"There's an argument to be made that " the real monster is trauma" has become an overused trope in modern horror. Hereditary, The Babadook, and, much less effectively, Smile, are just a few higher-profile examples. But, if you ask me, few films have deployed this trope quite as effectively as the 2020 film His House. The film follows Bol and Rial, refugees from South Sudan, played by Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku."
"But you don't come to a horror film for dramatic tour de forces (that's just a bonus), you come to it for the scares, and His House delivers. Bol and Rial are placed in a crumbling house on the outskirts of London. There are holes in the wall, the wallpaper is peeling, and the electricity is fickle. Still, it's a home and a chance to escape the civil war and genocide engulfing their homeland."
"But writer and director Remi Weekes doesn't waste much time before ramping up the tension. There are jump scares, but much of the horror in His House comes from the claustrophobic sense of unease. There's something in the walls, but also something in the air - not just inside the walls of the house, but on the streets of the neighborhood they've been placed in. There are no friendly faces. Every interaction with their new neighbors drips with menace."
His House follows Bol and Rial, South Sudanese refugees resettled in a dilapidated house on London's outskirts. Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku deliver powerful performances that elevate the material beyond standard trauma-focused horror. The house's peeling wallpaper, faulty electricity, and holes create a claustrophobic setting. Tension builds through jump scares and sustained unease, as something inhabits both the walls and the surrounding neighborhood. Interactions with neighbors and aid workers drip with contempt and menace. Bol's struggle to assimilate and the guilt over those left behind intensify psychological pressure, with flashbacks revealing the sacrifices and choices of their escape.
Read at The Verge
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