(Photo Courtesy of Netflix)
Kaliisha Cole
Connector Editor
Based on the book by Stephanie Perkins and produced by Netflix, “There’s Someone Inside Your House” follows Makani, who is caught in the crosshairs of a killer running loose in her town. This intruder wears a mask that resembles his victims, and he reveals their secrets before killing them.
This movie is gruesome. There is no holding back on making sure that each scene is terrifying and realistic. Even the portrayal of the murder itself is impressive. Each scene where the killer appears, it is clear who the next target is, and it is so intense when he arrives.
Besides the antagonist, the acting of the rest of the cast is as spot on as the actors and actresses could make it. Makani (played by Sydney Park) has this alluring sophistication to her, and it is clear that she has a secret of her own that is clarified through quick flashbacks until it is revealed to the viewer further into the movie. Sydney Park’s performance is quite possibly the best out of the entire cast.
Unfortunately, the writing for this movie cannot be so highly praised. It carries the layout of a B-grade horror film. It feels too forced beyond the main character’s lines.
Everything sounds as though they had the basic premise down because they had a book with everything lined up for them, yet when it came to making actual dialogue for the film, it just did not work.
For following the genre of a teen-slasher film, this has graphics that previous films would envy, but in terms of an actual plot, it is mostly redundant, and the title is a bit misleading. Not much of a spoiler, but only one death takes place in someone’s house. If the movie had actually followed what the actual plot is meant to be, it might have been better received.
Currently, it carries a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with more 1-star reviews than any other starred review. Book-to-movie adaptions still struggle to capture the entire essence of a novel, and this is just another example of such a situation.
Another aspect of the novel is the relationship between Makani and Ollie (played by Théodore Pellerin). Ollie is the outcast at their high school. Everyone suspects him of being the killer, yet Makani has this unexplainable attraction to him that ultimately reads as someone to have fun with versus actually having chemistry. Park and Pellerin do not have a ton of on-screen harmony.
Small criticism aside, the movie is basic. That is the best word to describe it. It has every cliché element of a horror film and nearly dumbs it down to the standard outline. It takes the modern approach to filmmaking, and that actually brings some enjoyment to it. But the characters are lacking in likeability, there are so many plot holes, and the ending is so disappointing that one could almost regret spending the time watching the film.
If a standard teen-slasher film is desired for the upcoming holiday, then this is not a completely horrendous film to watch. If anything, it will get viewers in the Halloween spirit.
Grade: B-