Searching for a new horror movie to watch over the Halloween season? Well, search no more, because Netflix has something new out this week.
Based on the novel of the same name by Stephanie Perkins, and arriving on Netflix today, is the slasher movie, There’s Someone Inside Your House. The movie is directed by Patrick Brice, stars Sydney Park, Théodore Pellerin, Asjha Cooper, and Burkely Duffield, and tells the story of a group of high school students who find themselves caught up in the middle of a series of murders.
In the movie, a killer is stalking the students of a small town in Nebraska. Wearing a 3D-printed mask of each victims’ face, the killer slashes their way through a selection of students, beginning with the high school jock, then moving on to the school’s resident bitch.
In response to the brutal murders, the police department initiate an 8pm curfew, and begin interviewing students. One of the students is Makani Young – a girl with a secret, who is reluctant to talk about her past.
But Makani is not the only student with a secret – in fact, all of the students are holding back personal information and this is something the killer appears to be targeting. So, to get one step ahead of the masked menace, all of the students begin to reveal hidden details about their personal lives.
However, the plan doesn’t work, because despite all the revelations, the killing continues. And with Makani still not ready to speak about her past, she finds herself becoming the next target.
If you’re a fan of the Scream movies, then chances are you will find something to enjoy in There’s Someone Inside Your House. The film walks a very similar path to the aforementioned movie, both structurally and tonally, contains an element of mystery, and revolves around a group of teens and a masked killer.
It’s not an exact carbon copy of Scream, but the resemblance is so obvious that it’s difficult not to mention it, or not to compare the two films. So, let me get this out of the way now: There’s Someone Inside Your House is nowhere near as strong as Scream (few slasher movies are), but the movie is fairly decent and as long as you can get past the comparisons, and maybe lean into them, it is likely to maintain your interest.
There’s Someone Inside Your House offers up a modern take on the masked killer trope, and is aimed squarely at the Netflix generation. It features a diverse cast, some social commentary, a contemporary soundtrack, and neatly slots into the usual movies and programming found on the streaming service.
On the plus side, the cast is good, the kills are well played, and the general aesthetic is strong, with a visually interesting finale. I can’t say I was ever bored while watching the movie, I found myself drawn into the story, and it provides a sufficient amount of entertainment for horror fans.
But on the negative side, There’s Someone Inside Your House feels as if it is too short for its own good. The story is a little hollow, with the central mystery getting wrapped up far too quickly, when more depth (and more kills) should have been added.
I expect this is an issue to do with the budget – something which sadly impacts many streaming movies – but it does make the film feel as if it is working with limited funds. So, it’s worth stating that what this film puts on screen is good stuff; it’s just a shame that it’s not great stuff.
I expect anyone watching the movie will like what they see, but by the end of the film they will feel short-changed and would have been happy with a little more.
There’s Someone Inside Your House is also hampered by a rather cumbersome title, which is a bit of a mouthful and is also a misnomer. While some of the kills in the film do indeed take place in a domestic environment, at least half of them don’t, so it should probably have been called: There’s Occasionally Someone Inside A House.
Plus, the title also sounds like something from an old (and kooky) haunted house movie, which is certainly not what this film is. The movie has no supernatural elements at all, is played straight, and perhaps should have been given a name change when moving from novel to screen.
Yeah, I know this sounds like an odd thing to get hung up on. But many audiences don’t read reviews and probably aren’t aware this movie takes its name from a book, so will simply switch on this film thinking it is something that it’s not.
Obviously, a movie can stand on its own two feet, regardless of its name, but hey, I just don’t think the title works for this film. My job as reviewer is to make my feelings known, and for my money, it needed a rethink.
I’m nit-picking, aren’t I? I know, but that’s because it is the minor things which frustrate me about this movie, rather than the major things.
On a basic level, I found this film to be enjoyable enough and I’m sure some horror fans – arguably those who are just getting into the genre – will like what they see. And similar to last week’s new release, Till Death, the movie benefits from getting in, telling its story, then getting out without dragging on.
I just wish there was a little more to it. A couple of additional kills would have done wonders for the story, and a bigger reveal at the end would have sent this film off with a greater degree of oomph!
But yeah, it’s fine. There’s Someone Inside Your House delivers some late-night scares, director Patrick Brice does what he can with the material, and the cast don’t put a foot wrong, just lower your expectations before pressing ‘play’.
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