movies recently; especially since it didn’t resort to a bunch of splatter and gore. The suspense came from uncertainty about what was going on and the situations the protagonist is in.
There are definitely some chilling, scary scenes, where the camera plays with shadows and angles.
It’s one of those movies where you have to think afterward about what actually happened. There are several small, but critical moments you want to go back and rewatch to try and determine what is real and what isn’t. My wife and I talk after movies like that and dissect it. We try to figure out what the original idea was and how it developed into story. After all, that’s our profession. On this one, I wondered at first if it started as a straight suspense story and then the paranormal got layered on to take it in another direction. But I don’t think so. I think it started with the paranormal, which is a very good idea that even after the ending, leaves you with possibilities. Who exactly was responsible for what?
As noted, no gore. Some reflected, literally, violence. But a terrible title. What does The Night House mean? I got the sense that the second house played a much larger role initially, but that got edited back. Even so, as someone who has picked terrible titles for my books early in my career (Eyes of the Hammer, for instance), it just doesn’t draw you in. Despite that . . .
If you want an edge of your seat paranormal, this is a must see. Let me know what you think really happened.
