Netflix viewers are still trying to catch their breath after stumbling upon His House, a horror flick that crept up from the shadows of the streaming giant’s catalog and clawed its way to a flawless 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
This film is not your typical scream-and-run ghost story, it is far deeper, scarier and personal.
A New Home or A New Hell
Remi Weekes’ directorial debut, dropped in 2020, might have flown under the radar at first, but now it’s haunting everyone who dares to press play. The film follows a South Sudanese refugee couple trying to start anew in a bleak corner of England.
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However, what sets His House apart isn’t just the ghosts lurking in the dark corners, it’s the reality crawling underneath. Racism from suspicious neighbors, the looming threat of deportation, and trauma clinging to them like a second skin make this more than a haunted house tale. Rial, the mother, starts to sense something ancient and malevolent within their new home, something that ties back to a grim piece of their past. Her visions hit like alternate realities and drag her back to the horrors they escaped.
There’s no easing into this nightmare. The pace is sharp and in just 93 minutes, Weekes constructs a pressure cooker of dread and sorrow that forces the viewer to confront not only fear, but guilt and the monstrous cost of survival. No wonder critics couldn’t stop singing its praises.
Critics Are Obsessed and For Good Reason
Following its release, The Guardian wrote, “There are strong performances from Dirisu and Mosaku, acing roles of great technical and emotional difficulty, securing our investment in their journey, one that has greater stakes than the average haunted house horror. At a tight 93 minutes, Weekes knows how to pace his story with the assurance of a film-maker with far more experience, a tenacious calling card that should pique the interest of observant Hollywood execs as it simultaneously scares its way into your house when it lands on Netflix.”
Audiences felt the impact of the film as well. One critic wrote on Rotten Tomatoes, “I cannot wait to see what director Remi Weekes does next. His House blew me away with how it successfully reinvents the haunted house story to explore the horrors of being an immigrant in a xenophobic world.”
Another penned on X, “If you enjoyed Wunmi Mosaku in SINNERS, then HIS HOUSE on Netflix *needs* to be your next watch. For my money, it was the best horror movie of 2020. One of the few theatrical experiences I’ve had where you could literally feel everyone around you tremble in their seats.”
If you enjoyed Wunmi Mosaku in SINNERS, then HIS HOUSE on Netflix *needs* to be your next watch.
For my money, it was the best horror movie of 2020. One of the few theatrical experiences I’ve had where you could literally feel everyone around you tremble in their seats. pic.twitter.com/fT5DHDelQr
One user tweeted, “So. If I use this 🚩, it means I desperately need you to trust me. Remi Weekes’ His House (2020) is one of the most jaw dropping directorial debuts I have ever seen. If you’ve wanted prestige, black horror. It’s here. it’s on Netflix.”
So.
If I use this 🚩, it means I desperately need you to trust me.
Remi Weekes’ His House (2020) is one of the most jaw dropping directorial debuts I have ever seen.
