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- 2016
- Netflix
- 1 h 29 m
- 2016
- Netflix
- 1 h 29 m
Summary A young nurse, Lily (Ruth Wilson), moves in to a secluded old house to care for an elderly, reclusive horror novelist. But it seems the pair is not entirely alone.
Directed By: Oz Perkins
Written By: Oz Perkins
- 2016
- Netflix
- 1 h 29 m
- 2016
- Netflix
- 1 h 29 m
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
68
4.4
Summary A young nurse, Lily (Ruth Wilson), moves in to a secluded old house to care for an elderly, reclusive horror novelist. But it seems the pair is not entirely alone.
Directed By: Oz Perkins
Written By: Oz Perkins
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
63% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
63% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is the very best of gothic horror, that which needles at your insecure core and whispers in your ear what you already suspected: You will never be all right.
Perkins commits even harder to his singularly strange approach to the genre, turning a simple ghost story into an exercise in extremely prolonged unease. It could give Norman Bates the willies.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 37 User Ratings
4.4
24% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
41% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
35% Negative
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 37 User Ratings
4.4
24% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
41% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
35% Negative
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
Beautiful, eerie, creepy, and atmospheric....this is a dreamy nightmare of a film, all lilting narration and gauzy focus. Masterfully shot, edited, and performed, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House will get under your skin and spread...like the black rot infecting this haunted house.
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The strength of Oz Perkin's horror gem is in it's ability to make you as paranoid and uncomfortable as it's easily frightened main character, played by Ruth Wilson. It doesn't do so with big shocks, jumps, or any of the cheap scare tactics you'll find in mainstream horror films clogging up theatres today. Instead it relies on silence.
It's a gorgeous movie. The camera angles are immaculate, showing just enough to keep you edge with what you can see and constantly pondering about what you can't. It takes the time to earn your fear. Perkins plays off of the natural uneasiness of darkness and shadows. The movie works it's way under your skin by toying with the typical setups modern horror has made us accustomed to. It **** you into it's admittedly bare bones narrative with it's hauntingly beautiful narration. The writing itself feels like poetry.
If you're looking for big thrills and chills I recommend going elsewhere. This is a slow movie. One with only one real scare (oh, but what a scare it is). The rest is just suitably creepy to the point where it will make your skin crawl. It's proof that the best horror doesn't have to jump out at you. Horror can be still. Silent. It can work it's magic on you by simply making you feel uncomfortable and isolated. Essentially, it can make you scare yourself.
And yes, it is a beautiful movie with some of the most haunting cinematography I have ever witnessed. Those monologues are a thing of grace. Packed with themes that will stick with you long after watching. Oz Perkins has created something deeply affecting and just f*cking terrifying. It's both a horror film and a work of art.
8.5/10
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I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a lightly gothic murder ballad made with great finesse and a fine cast.
Most importantly, this is not a film to be “solved.” It is a mood piece made by someone constantly playing with structure, but never in a way that calls overt attention to itself.
A few images sear with the burning sensation of undead terror, but that only accounts for a few short minutes of an otherwise more-daunting-than-it-should-be cinematic exploration of death.
It’s commendable that Perkins seems wholly uninterested in the tropes of the genre: there’s only one jump scare, hardly any gore and no final girl. The elusiveness of the narrative, however, grows weary fast.
Score for beautiful craftsmanship in movie making. Best word to describe this movie is ... Creeeepy. Don't expect a big payoff or revelation because I'm not sure it's there. Best to watch alone, at night, with lights out. You have to be in the right mood and not looking to numb out on gory horror. It's a quiet movie, subtle and beautiful. It's slow but not cheap. There is an originality to it, which I appreciated. I haven't been scared or creeped out by a movie in many years. It didn't scare me, but for a short time after watching it, I felt like I was being watched.
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Awards
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
• 1 Nomination
Toronto International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
