While I adore escapism horror just as much as the next fan, there’s something to be said for this wave of introspective genre films we’ve been enjoying as of late, with Scott Anthony Burns’ Our House being another strong entry for what’s already been an incredible year of character-based storytelling. Fans may remember Burns’ “Father’s Day” segment from the horror anthology Holidays (and if you haven’t seen it, it’s so damn great), and with Our House, his first full-blown feature film endeavor, the up-and-coming director demonstrates a great sense of filmic confidence, and even manages to conjure up a few surprises to boot.
Our House is centered on Ethan (Thomas Mann), a college student working on a breakthrough science project that turns electromagnetic energy into usable electricity—or so he thinks. Ethan’s passion project is put on hold after his parents die suddenly, forcing him to return home to care for his younger siblings, Matt (Percy Hynes White) and Becca (Kate Moyer). Once Ethan finally settles into his new routine as primary caregiver, he gets back to tinkering with his device, ultimately believing that the contraption could very well be the future of energy resources. What Ethan doesn’t realize is that his machine is able to harness the generated power, but instead of having practical day-to-day applications, it actually utilizes energy to manifest beings who are no longer among the living.
Essentially, there are ghosts running amok in Our House—and they may not be exactly who these kids think they are—putting Ethan and his family smack dab in the middle of a horrifically dangerous situation.
While Burns does a great job handling all the various tropes that come with treading into supernatural waters, it’s how he leans into the more thoughtful aspects of Nathan Parker's script (based on Matt Osterman's 2010 movie, Ghost From the Machine) that makes Our House a standout amongst the pack of recently released paranormal-themed projects. These are characters that you not only like, but feel for, especially once tragedy strikes, and it’s easy to become invested in their survival. And for as much as that’s due to a great script, there’s no doubt that the trio of young actors—Mann, White and Moyer—add so much to these characters and their relationships on screen.
That being said, Our House still has plenty of chilling moments to keep horror fans happy, and I love the way Burns chooses to represent the ghosts lurking about in the film, as their wispy, smoky appearances do a great job of heightening the film’s sense of dread and add a lot to the impending sense of doom. Also, the cinematography in Our House should be commended, because not only does the film look gorgeous, but the way the camera takes us through the family home makes it feel like another living, breathing character in this story.
Using familiar genre themes as a way to explore the grief process, learning to let go, and whether or not there’s something beyond our human existence, Our House thoughtfully examines how those traumas can affect the familial unit, and how the worst of circumstances can sometimes bring out the best in people, especially when their loved ones are in jeopardy. Something else worth mentioning is that the third act of Our House takes some pretty unexpected turns, and as someone who watches hundreds of movies a year, any movie that can genuinely offer up a few surprises will always earn some goodwill from me.
Movie Score: 3.5/5
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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