Just in time for Halloween! Netflix premiered this gem on Friday, and I can’t recommend it enough. A spooky haunted house story, executed with precision and subtlety. I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE is the surprise we weren’t expecting this Halloween season, but totally deserve.
The new film to be released from director Oz Perkins (his film THE BLACKCOAT’S DAUGHTER did well on the festival circuit and will be released in 2017) is a ghost story with a distinct air of mystery. A beautiful film that makes excellent use of its setting and the haunted space surrounding the main character and inhabiting the house in which she resides.
The film follows Lily (Ruth Wilson), a hospice nurse who has moved into the secluded home of Iris Blum (Paula Prentiss), to provide care for the ailing woman. Ms. Blum achieved fame in the 1960s as a horror and mystery writer. Though not familiar with her work (and really being too frightened to dive into it), Lily sets about her duties of caring for Ms. Blum and attending to her needs. It is a lonely job – just the two of them in the house, and no visitors, but Lily approaches it with a sense of purpose.
Immediately, things begin to read as strange. Odd noises and an overwhelming sense of dread come over Lily on her first night, and continue into the following days. Ms. Blum is unable to ease her mind, due to her dementia, and is unable to provide a history of the home or a rational explanation for the things Lily is experiencing. Additionally, her failing state of mind leads her to repeatedly refer to Lily as “Polly.” This becomes particularly concerning when Lily discovers that Polly was the name of a character in one of her books – a young woman who was murdered, and, according to the book’s introduction, was not a work of fiction.
The film is beautiful in its appearance and in its pacing. Slow, thoughtful and deliberate, the story is never in a rush to get where it is going, and is more than happy to take its time and let the setting do the talking for the characters. Perkins demonstrates an uncanny ability to allow the setting to permeate the story and drive us forward, letting the simplest of images take on an otherworldly and nefarious quality. He knows that he doesn’t have to show the audience anything to let us know that we might not be fully alone in this house, and he uses that tool to great effect. Long shots down darkened hallways are more effective in this case than a full view of a ghost ever could be, and he takes these moments to continue to set the state for the story as it develops.
This film grabs your attention from the first shot and pulls you in. It is a welcome change from some of the more standard ghost stories, which, while good, rely more on more definitive scares, rather than on atmosphere. This film leans in the other direction and places atmosphere first and foremost, creating a story with slow, deliberate pacing that places mystery over jump scares, and does so masterfully. The film has a sense of exiting somewhat out of time. Context clues hint that this takes place in the modern era, but the story itself has a timelessness to it, and Lily, with her polite and meek demeanor, has a presence that could easily exist in another era.
This is a unique film that breaks the horror mold, offering something scary that settles deep under your skin, but doesn’t travel well-worn roads to do it. This type of storytelling isn’t going to be for everyone, but if it’s your bag, there is a lot to be found here. If you’re looking for something unique for your Halloween viewing, this film has a classic vibe and embraces its haunted atmosphere whole-heartedly.
