(spoiler free)
The latest Netflix Original, ‘The Open House’, sees Dylan Minnette star in another horror/thriller not dissimilar to his previous film, ‘Don’t Breathe’. After a family tragedy Logan (Minnette) and his mother, Naomi (Piercey Dalton) are left financially unstable. Naomi’s sister arranges for them to stay in a secluded mansion belonging to her & her husband which is on the market waiting to be sold. However Logan & his mother soon realise that open houses attract all sorts of unwanted visitors.
As far as the narrative goes it’s pretty straightforward stuff, it’s set up as you would expect and features all of the usual horror cliches; big house, creepy basement, creaky doors etc. However, whilst these are overused techniques within the genre they are put to good use here. They are intergrated well into the story with good execution and contribute to a terribly uncomfortable atmosphere making the film hard to watch on several occasions. The score by Joseph Shirley is effective and adds an urgency and unease to many sequences. Despite this the use of sound alongside the jump scares is probably overused, although it’s rare to find a horror or thriller these days not guilty of this.
The mystery of the story adds a further level of engagement for viewers as they try to make sense of the seemingly sinister going-ons. Is something supernatural to blame, or is it one of the strange small town’s residents, and if so, who? This contributes to an intriguing narrative that offers more than just scares and in doing so holds the attention of it’s audience without question. The conclusion to the film may well be it’s downfall though. It will be one of the more divisive elements to the film no doubt disappointing some viewers but in some ways it shows a boldness in the writing, even if feeling slightly inspired by past entries in this genre. However, if simply accepted by viewers it shouldn’t have to detract from the rest of the film.
The cast is largely made up of unknowns. Minnette has had enough high profile roles now to be a good on screen presence. He’s confident in the lead role and he’s likeable and easy to route for which can help quite a lot within this genre. The rest of the cast fulfill their roles well contributing adequately to the mystery presented by the narrative but no one puts in a truly outstanding performance. The context allows for some dramatic acting from both Minnette & Dalton and the film somewhat explores their relationship. It’s a shame that this element isn’t fully invested in as further screen time devoted to this would have allowed for a stronger emotional beat to run through the film and it would certainly have enhanced the stakes of the drama as a whole. However, this could have run the risk of bogging down the pace and tension of the film and as ninety minute thrillers go it doesn’t necessarily need this greater focus on the drama but it could have elevated ‘The Open House’ to something on a higher level.
So whilst ‘The Open House’ is nothing groundbreaking within it’s genres it delivers an extremely involved ninety minute thrill ride. It’s full of suspenseful sequences and keeps the audience guessing right up until the final frame. Minnette continues to perform well and showcases some of his dramatic ability which would be cool to see explored in the future and as Netflix Original films goes this is one of the better ones I’ve experienced, simple yet effective.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 7/10
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