Review by Ben Bussey
Learn that The House is a Thai horror movie from 2007 that’s only just getting a Region 2 DVD release now, and you’d be forgiven for coming in with low expectations. Finding out it’s a ghost story may well inspire even less confidence; J-horror and the many far eastern imitations that have come in its wake have long since grown painfully overfamiliar. All things considered, it’s no surprise that The House doesn’t exactly raise the roof. Still, it’s by no means the worst film of its kind, and it does manage to add a few relative twists to the tried-and-tested formula.
Workaholic roving reporter Shalinee (Inthira Chaloenpura) specialises in TV news stories on drug addicts, child prostitution; all those kind of cheery ‘and finally’ items. Her latest commission at first seems typically gloomy enough, digging up the case of a doctor put away for murdering his wife six years earlier. However, her research uncovers some eerie parallels between that murder and two others from decades earlier, all of which occurred in the same house. Of course the locals warn her against investigating the abandoned abode – don’t recall an old straw-chewing man grumbling “it’s got a death curse,” but I’m sure there was some Thai equivalent of that – but of course this doesn’t keep her from taking a peek. Big mistake, naturally. Would it surprise you if I said a dark-haired, white skinned phantom woman soon pops up? And innumerable instances of Shalinee experiencing horrifying visions, only to wake suddenly in an empty room? (Truly, I lost count of the number of times they pulled that trick…)
To be fair, The House isn’t a completely by-the-numbers J-horror replica. Instead, it goes more into Shining/Amityville territory, insomuch as the haunting manifests itself as much psychologically as physically; it’s less a haunted house than a haunted people film. The relationship between Shalinee and her husband is already under strain, as her career focus runs contrary to his more old-fashioned feelings that the menfolk should provide whilst womenfolk should stay home and have babies. Once the presence that haunts the titular house takes hold of our protagonists, it isn’t only in the shape of big black spectres, but in emotions, as the husband’s anxieties grow into an obsessive, violent jealousy. Perhaps there’s some comment being made there on contemporary gender relations in Thailand; either way it’s a theme that can certainly resonate with international audiences. It’s just a shame the film doesn’t really show us anything we haven’t seen before. Also rather overfamiliar are the prison scenes, Shalinee’s visits to the murderer being more than a little reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs.
There is a sense that The House is trying to be all things to all horror audiences. Whilst there are strong echoes of J-horror, there’s also a fair bit of splatter, hints of erotic thriller, and a liberal sprinkling of oh-so 21st century torture. Perhaps if the film took one of those threads and used it for all it was worth, the resulting film might have been more noteworthy. Unfortunately, it’s just another middle of the road mid-budget chiller which, while not exactly bad, just isn’t enough to warrant a recommendation.
The House is out on Region 2 DVD on 4th June, from MVM.