Jordan Peele brought racial horror to the mainstream with his directorial debut Get Out, and now it is haunting all cinema-goers! But the newest addition to this horror sub-genre is something very special and we need to chat about it.
Racism is truly the demon that haunts our society. It goes bump in the night but only the minority can hear it. So the rise of the psychological, racial horror is showing the intensely terrifying nature of racism. It is a demon that we apparently can’t exorcise. Even though we have been making films about race forever, there is a film that really catapulted the racial horror genre.
Jordan Peele’s 2017 film Get Out haunted the world with its exploration of racism, but if you haven’t seen the alternate ending you really need to! I really wish they stuck with it because, sadly, it’s too accurate.
Get Out really gets into the nitty gritty of our modern society. It may seem nice, warm, and safe for some, but not for everyone. Some can’t get out. The release of Peele’s follow-up Us was another powerful statement against racism but didn’t receive the same overwhelming love that Get Out did. Earlier this year we got Antebellum, starring Janelle Monae, but 2020 was not a good year to release anything! Alas, the film was hit with some negative reviews and ultimately got swept under the rug.
But in the words of Yoda: there is another. After scrolling through Netflix after a long day, my eyes transfixed on the His House thumbnail. My brother’s words crept into my mind: “mate, it’s intense.”
So, obviously I knew what had to be done…
Racial Horror Has a New Home
I think it began growing up in London and coming from an ethnically diverse background and the experiences of being a black person in a country where you’re never always feeling like you’re wanted, said director Remi Weekes.
His House is the directorial debut from Remi Weekes and is an extremely personal story that embodies the unyielding link between immigration and segregation. It follows a young couple of South-Sudan asylum seekers who have fled their war-torn country for a new, safe life in England. But, they realise that the past has a way of sticking with you.
Intense. Raw. Poignant. It is one of those horror watches that just doesn’t let you relax. Sometimes it is just the chilling environment that the two characters are stranded in, other times you feel overwhelmed even when not much is happening.
Weekes purposely works to make us experience that unwanted feeling. It is a persistent, nagging anxiety of not feeling welcome, an experience many asylum seekers feel- and I definitely felt every stab of it. But as much as it unsettled me, every shot was filled with vibrant colours and incredible acting.
Unlike other film reviewers out there, I’m not going to get into any of the amazing twists and turns of His House because you just need to experience it. The film is a story of how far people will go to get a second chance at life, and is just the beginning of an amass of filmmakers from diverse backgrounds bringing their stories to the big (or little) screen. Definitely a must-see with one scene that truly traumatised me, but that’s fine. I’m fine.
If none of this has tempted you, then maybe a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes will? Maybe?
If you’ve seen it, tell us what you think! And like always…