Netflix appear to have struck gold with Remi Weekes’ incredible breakout feature His House. The atmospheric and chilling horror movie is riding a wave of critical acclaim, and cracked the streaming service’s Top 10 most-watched list just 24 hours after it was added to the library. Holding a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes with over 50 reviews in the bag is a phenomenal achievement, and the low budget effort has already gained a reputation as one of the year’s finest entries in the genre.
As the fifth most-viewed title on Netflix around the world, millions of people have clearly watched His House through the gaps in their fingers and likely enjoyed it very much. The story is a timely and often harrowing one, following two refugees from war-torn Sudan who pitch up in England hoping to start a new life, only to find that their sins have followed them and a demonic spirit has no intention of letting them settle down.
His House reveals that central couple Bol and Rial lost their daughter during their escape from Sudan, meaning they were haunted long before they arrived in their new surroundings. In an unusual twist on the horror formula, though, the two leads quickly accept that they’re the victims of paranormal events, when most movies would focus on at least one of the characters refusing to believe it.
However, in a shocking twist revealed later on, it turns out that Bol and Rial essentially kidnapped a young girl from their village and passed her off as their own daughter in an effort to guarantee safe passage, and her death is the reason that a malevolent force is now seeking vengeance. His House ends on the haunting and poignant note of Bol and Rial deciding to stay in their home after overcoming the evil spirit, but the ghosts of their past will always be with them.