Direction: David Bruckner
Country: USA
Rebecca Hall delivers a breathtaking performance in The Night House, a measured combination of mournful drama and psychological horror directed by Dave Bruckner (The Ritual, 2017) who worked from a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski.
Carrying the film on her shoulders, Hall reflects the negative mental state of the protagonist, Beth, who deals with resentment, depression and shock after the unexpected death of her husband by suicide. She finds herself alone in the isolated house he built in the woods, descending into hell as she gradually unwraps uncomfortable facts about his recent past. Hurt but not defeated, and sometimes sarcastic, she proves to be courageous in the face of the supernatural forces that haunt the place, giving her nightmares.
Although the film may prevent greater involvement from the viewers - especially in its last third - it’s impossible not to admire how the film was mounted. A restless exercise that never really gets under the skin but gets us minimally interested throughout. This is far from something to be remembered but it will serve the ones intrigued by the forces of darkness and the inaccessible corners of the mind.
