The House is now streaming on Netflix.
Stop motion animation movies have mostly been associated with children. Whether it is the theme or the look of the animation, stop motion movies geared towards children seem to get more shine than the ones that are made for adults. What if the format that makes you think of children’s movies was used in a more mature way? You still get the cute, familiar look that feels safe but the stories told are dark and make you feel uneasy.
This is what the new Netflix anthology The House does to you. It pulls you in with the cute looks of the characters and then does a one-eighty. All three stories are centered around one house but what happens to the inhabitants of the house varies and plays to the mystique of the house.
The first story, which in my opinion is the scariest, deals with a family that is living by their means but that is not enough for their in-laws. When visiting to see the newest addition to the family, the daughter, Mabel, sees how cruel her aunts and uncles are. The father, Raymond, holds in his frustration with his family but at night goes out in the woods to get some “fresh air” and drinks a little too much. Unbeknownst to his wife, Raymond makes an agreement with an eccentric stranger he meets in the forest. This agreement is a gift for the family, a house being built for them, and all they have to do is move into the house once it is complete.
While this may sound like a great deal to impress Raymond’s family we find out that the designer of the home has more planned for Raymond and his wife than they originally were told. Here is where the story takes a turn and we see how the house is slowly changing Raymond and Penny. As the audience, we see all the changes through Mabel’s eyes. Mabel, who is caring for her sister Isobel, must navigate the everchanging house and try to survive. As Mabel, we see how wanting something that others will admire might not be worth the price you pay.
The second story deals with a contractor who is remodeling the same house. This segment seems to be set in modern times as evidenced by the contractor’s smartphone. As the story plays out we see how the house slowly starts to take its new form and also the critters that inhabit it. While working on the kitchen we see bugs crawling through the woodwork to the point that the contractor sprays down the entire house with bug spray to kill them all.
Throughout the segment, he is constantly calling someone on the phone who he refers to as “sweetheart” and troubles them with the issues he is having as he gears toward his open house. As the event comes around we see how all the work he did goes unnoticed by those in attendance. We also are introduced to two “interested” buyers for the house who might have some sinister motives. Due to the bugs in this one, I was reminded of the Creepshow segment “They’re Creeping Up on You” with all the roaches. While the ending to this one is not that skin-crawly, it will make you feel itchy for a few hours after watching it.
The last segment seems to take place in an apocalyptic era where the house is surrounded by water and run by a cat named Rosa. Rosa has two tenants in the entire house and it seems that they are not the best tenants to have. One pays in fish, Elias, while the other one pays in Chakra cleansing stones and herbal tea, Jen. Rosa is too occupied in remodeling the house that she has no time to relax with her tenants and just watch television together.
Although they all live together, we learn that Rosa doesn’t really know her tenants and who they are. When Jen’s friend Cosmos shows up the dynamic of the house is changed. Cosmos tells Rosa he can help with the repairs of the house but his motives are different than hers. This new dynamic makes Rosa see what’s important and realize the things she has been missing. Cosmos also gives her the strength to do something she did not know she could.
Final Thoughts: The House is a great getaway from the monotony of movies and shows that are streaming on most platforms today. It treats the audience with respect and takes them on a journey that they were not expecting. It is incredibly well made and the stories pull you in and you want more once they are done. This is a can’t miss movie!
Kid-Friendly: While the look of it is kid-friendly, the themes might be a little too much for younger viewers. There are definitely some scenes that will send chills down their spine and might make it difficult for them to sleep at night. If we had to give this an age range we would say children ages 12 and up.
Violence: There is not any violence in this movie. There are scary images but nothing that would be considered violent.
The House is an eccentric dark comedy about a house and the three surreal tales of the individuals who made it their home. An anthology directed by the leading voices in independent stop motion animation: Emma de Swaef and Marc Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr and Paloma Baeza and produced by Nexus Studios.