His House makes you want to overstay your welcome
His House, the debut feature film from director Remi Weekes, follows a young married couple fleeing from their war-torn Sudanese roots to find a better life in England. Upon settling down in their government-assigned housing, the refugees find that evil stalks deep beneath the glossy surface of their new dwelling. The couple must juggle the evil under their own roof while simultaneously trying to assimilate into a foreign culture. All the while, old secrets brew underneath waiting to resurface and ruin everything they had worked so hard to build.
His House shines a light on the struggles of refugees and migrants
The horror genre has always been an impactful medium for expressing social commentary and the fears we grapple with in the world around us. From the attention to race and social class presented way back in Bernard Rose’s Candyman to the modern ramifications of privilege portrayed in Jordan Peele’s Us, we have seen how the real and palpable fears we grapple with in society can be expressed through visceral horror on the silver screen. His House follows the same winning formula, grappling with the challenges immigrants and refugees face when placed in a new culture and how the horrors and burdens they carry with them might be the most frightening part of it all.
His House sends the viewer reeling between repressed memories of a past life while being inundated with the responsibilities and processes of a new one. The forced perspective allows the audience to resonate and absorb the experience of the protagonists, never getting comfortable through the racing 93-minute run time. Coupled with horrifying visuals and a seething and culturally relevant score, Remi Weekes shows polished directorial prowess, effortlessly building tension into a mind-bending climax and subtle surprises along the way. In a powerful piece of social commentary blended with truly terrifying folklore and imagery, His House is the perfect addition to your Halloween season this year.
You can currently stream His House on Netflix.
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Do you enjoy the blend of societal themes and horror? What’s your favorite example of this? Let us know in the comments!