The Open House (2018)
2018
A teenager and his mother find themselves besieged by threatening forces when they move into a new house.
User Review
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The Open House opens wide to a series of unsatisfying plot holes. For a thriller to be engaging, it must be cohesive. Summoning tension at every corner as the film progresses to create a conclusion that both pumps the adrenaline and make logical sense. When the film has neither, it's deemed as a failure. Well, we just got ourselves another failed thriller. A mother and son move into an open house after a tragic accident where they start to encounter unusual happenings. The boiler constantly being tampered with, mysteriously erratic neighbours and a lovingly crafted candlelit dinner waiting upon their return. Whilst I do appreciate the cinematography, central performances from Minnette and Dalton and some methodically placed camera shots...this was bad. A thriller lacking thrills is not a thriller at all, it's just an "er". It's a simple case of building several plot points and not finalising any of them. Nearly every single detail is left unanswered which ultimately delivered an unfulfilling experience. In fact, upon reflection, nothing was answered. Absolutely nothing! Who was terrorising them? Why them specifically? Is it just open houses? Who was the schizophrenic neighbour? Why did she stroll (coincidentally might I add) in the middle of the night? What was in the basement? Why did she go down there in her towel!? Now she has to shower again! Urgh, incredibly frustrating! Breadcrumbs were sprinkled throughout and yet no one followed them. I would go as far as saying that the first act was pretty good (well, average at best). Setting a moody tone revolving around grief once the father gets decimated by a car after buying a carton of eggs. The remaining hour relinquished all suspense by attempting to focus on a broken mother and son relationship that had no characterisation to begin with. Oh, and a few mandatory jump scares for safe measure in case you thought this was good. Sadly, another failed Netflix original that had more holes than a sponge. Not the atrocious status that the film has garnered, but still terrible. The moral of the story is: do not buy eggs in the middle of the night.1 member likes this review.
