I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Name: I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
Genre: Thriller
Released: October 28, 2016
Duration: 87 min
Rating: 68

2016

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Ratings

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4.9

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4.9	Your Score
4.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Ratings

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I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

Movie Details & Credits

| Release Date (Streaming): October 28, 2016 | Not Rated

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.

Director: Oz Perkins

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 87 min

See All Details and Credits

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

April Wolfe

Oct 25, 2016

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. Read full review

A.A. Dowd

Oct 26, 2016

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. Read full review

Stephen Dalton

Oct 25, 2016

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a lightly gothic murder ballad made with great finesse and a fine cast. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Oct 28, 2016

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. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Oct 25, 2016

Intriguing as the resulting ambiance is, it alone can’t sustain the film. Read full review

Matt Donato

Oct 25, 2016

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. Read full review

The Guardian Nigel M Smith

Oct 25, 2016

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

Dominic

Nov 1, 2016

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.

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

TheQuietGamer

Oct 29, 2016

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 upThe 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 sucks 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… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

JJJ

Oct 11, 2017

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 goryScore 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

HermesRatatoskr

Jan 6, 2020

Because I think 'The Blackcoat's Daughter' is the best horror film of the last ten years I was eagerly anticipating this.
Unfortunately it was a disappointment. It's beautiful to look at and the sound design is great, but it wastes its talented cast in almost a series of tableaux with veryBecause I think 'The Blackcoat's Daughter' is the best horror film of the last ten years I was eagerly anticipating this.
Unfortunately it was a disappointment. It's beautiful to look at and the sound design is great, but it wastes its talented cast in almost a series of tableaux with very little substance.
The lack of jump scares is commendable, the sparse narrative is not a problem, but the posturing ultimately wears thin.
Osgood Perkins is an exciting horror director, but this is not a success.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kuehnau

Oct 30, 2016

The story has atmosphere and for awhile you'll watch this movie simply out of pure curiosity. Unfortunately the pacing is so slow, it quickly becomes tedious watching this movie.

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

dajhorn

Sep 4, 2017

This is a horror movie made for a film festival that is all windup without a pitch. IATPTTLITH is something that a student might be forced to watch in film class at a community college.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

PenguinofD00m

Jul 16, 2019

I never review movies, but this time I just had to. I am here to warn everyone to avoid this pretentious, **** pathetic excuse for a film and to hopefully save you 87 minutes of your life. This is a glorified exercise of art(sy) direction passed for a film. Nothing ever happens. There is noI never review movies, but this time I just had to. I am here to warn everyone to avoid this pretentious, **** pathetic excuse for a film and to hopefully save you 87 minutes of your life. This is a glorified exercise of art(sy) direction passed for a film. Nothing ever happens. There is no suspance, there is no dread, anticipation, tension, thrill, no scare, no meaning behind the scenes. You are stuck for over a hour listening to slowly spoken minutiae going absolutely nowhere, a nevrotic lead verbousely talking to herself, seemingly overwhelmed by every tiny bit of mundane occurance which by the way make up for no less than 95% of the movie. This is not a movie, and certainly not an horror. STAY AWAY AND WARN ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND BELOVED ONES.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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