The Night House

The Night House
Starring Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin
Directed by David Bruckner

Suicide is never an easy topic to discuss, and even harder to deal with when a loved one opts to remove themself from this mortal coil. It's a very dark issue that affects those left behind in unimaginable ways, leaving more of a negative imprint on the landscape as opposed to other methods of death. Those left behind are haunted by questions: "did I miss something?" "Why did they do it?" "They didn't seem depressed." "Were there signs I could've seen?" These questions will eat away at those left and consume them in incredibly unhealthy ways, and "The Night House" really tackles that topic in a way that blends the real-life struggles with a supernatural entity that may or may not be benign.

A few days ago, schoolteacher Beth (Rebecca Hall) had a great life - a great job working with her best friend Claire (Sarah Goldberg), an immaculate house built by a lovely lake, and a loving husband of fourteen years in Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). Then it all comes crashing down one night when Owen takes the boat to the middle of the lake and puts a bullet in his head. All of a sudden Beth's life spirals out of control, as she struggles with why Owen would do such a thing - he seemed happy, he was a successful architect who constructed their home, and he showed no signs of depression. These questions haunt Beth in the daytime, and at night she suffers from dreams of another house - one that looks identical to hers, except everything is reversed. As the dreams seem to blend into reality, she begins to uncover a secret life that Owen kept from her, and an unresolved ghost from the past that threatens more than Beth's sanity.

"The Night House" is a cleverly crafted film from "The Rital" director David Bruckner, a film that delicately balances the deep issue of suicide, the aftermath, and the supernatural ghost story that follows. It could be seen that they're not connected, but as the pieces slowly come together, the viewers - and Beth - realize that there's much more going on than Owen's suicide - a secret that looms heavy over Beth as she becomes a detective in search of the real reason Owen committed suicide, and the secret life he seemed to lead.

There is a metaphorical shadow that follows the loved ones after someone commits suicide, and it's birthed by the unanswered questions that the recently deceased cannot answer. Bruckner and writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski turn this metaphorical shadow into a literal one, a looming presence that watches over Beth, but could also be more malicious than she originally thought. As the secrets unravel it seems that this shadow is anything but good, and could spell Beth's untimely end - again, something that loved ones who deal with the suicide of someone close to them deal with. With their loved one on the other side, the ones left behind sometimes struggle with wanting to continue on at all, or be reunited with their dearly departed. Again, Brucker, Collins and Piotroski handle this topic delicately as well as terrifyingly, transforming Beth's grief and confusion into an entity all its own.

Rebecca Hall is continually an understated actress who's always given her all in genre-bending films like "Iron Man 3," "Godzilla vs. Kong," "The BFG," "The Gift," and "The Awakening" - an actress who's incredibly versatile and isn't held down by one specific genre. Here, she tackles heavy dramatic elements as well as supernatural ones with effortless ease, while also giving delicate care to Beth's character in the idea of the whole. She knows that she has to portray Beth as someone grieving as someone dealing with suicide has, and combines a steadfast spirit in front of colleagues and Karen-level parents (a rather darkly humorous moment occurs when Beth is accosted by a mother who's angry her child got a C in her class) with sincere doubt as she feels her entire life is unraveling before her as she pieces together Owen's supposed double life, as well as a sense of iron will as she challenges the spirit and demands answers from the other side, along with a hint of vulnerability and trepidation. Hall's performance rivals that of fellow acclaimed actresses who've dabbled in the horror genre like Toni Collette's "Hereditary," Florence Pugh's "Midsommar," and Nicole Kidman's "The Others" - the role has to be perfectly cast to be believable, and Hall more than rises to the challenge.

The story itself also plays to the fears of those dealing with the loss of a loved one through suicide. The answers aren't always simple or even available, no matter how hard you dig to get to them. The dead don't speak, even in a horror movie, and there's questions lingering in the air both for Beth and the audience once the credits start rolling, and that's a spectacular thing. An issue like suicide shouldn't be open and shut in an under-two hour runtime, as it's a ghost that lingers in the minds of those still alive and haunts them many times for the rest of their lives. While many questions are answered, more are raised, resulting in a thrilling conversation afterward about the concept of the fragility of life, death, suicide, and what happens on the other side. It helps that the film is downright terrifying as Beth encounters dark entities at night, delivered with excellent cinematography by Elisha Christian and an unnerving score by Ben Lovett. Throw in the mystery of the second house and the women that look like Beth, and you're in for a thought-provoking thrill ride that'll give you goosebumps and have you second-guessing the issues of life and what really happens on the other side.

Grounded by a powerful performance by Rebecca Hall, "The Night House" serves as a multi-layered story about grief, loss, fear, anger, and terror in equal measures, filling the screen with terrifying images and thought-provoking questions that'll linger long after the credits roll.

The Score: A+