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House of Darkness Review
Image Credit: Saban Films
Loading...Directed by: Neil LaBute
Written by: Neil LaBute
Starring:
Justin Long – Hap
Kate Bosworth – Mina
Gia Crovatin – Lucy
Lucy Walters – Nora
Running Time: 88 minutes
Rated R for some bloody violence/gore, sexual material, and language throughout.
When it comes to exploring misanthropy, you could certainly do a lot worse than Neil LaBute. The playwright and filmmaker loves playing in the messy themes of gender relations under the scope of masculinity, something he’s explored in both on stage as well as in films like In the Company of Men, Possession, and Your Friends & Neighbors.
LaBute also loves wading in the tricky waters of dark comedy which makes his new film House of Darkness comfortable ground for him. That’s doubly so when you realize how much his stage experience influences this talk-y yet absorbing dark fairy tale of the 2020s, which opens in theaters Friday before arriving on Digital and On Demand next week.
With House of Darkness, LaBute is having a lot of fun toying with his audience. Opening with an ominous pile of shoes in a cave and a Hammer-esque title card that transitions into “Once Upon a Time,” we open on a wrought-iron gate with the night wind blowing through it. One could be forgiven for believing we’re in for a period piece – at least until LaBute flips that on its head moments later, with the gate opening of its own accord and a very 2020s car making its way through.
Inside the car are Hap (Justin Long) and Mina (Kate Bosworth). It’s her gate and home; he’s just giving her a ride home from the bar. But of course, he’s not just giving her a ride. Hap is hoping to get lucky here, relying on his nice guy-meets-player style to get invited into the big, gorgeous yet creepy castle she calls home. He’s willing to endure a little verbal twisting from this gorgeous woman if he can end up in her boudoir (I know that’s an archaic term, but with this house it fits), and he’s willing to ignore or incapable of seeing what should be warning signs for any genre-savvy viewer that he might be in over his head.
Once inside, the back and forth begins in earnest. Hap and Mina banter, though Hap is the one being left on his heels most of the time. The dark, drafty house with its heating issues makes for a wonderful reason to sit by the fire and kiss, and Mina’s offer to get them drinks lets Hap talk to his jackass of a bar buddy on the phone about what a sweet evening he looks to have scored. But this isn’t a jock comedy, and not everything is at it appears. And when Mina’s sister Lucy (Gia Crovatin) makes an appearance, things only get more worrying for Hap’s chances at making it to the bar the next evening.
House of Darkness isn’t afraid to wear its plot twists on its sleeves. Everything from the title card aesthetics to the character names to the look of Mina, Lucy and their big spooky castle make it clear what’s going on under the surface. The strength of the film is that while we likely know the gist, the devil is in the details. LaBute is happy to spell out the broad strokes early on for anyone paying attention, because he’s trusting in his cast and his dialogue to keep people wanting to see what’s next.
It’s a well-founded trust, as the cast more than delivers here. Long and Bosworth get the lion’s share of the screen time, and they make the most of it. Long has always been good at walking the like between “nice guy” and actual nice guy, and he puts that to great use here. Meanwhile, Bosworth has to be a little more enigmatic; her performance is couched in the tones of a cat who has already caught the canary and is just savoring the time before it realizes it’s caught.
The two are having so much fun that it’s easy to ignore a few flaws as the film goes on. Essentially a chamber piece, the charisma of the two actors and their chemistry papers over the fact that the cat and mouse game gets a bit too cat-and-mousey after a half-hour. Hap never truly feels like a match for Mina when it comes to that, and there’s never really a question as to whether Mina is going to be under any sense of threat.
In fairness, LaBute clearly doesn’t seem to be trying for that. He’s fine and even ecstatic with letting the audience see just how far in over his head Hap is. Letting us know the name of the game doesn’t rob too much from the fun factor here; it’s genuinely funny to watch Hap flounder, and the anticipation comes in wondering when it’s all going to come crashing down for him.
While House of Darkness is absolutely a horror film, it’s one that might leave some horrorhounds hoping for a solid dose of the red stuff a little cold. The film has one solid gore scene but mostly the horror here is in the mood and tone, left darkly comedic and stewing in the brain as you grow increasingly certain as to how things are going to go. LaBute keeps the tension with excellent use of the environment, an effectively old-school score and some choice lighting decisions.
There are a few other stumbles here and there. The pacing suffers in a couple of instances, and the amount of warning signs Hap ignores does strain credulity late in the game. But it’s hard to complain too much about that given how jauntily the film traipses toward its conclusion and the knowing wink that LaBute gives the audience to let us in on the game.
House of Darkness is available in Theaters September 8th and On Demand and Digital September 13th.
