Huset | The House
Apr. 27th, 2019 09:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yuuagoSo. Huset sure is an odd film.
The general premise: Set during WWII. Two German soldiers and a Norwegian POW, lost in the wilderness, seek shelter in a house that has very recently been abandoned. They quickly discover that the house is not as welcoming as it first appears.
On paper, this should be right up my alley. In practice, it's not quite what I was expecting, but still interesting. Maybe it's best to say that it's just slightly to the left of what I like. I did like the acting, and the cinematography was excellent, and as for the rest of it -
The back of the case describes it as "arthouse meets horror". I would say that this is a fair assessment. It's... Well, I can say this: On first viewing, I was confused about some of the things it, and mildly disappointed because I'd been expecting something more typical. But I was interested enough that I watched it again to pick up on the details that I missed from first sight. And then I watched it a third time with the addition of the director's commentary.
I usually don't rewatch films so soon after first viewing, and definitely not two rewatches, so take that as you will.
I had initially assumed that this would be either a straightforward ghost story, or a straightforward haunted house story sans visible ghosts. What we actually get is haunted house + ghosts + time loop + exorcism. All these subgenres in one place make things a bit confusing.
In some ways, the film seems unsure of what it wants to be. The flashes of the exorcism plot, which takes place in a much earlier time period, seem as if they could be a completely different film. These sections are deliberately set apart from the rest of the film: they're shot differently, in terms of visuals and cinematography. The atmosphere is different in those scenes. It's a little incongruous when placed against the WWII part of the timeline.
The director/producer/writer, Reinert Kiil, felt that the exorcism part of the story was essential to the film. I'm not sure if I agree. It doesn't seem to be necessary to know this part of the background of the house – I think it would work just fine if it were ghosts + time loop. It might even be more easy to follow in that case. In the director's commentary, he said that there were a lot of shots inside the closet, and shots with the little girl (both alive and as a ghost, I think?), which had to be scrapped because they didn't fit quite right with the rest of the film. I wish they'd been included in the extras as deleted scenes; I'm really curious to know just what they contained. Maybe if I saw them, I'd feel differently about the exorcism part of the story.
When I consider it, the idea of the ghost or the house or the land itself being evil because of a history of demon possession doesn't sit right with me; it doesn't seem to fit with the setting. The director states that the main plot (the WWII part of the story) could take place at any time; that it could be 1800s or modern day, it doesn't matter. And to a degree, I see why one would say that; people getting lost in a forest in winter, seeking shelter, then becoming trapped in a horrible situation is a classic. But in that case, why make the decision to go with the WWII setting in particular? Though it might just be that there is something that I'm not properly understanding here.
I ordinarily don't watch films a second time so shortly after first viewing. But in this case, I decided to take another look. My assumption was, since I know about the time loop now, it might be a bit easier to follow what's going on, and I might see the threads of everything that's later revealed.
On my first watch, at roughly :59 is when the time loop became very obvious. The soldiers, having exited the house into the forest, and left Rune behind, find their way back – led there by the house, maybe – to find Rune sitting in the snow, and the Norwegian flag flying from the flagpole. Earlier in the film, one of the soldiers took down the flag and burned it. That's the point where I realized what was going on. But it isn't actually the first indicator – there are little hints earlier on, and they appear in the discussions in the room with the table. If you watch the clothes that everyone is wearing, it becomes obvious that something strange is going on, because they change.
There are still a few things in the film that haven't quite clicked for me, but maybe after a while I'll figure it out.
For example, I'm a little unclear about Rune, the Norwegian POW character. In the film, the two Nazis find a photograph in the house of Rune and his family, and realize that it was his house, and that they have been seeing ghosts of his family. Okay. Is Rune a ghost? If he is, then he seems to be an unwilling participant in this haunting. There's one point where the soldiers depart, leaving him behind at the house; Rune goes in, has a disturbing encounter, and then exits. The next time we see him, he's sitting outside in the snow without a jacket - the director phrased it as "He would rather die outside than be inside the house". So, what's going on with him? My best guess is that he has been stuck in a time loop for longer than the two soldiers, but I really am not 100% sure about that.
I'm also very weirded out by the moments where he appears dead but still animated, with the grey film over the eyes and such. Not sure what to make of that, either! (Something to do with the exorcism/demon possession part of the plot? Maybe.)
On a more frivolous note, it was never explained what the runes scrawled on the closet and guestbook were supposed to mean. I looked them up on the internet, didn't find anything that made sense; had hoped the director's commentary would have something about it, and no. I wish I knew whether they were deliberately chosen or if it was just random.
Would I recommend this one? I'm not actually sure. I found it interesting, but I don't know if I would say that I liked it. Maybe it's best to say that I wouldn't suggest it for every horror fan, but if you enjoy weird and artsy horror, this might be one to take a look at.
