Premise: A refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface. (Google)
What I LOVED: I’m ashamed it took me this long to watch this horror/thriller. Not only is it acted to near perfection by our two leads, the story is focus squarely on the Afro-Diaspora experience. It doesn’t focus square on the horrors of the war our couple fled, nor does it just force us to relive it for shock value. It’s all apart of the layered story presented to us. I was so impressed at how the scares were multifaceted – gore, noises in the dark, jump scares, all of it worked, because the characters had depth and pain. The atmosphere in the film feels/is cruel whether our refugee couple are haunted by nightmares of their past or faced with micro aggressions (cutting looks, jokes) that slice like paper cuts.
By the rolling credits, His House received a standing ovation from me. The cruelty of racism and the immigrant assimilation story isn’t told too often. And it’s a gem that it was dissected through a horror lens.
What I Didn’t Like/Verdict: The fact that you can only watch His House on Netflix is a shame because it deserves a theatrical release. It definitely a MUST Watch!