We’ve seen this image before: an empty boat bobbing on the ripples of a quiet lake. Hell, even The Last of Us II begins with this same ominous vision. But while a strong narrative thread runs through the aforementioned video game, The Night House, the new film by David Bruckner (The Ritual) relies instead on atmosphere and emotional response. Unfortunately, that’s not enough,and The Night House joins the ranks of many modern horror films that look really damned good but make little sense.
Snapped up at Sundance by Fox Searchlight for a cool $12 million, The Night House certainly doesn’t feel like something a big studio would hurl onto the screen in late summer. There are no big stars and very little special effects. It is a sad story of a teacher (Rebecca Hall) grappling with the suicide of her husband. Much like the recent Nicolas Cage-vehicle, Pig, The Night House is a story about grief, but it gets lost in the film’s convoluted narrative.
The movie begins right after the funeral. Beth (Hall) returns to the modern lake house in upstate New York that her now-deceased husband, Owen (Evan Jonigkeit), had built with his two hands. A funereal feeling hangs over the film as Beth grapples with the fact that Owen went out into their rowboat and blew his brains out. But then strange things start happening. Bizarre noises ricochet through the house and odd text messages appear on Beth’s phone. The radio goes on spontaneously. Always the same Richard Thompson song. Is Beth dreaming or has Owen returned from the dead?
Hall does a really great job playing Beth, a woman at the end of her tether. Not only must she deal with Owen’s death, but she soon learns that he may have been unfaithful. There are also strange lights that appear across the lake at night. Is there another house there? Hall gives a strong performance, especially when working with Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski’s clumsy script. She isn’t helped either by a supporting cast (including Sarah Goldberg and Stacy Martin) who do very little with their flimsy characters.
Like Ghost, The Night House questions whether ghosts are terrifying or soothing. Unfortunately, a half-assed left turn into the occult and the introduction of a serial killer subplot completely derails any goodwill we may have had for Owen’s spirit. Why would Beth even consider allowing this spirit into her life after she uncovers his layers of lies? There are lots of mysteries at play here, including why Searchlight spent so much money on The Night House. You certainly shouldn’t.
Photo: COURTESY OF SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
The post The Night House appeared first on Spectrum Culture.