Reviews of the house
The House, Netflix’s first new series of the year is a stop-motion miniseries about three stories that are set in a large house. Each director directs a short, but all share a similar sense of dreadfulness and spookiness.
Nexus Studios' latest anthology The House is another in a long string of projects produced by the UK-based company. They also brought us Billie Eilish’s animated Special Happier Than Ever. Its three half-hour chapters all focus on different aspects of the same house in separate times.
Chapter one is set in the 1800s, and centers on a poor family who move into a strange house that seems to bring bad luck and evil to its inhabitants. This slow-burn story has a Wes Anderson feel. The stop-motion aesthetic is also reminiscent of Ray Harryhausen films like Salad Fingers, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Salad Fingers.
The House is more than a dark comedy. It's an arthouse miniseries that challenges you to think. It does so in a surprising way, but it's always enjoyable.
This piece of cinema is creepy, funny and hopeful. This film is well-worth a watch with its compelling story beats combined with modern stop motion animation.
The House has the best stop-motion animation you will see, aside form the shock value and gallows humor. Every chapter is exquisitely detailed, from each story's flocked figurines to the felt characters.
The House's design is a nice throwback from the 1980s Epoch Sylvanian Families series. It's a welcome sight if you love stop-motion animation. The chapters one and two have felt characters, which adds to the sense of fear. The second chapter is filled with lifelike stop-motion characters, which are delightful for those who love stop motion films.
The House has its strengths, but it is not perfect. It can't quite overcome some of the minor shortcomings of its stories, which often substitute the surreal for more logical plot elements, while a sprinkling of sarcastic humor at the wrong moment makes for an uneven and ultimately unsatisfying finale. For fans of stop-motion animation and dark comedies, this is worth watching, especially if you like Tim Burton, David Firth or Wes Anderson.