Is His House Worth Your Time?
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
If you've been on Netflix recently you'll have likely been bashed around the head with a loud and unsettling trailer for a film called "His House", because let's be honest, Netflix isn't great at keeping new releases subtle and instead have perfected the art of having 2 million trailers playing all at once while you struggle to find something to watch. His House (written and directed by Remi Weekes) focuses on the story of a couple who escape the horrors of a war torn South Sudan and flee to the UK as asylum seekers; they are posted on bail and are provided with a sad excuse for a house (in a less than savoury estate in London). However, this wouldn't be a thriller/horror if they just lived happily ever after... They soon begin to realise that they are not alone in the house and so begins the unsettling and frightening journey to discover the source of their hauntings.
Before any ghosts arrive on the scene, the first difficulty this couple must first overcome is the grim and sad reality of how asylum seekers are unfortunately treated by a minority of people. They are met with prejudice and racism despite being good people seeking a better life for themselves and I found these parts quite uncomfortable and difficult to watch. So naturally the couple seek shelter in their new home, something this film does brilliantly is use the concept of a house as a living, breathing thing. The idea of a house is to keep you warm and safe, however, this film flips that idea on its head with the threat residing within the very walls of the thing that should keep you safe. This turns the house into a character itself and into an almost literal prison.
His House doesn't just go with the "get out of jail free card" for its hauntings like most horror films have done for the past decade, but instead decides to blend African culture and folk lore with horror. To be honest, I found this quite fascinating and refreshing, as copy and paste Conjuring films have watered down the variety of horror films being released in recent years. The film also makes it clear that the experiences and trauma they experienced in their home country, as well as the tragic loss of their daughter on the crossing over to the UK lives with them both, haunts them, similar to how PTSD would affect a soldier.
The two protagonists Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku do an excellent job of portraying a worn down and world weary couple, who, even after all they've been through, remain hopeful for their future and are grateful for the simple things that most people born and raised in the UK take for granted. I found this quite thought-provoking and made me realise how grateful I am for my own situation and environment.
Overall, I was really pleasantly surprised by this film, which quietly arrived on the scene, and found it genuinely scary, without all the cliché horror tropes you usually expect. So if you're still craving a scare after a lackluster 2020 Halloween, then this is definitely a film to watch.
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