Langreview Kurzkritik English Version Fakten + Credits

A House on the Bayou ©2022 Paramount Pictures

Most of you probably know what a house is. For those who don’t, a house is a man-made structure that protects us from rain and cold. These so-called “dwellings” made it possible for our ancestors to no longer be dependent on caves. Humans were mobile, and could settle anywhere on the planet. Even in bayous, but what these are is probably well known. Joking aside. Bayous are the wetlands in the southeast of the USA. They are mainly the wetlands in Louisiana that surround the Mississippi River. You probably all have the image of the sweltering swamps full of alligators in your mind, where you should never get lost. The perfect scenario for a horror film. Director Alex McAulay’s 2021 horror drama tells the story of a divided family about to experience an unforgettable horror trip in the swamps.

Here’s what it’s all about…

Jessica Chambers (Angela Sarafyan) is already waiting for her husband to confront him about the photos taken by a private investigator. The investigator has caught John Chambers (Paul Schneider) cheating on his wife with one of his literature students. For Jessica it is clear that divorce is out of the question, even though her husband has cheated on her, she loves family life, plus she doesn’t want to burden her pubescent daughter Anna (Lia McHugh). So she decides that the family should take a short holiday so that she and her husband can get back together. In her work as an estate agent, she has stumbled across a house in Louisiana, the rooms of which she has to take photos of anyway.

A House on the Bayou ©2022 Paramount Pictures

On the first afternoon, Jessica sends her husband and daughter to the local general store to shop for dinner. In the shop, run by a taciturn old man (Doug Van Liew), Anna meets a boy her age who identifies himself to her as Isaac (Jacob Lofland). Isaac makes advances to the young townswoman, who is flattered by his direct manner.

When Anna and her father return to the house, there is a knock at the door a short time later. Isaac also introduces himself to Jessica and invites the family to dinner; they should just come over in the evening. But a few hours later he is back at the door, saying that the cooker has broken down and that he and his grandfather, the shopkeeper, could just cook for everyone in the big house. The Chambers family has no idea that Isaac is not who he says he is.

Review

A HOUSE ON THE BAYOU is another film from the horror film hotbed of Blumhouse. To many, the studio has become infamous as a production company for miserable scary flicks. However, films like GET OUT, HAPPY DEATHDAY or THE INVISIBLE often fall by the wayside. Accordingly, with Blumhouse films it is always a surprise whether you get to see a very suspenseful or soporific flick. Director Alex McAulay has staged something in between with his film A HOUSE ON THE BAYOU, a film that is not completely convincing, but still delivers some exciting approaches.

A House on the Bayou ©2022 Paramount Pictures

What makes the film so exciting is that you are always on the lookout for the threat and are regularly fooled in the process. Through the appearance of the character Isaac, it becomes clear very quickly that he carries something evil inside him, but this evil spreads only slowly. Like a good detective story, you try to figure out for yourself what is going on in the house without finding any clear answers. At first you get the impression that the Chambers family is in a haunted house somewhere in the swamps, but later the film takes a slightly different approach. As exciting as it is at the beginning to decipher what is going on in A HOUSE ON THE BAYOU, the finale is sobering. Because of this very average ending, everything that the film has built up fizzles out and loses some of its impact.

A bright spot in the horror swamp?

A big plus point is the acting of some of the actors. Angela Sarafyan unfortunately falls a bit short, in contrast to her colleagues. She is a very one-dimensional character who does not develop in the course of the film. In stark contrast to this is Jacob Lofland as Isaac. The young actor manages to give his character completely different traits and elegantly switches back and forth between them. One moment he is the charming boy Anna has her eye on, the next second he radiates something unpredictably vicious. In addition, Paul Schneider manages to surprise in his role. At first he seems like a resigned man in a mid-life crisis, but behind this first impression lies a much deeper character.

A House on the Bayou ©2022 Paramount Pictures

Even though A HOUSE IN THE BAYOU has a lot to offer, the film is unfortunately full of logic holes and clichés. Most obviously, the image of the dangerous Hill-Billys is cannibalised; Isaac and his grandfather seem like simple people who live secluded lives in the country. As in the 1980s, they are staged as a danger to the cultured and intelligent city dwellers.  Towards the end of the film, the characters break with their own logic, especially Isaac. Although he is initially portrayed as unpredictable, he follows a clear pattern that is broken towards the end in favour of a dramatic finale. This does not speak well for the script.

Conclusion

A HOUSE ON THE BAYOU is a thoroughly entertaining little horror flick, though one shouldn’t question it too much. The film is wonderful to watch as light scary entertainment after a busy day. It’s a film that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does take some exciting approaches. Unfortunately, the director did not manage to play out his good ideas to the end, instead opting for an average finale that causes the film to lose some of its impact. Overall, the film lives from its sinister antagonist and the atmosphere of the house in the swamps.

How did you like the movie?
(5 Bewertungen, Durchschnitt: 8,00 von 10)

Loading...