Reviews of the house
The House is Netflix's debut new release for the year. This stop-motion miniseries tells three stories in one sprawling home. Each director directs a short, but all share a similar sense of dreadfulness and spookiness.
Nexus Studios' latest anthology The House is another in a long string of projects produced by the UK-based company. They also brought us Billie Eilish’s animated Special Happier Than Ever. The three sections of one-hour each are divided into separate chapters that focus on different aspects.
Chapter one is set in the 1800s, and centers on a poor family who move into a strange house that seems to bring bad luck and evil to its inhabitants. The story is slow-paced and has a Wes Anderson feel. It also features a stop motion aesthetic that is just as evocative to the Fantastic Mr. Fox films Salad Fingers, Ray Harryhausen, and Ray Harryhausen.
But The House is more than just a dark comedy; it's an arthouse-style miniseries that asks you to think. And it does so in a way that's often unexpected, and always rewarding.
It's a dark, creepy, humorous, disturbing, and hopeful piece of cinema that will stay with you long after the credits roll. With its engaging story beats and modern stop-motion animation, it's well worth a glance.
The House has the best stop-motion animation you will see, aside form the shock value and gallows humor. Each chapter is beautifully detailed, from the flocked figurines of the second story to the felt characters of the first.
The House's look is a throwback to 1980s Epoch Sylvanian Families and is a welcome sight to stop-motion animation fans. The first chapter features felt characters that create a sense of dread. While the second chapter has lifelike characters that are sure to delight stop-motion film fans, it also adds a touch of comfort.
The House has its strengths, but it is not perfect. It can't quite overcome some of the minor shortcomings of its stories, which often substitute the surreal for more logical plot elements, while a sprinkling of sarcastic humor at the wrong moment makes for an uneven and ultimately unsatisfying finale. For fans of stop-motion animation and dark comedies, this is worth watching, especially if you like Tim Burton, David Firth or Wes Anderson.