The Night House feels somewhat divorced from modern horror cinema, preferring a slow and deliberate sense of pacing over easier jump scares. By being willing to explore the depths of grief, along with some clever horror elements, The Night House achieves a classical horror feel -- thanks, in part, to its talented cast and the impressive directing from David Bruckner.
The Night House centers around high school teacher Beth (Rebecca Hall), still coming to terms with the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). Despite attempts from her friend Claire (Sarah Goldberg) and kind neighbor Mel (Vondie Curtis-Hall) to get her to leave their former house behind and find closure, Beth finds that she can't escape the fallout of Owen's death. Increasingly, she believes that she may be haunted by something more than just her memories. Written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, the script nails the uneasy tone of the overall film. While it may feel clunky, at times, The Night House's fully committed cast brings a genuine element to the proceedings that helps elevate it.
The Night House takes its time with its premise. It methodically uses this time to delve into questions of guilt, sorrow, and the emptiness these questions can leave behind. The film is just as fascinated by the deteriorating mental health of Beth as it is with the afterlife.
Hall does tremendous work with the film, imbuing Beth not just with the traditional grief and anger one would feel in such a situation, but with a wry sense of humor and a cynical edge that can't help but be chipped away at as more unexplainable elements overtake her life. Goldberg and Curtis-Hall make the most of their relatively minor roles, giving their potentially stock characters more personality and life than they may have had otherwise.
However, the film's script loses some steam towards the third act when the truth is exposed. While these reveals can feel clunky, at times, this section of the film is luckily where Bruckner truly excels. Previously having directed a number of shorter horror segments in anthology films like Southbound and V/H/S, as well as 2017's The Ritual, Bruckner's confidence as a director shines in a series of trippy, surprising, and sometimes stunning sequences that find unique ways to deliver scares. More than that, it fully commits to a visual mood and tone that makes it stand out. In particular, there's a sequence towards the end of the film that's one of the more unexpected and exciting horror scenes in recent years.
While the script may have some faults as it approaches the narrative's more metaphysical questions -- and contains a late-game twist that honestly may determine one's true enjoyment of the film overall -- the cast never lets up and the direction. Coupled with Elisha Christian's cinematography, The Night House is visually compelling throughout its runtime. Harkening back to an era of horror when mood and tone were far more important to jump scares or gore, The Night House feels like a classic from that era crafted with modern filmmaking flourishes. It's an unapologetically heady horror film that manages to not get lost in itself.