The House That Horror Built

Horror fan Harry is trying to keep herself and her teen son Gabe fed in the early days after lockdown. She accepts a job as a house cleaner for controversial horror director Javier Castillo. She swears his movie props follow her as she cleans, and the recent disappearance of his family doesn’t help. As her landlord evicts her, she depends more on Castillo despite her instincts. Gabe’s hero-worship of him and Castillo’s obvious enjoyment of it make her even more wary. When Castillo offers them a chance to move in, she worries whether she can keep Gabe safe there. And what does Castillo have locked in the top room of his house? This claustrophobic, anxious narrative keeps characters minimal and information sparse, reflecting the immense effort needed for Harry to survive poverty. Castillo—who will strike horror fans as an obvious parody of Guillermo del Toro—is seen through Harry’s eyes, adding doubt in her perceptions. There may be points here about reproductive choices and poverty, but they don’t quite jell before the standard gothic ending.