The House of Him (2014) Online

I have watched House Of Him several times. It IS deeply thought provoking. If you expect to watch a slasher film or something of the sort, this is not it. The protagonist is Him, a man who has murdered in the past and plans to continue his sadistic M.O. on Anna, his victim. The tension is palpable throughout the film while watching Anna struggle with the reality of what she is being subjected to and watching Him race steadily down the incline into madness. The film is centered around the stigma of battered women. While it is not a blatant and in your face matter, the feeling is there throughout. While this was a low-budget film, the acting is exceptional. Rankin and Stewart are believable as the main characters; Rankin will break your heart as the tortured soul who ends up in the bowels of insanity while he seems baffled by the turn of events. I enjoyed it immensely, yet if you don't want to *think* during your entertainment, skip it. It is disturbing, intense and so valid for the world we live in; But so worth the time to watch.

... rather than relying on overly-graphic visuals.

This horror mystery opens up with a killing ... and ends with the audience being allowed to look into the mind of a misogynistic killer as an intended victim (and past victims) play with that mind. How refreshing to actually draw the audience in to help bring about fair-play and consequences for the actions of a killer. In today's society, that has grown so dependent on "instant gratification" and not used to "exercising" one's own mind in solving a mystery, I can see where most viewers would think this film was "cheap" and without any virtuous qualities. More is the pity, as this film is definitely worth viewing numerous times to pick up any and all nuances and teasing clues.

Masked killer traps a victim in his home and plays with her. Suddenly ... a knock at the door.

This is real low budget, and I did struggle with it up to the half hour stage. Once they took tea, the story settled into a rhythm and the early head-scratchiness of the set-up went away.

Acting was good, but I thought the lead actress was given a few unnecessary reaction lines and overall her predicament was so mysterious it must have been hard to play.

Music very good, and some creepy disembodied voices. Photography and editing mixed, although it was impressive toward the end, with some nice weird-out scenes. The scene with the biochem suit reminded me of Under the Skin - dunnoes why I felt that, maybe the overall feel from the music.

In the end just too conservative for me - I prefer to remain unsettled by a horror, and messages and metaphors feel false. And once again a British horror that's coy about sex, and light on the justifiable gore.

But this one did use the supernatural element just right - unlike, say, The Babadook - so it's well worth watching.

The House of Him is a well thought out, claustrophobic, suspenseful & at times downright creepy piece of filmmaking.

The 2 leads provide excellent foils for each other, with the supporting cast adding to the confusion and creepiness of the situation.

The bold, tea-drinking villain, essentially holding the fantastic female lead captive by his very presence in the room, lends real weight to the plight of women trapped in abusive relationships. Seeing a way out, but too afraid to move/leave, in case they get caught in the act...

I'd highly recommend going to Vimeo and renting, or buying this film, if you're a fan of suspenseful thrillers. You can thank me later.

The Plot:

A misogynistic masked killer prepares for the routine slaying of his 27th victim, Anna, in the comfort of his own home.

As Anna struggles to break out of the role the killer has chosen for her, the dead women in the walls and floors play a last desperate card.

If this plot makes sense to you , you're smarter than I.

The movie has no suspense whatsoever.

It looks like it was made over a weekend for $20. And i swear to you i think it's unintentionally a comedy.

The killer and the victim sit on a sofa calmly sipping tea and having a conversation.

OMG!

It's horrible! Not worth your time in the slightest.

THE HOUSE OF HIM is a very low budget Scottish slasher movie that takes place in a single house and has just two main actors. The plot is about about a killer in a cheap mask whose threatening demeanour is ruined every time he opens his mouth to speak in a soft Scots burr. His victim is a woman who decides to fight back, and there's a supernatural twist in the tale to boot. The film has lots of interaction between killer and victim, some of it violent, but it also feels endlessly padded and very little happens.

Okay, so it's low budget - but what the director did with his money was well spent. Effects, background music, camera angles and focuses - pretty effective. Richard Rankin is truly terrifying, yet charismatic. All the ladies in the cast are superb. The devil is truly in the details. Very powerful messages from the story. Each viewing is as good as the first.

I'm not usually into horror / slasher movies, but I highly recommend The House Of Him. I would have probably never thought about watching it, but it was recommended to me by someone with discerning taste on Twitter (You know who you are). ;) Robert Florence wrote and directed this, plus Iain Connell was executive producer (the Dream Team behind Burnistoun), so I knew I was in for a treat! Joanne Daly was also an executive producer / producer, who has worked with Robert Florence several times previously, so the fact that they work well together, shines through in the movie.

I was unsure for the first five minutes, or so, but I'm really glad that I stuck with it, as it's a work of cinematic genius! From the perfect camera angles and lighting, general surreal atmosphere & tension throughout, to the superb cast, it's well worth a watch or two! In my honest opinion, the ratings here and elsewhere don't do it justice!

The House Of Him is much more than a horror / slasher movie - It's thought provoking.

I enjoyed it so much, that I actually watched it a second time. I'd love to see more movies like this.

Great work Robert Florence, Joanne Daly and Iain Connell, and also the extremely talented cast (Richard Rankin, Louise Stewart, Kirsty Strain, Amy E Watson and all the other actors), that brought so much to their roles!

If I've learned one thing, it's not to automatically dismiss a movie, that has lower ratings, as they could well be completely unjustified, just as they are with The House Of Him.