House of Darkness – Fantasia 2022
July 14 to August 3, 2022
The man drives a woman home to her secluded estate in House of Darkness. After meeting in a bar, Hap (Justin Long) drives Mina (Kate Bosworth) to her isolated castle-like home. Hap accompanies Mina inside for a drink and seems confident that he will get lucky. However, it soon turns out that Hap finds himself in the middle of a twisted fairytale.
House of Darkness is the latest film by writer/director Neil LaBute (2006’s The Wicker Man remake), which stars Justin Long and Kate Bosworth as two strangers who have a battle of the sexes in a gothic manor. That is probably all that needs to be known about the film, which has many twists and turns, including the fact that the two aren’t exactly alone in this house.
It does not take two long to figure out where House of Darkness is going, though Neil LaBute takes his time with the plot. House of Darkness is written like a play with long dialogue-heavy scenes. While there are attempts to subvert viewer expectation, and there’s one excellent jump scare, the film ends up being a pretty dull watch as you wait for the inevitable conclusion, which, admittedly, is satisfying.
Trailer for House of Darkness – Fantasia 2022