If any of you have seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
The general premise: Set during WWII. Two German soldiers and a Norwegian POW, lost in the wilderness, seek shelter in a house that has very recently been abandoned. They quickly discover that the house is not as welcoming as it first appears.
On paper, this should be right up my alley. In practice, it's not quite what I was expecting, but still interesting. Maybe it's best to say that it's just slightly to the left of what I like. I did like the acting, and the cinematography was excellent, and as for the rest of it -
The back of the case describes it as "arthouse meets horror". I would say that this is a fair assessment. It's... Well, I can say this: On first viewing, I was confused about some of the things it, and mildly disappointed because I'd been expecting something more typical. But I was interested enough that I watched it again to pick up on the details that I missed from first sight. And then I watched it a third time with the addition of the director's commentary.
I usually don't rewatch films so soon after first viewing, and definitely not two rewatches, so take that as you will.
I had initially assumed that this would be either a straightforward ghost story, or a straightforward haunted house story sans visible ghosts. What we actually get is haunted house + ghosts + time loop + exorcism. All these subgenres in one place make things a bit confusing.
In some ways, the film seems unsure of what it wants to be. The flashes of the exorcism plot, which takes place in a much earlier time period, seem as if they could be a completely different film. These sections are deliberately set apart from the rest of the film: they're shot differently, in terms of visuals and cinematography. The atmosphere is different in those scenes. It's a little incongruous when placed against the WWII part of the timeline.
The director/producer/writer, Reinert Kiil, felt that the exorcism part of the story was essential to the film. I'm not sure if I agree. It doesn't seem to be necessary to know this part of the background of the house – I think it would work just fine if it were ghosts + time loop. It might even be more easy to follow in that case. In the director's commentary, he said that there were a lot of shots inside the closet, and shots with the little girl (both alive and as a ghost, I think?), which had to be scrapped because they didn't fit quite right with the rest of the film. I wish they'd been included in the extras as deleted scenes; I'm really curious to know just what they contained. Maybe if I saw them, I'd feel differently about the exorcism part of the story.
When I consider it, the idea of the ghost or the house or the land itself being evil because of a history of demon possession doesn't sit right with me; it doesn't seem to fit with the setting. The director states that the main plot (the WWII part of the story) could take place at any time; that it could be 1800s or modern day, it doesn't matter. And to a degree, I see why one would say that; people getting lost in a forest in winter, seeking shelter, then becoming trapped in a horrible situation is a classic. But in that case, why make the decision to go with the WWII setting in particular? Though it might just be that there is something that I'm not properly understanding here.
I ordinarily don't watch films a second time so shortly after first viewing. But in this case, I decided to take another look. My assumption was, since I know about the time loop now, it might be a bit easier to follow what's going on, and I might see the threads of everything that's later revealed.
On my first watch, at roughly :59 is when the time loop became very obvious. The soldiers, having exited the house into the forest, and left Rune behind, find their way back – led there by the house, maybe – to find Rune sitting in the snow, and the Norwegian flag flying from the flagpole. Earlier in the film, one of the soldiers took down the flag and burned it. That's the point where I realized what was going on. But it isn't actually the first indicator – there are little hints earlier on, and they appear in the discussions in the room with the table. If you watch the clothes that everyone is wearing, it becomes obvious that something strange is going on, because they change.
There are still a few things in the film that haven't quite clicked for me, but maybe after a while I'll figure it out.
For example, I'm a little unclear about Rune, the Norwegian POW character. In the film, the two Nazis find a photograph in the house of Rune and his family, and realize that it was his house, and that they have been seeing ghosts of his family. Okay. Is Rune a ghost? If he is, then he seems to be an unwilling participant in this haunting. There's one point where the soldiers depart, leaving him behind at the house; Rune goes in, has a disturbing encounter, and then exits. The next time we see him, he's sitting outside in the snow without a jacket - the director phrased it as "He would rather die outside than be inside the house". So, what's going on with him? My best guess is that he has been stuck in a time loop for longer than the two soldiers, but I really am not 100% sure about that.
I'm also very weirded out by the moments where he appears dead but still animated, with the grey film over the eyes and such. Not sure what to make of that, either! (Something to do with the exorcism/demon possession part of the plot? Maybe.)
On a more frivolous note, it was never explained what the runes scrawled on the closet and guestbook were supposed to mean. I looked them up on the internet, didn't find anything that made sense; had hoped the director's commentary would have something about it, and no. I wish I knew whether they were deliberately chosen or if it was just random.
Would I recommend this one? I'm not actually sure. I found it interesting, but I don't know if I would say that I liked it. Maybe it's best to say that I wouldn't suggest it for every horror fan, but if you enjoy weird and artsy horror, this might be one to take a look at.
If any of you have seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.