Naty's Spooky Corner

His House

★★★★★

Sunday, February 21, 2021, 11:11 PM

The 2020 film follows the lives of a deeply traumatized married couple, Bol and Rail, as they struggle to seek asylum in a quiet English town. As lucky as they are to finally step into the real world and way from their detention center they quickly come to realize that their new home is also inhabited by the tormented souls of all the people who did not survive their perilous journey through the stormy mediterranean waters - including their own daughter Nyagak. Confronted with the very real haunting and with the weight of his own misdeeds, Bol struggles to make a new life in spite of all the bumps in the night. Whereas Rial, the more spiritually in-tune of the pair quickly discerns why there are so many ghosts peering in through the holes in the wall.

Wow. I have to give this film a big hearty “wow”. Now, where to begin?

*Spoiler Alert*

It saddens me to say that as of right now, this is the only supernatural horror film that I have seen centered around a couple struggling to survive in a land that is so different from their own. Burdened with the desperate need to assimilate, we see our main characters struggle - as many immigrants do - with a new language, new culture, and of course, the underlying racism of their new home. One of the most jarring scenes follows Rail as she struggles to find a local doctors office. She seeks help from three black men chatting in the streets and is met by ridicule and cruelty from the people that she thought would at least sympathize with her honest confusion - further driving the underlying cultural narrative of “your kind are not welcome here”.

This film also did an excellent job at displaying the supernatural horror stemming from the very real horror that they witnessed in their previous lives living in the war torn Southern Sudan, as well as the horrors of navigating the refugee system in supposedly supportive countries. The movie itself opens with an image of Bol and Rial huddling on an overpacked truck bed with Nyagak, staring off into the dusty horizon, as the rest of their neighbors are gunned down by violent mercenaries. And despite all this trauma, their own case worker asserts that they must fit into the “good immigrant” trope or else be sent back to their once loving and now blood soaked village - because that’s not a whole nightmare in itself, right?

Despite the ghosts and ghouls poking around throughout the night and Bol’s increasing descent into madness, each revealing scene is a beautifully crafted surrealist view into his inner psyche. There are many instances in which Bol must face the scorned spirits of all the poor victims who did not survive their midnight maritime journey to the lonely island, and who are understandably very, very pissed off with their untimely end.
 
There are a number of reasons as to why this film is just so damn good, and I am excited to continue to see its reception in the cinematic world.

Overall Spooky Rating: 5/5

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