What would summer be without yet another streaming horror film? I read about The Last House just days before it was due to be released and thought, even before watching it, that it sounded like a typical hit-and-miss concept. In the right hands, and with the right script, it could be interesting and nerve-wracking, but it could just as easily go in exactly the opposite direction. So, what happens when an experienced action director takes a couple of really talented actors and locks them in a house? My highly personal opinions follow below.
But first, a summary of the plot: "The days leading up to Christmas Eve. An ordinary family consisting of a husband, wife and two children find themselves locked inside their house. Something is holding them there. They must work together to survive both dwindling resources and the mysterious threat keeping them captive."
Directed by Louis Leterrier, which is a somewhat unexpected choice, he has directed films such as Fast X, Grimsby, The Transporter, Now You See Me, and The Incredible Hulk, plus the Netflix series Lupin, starring Omar Sy, which shouldn't be forgotten. Plenty of action, plenty of suspense, and moving from that to a film nearly two-hours-long that essentially takes place entirely in a confined space is one of the things that piqued my interest in The Last House.
The screenplay is by Matthew Robinson, who has written, amongst other things, the extremely entertaining Love and Monsters, the somewhat lacklustre Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, and is apparently a co-writer on the upcoming Edge of Tomorrow 2 and Rogue Squadron.
In the lead roles we see Wagner Moura and Greta Lee. Moura has become a personal favourite of mine, where the first time I saw him was in Tropa De Elite, but he had his real breakthrough as Pablo Escobar in Narcos. We've also seen him in Elysium, Civil War, and The Secret Agent, to name but a few. Regardless of genre or role, Moura brings a commanding presence, depth of feeling, and on-screen charisma that I really appreciate.
Lee is something of a veteran herself. The Studio, A House of Dynamite, and Tron: Ares, to name but a few. Her career has been on a steady upward trajectory in recent years, and like Moura, Greta has a wealth of charisma and presence. She's absolutely brilliant as the cool, collected Stella Bak in the Apple series The Morning Show, and I realise as I write this that I haven't seen the latest season.
The acting is certainly one of the film's stronger points, even if the two veterans don't quite shine as brightly as they usually do. But that's not the point. They do what they can with the material they've been given. I won't give too much away, because The Last House is a film you get the most out of the less you know beforehand, but the plot builds up quite effectively. Naturally, you want to know what's keeping them trapped and why, but is that enough? The whole business of being unable to escape the house veers between interesting and silly. The mystery itself isn't engaging enough, and the few horror elements are weak.
When you've been cooped up for 1,131 days and the Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking.
The film runs to almost two hours, which is far too long a running time for such a thin script and limited settings. We get a brief glimpse of the immediate surroundings, which adds something, but the problem is the film is almost entirely lacking in tension. You lose interest even though the family dynamics add something, and in terms of suspense, far too little happens. The film doesn't get any better when it starts to attempt some sort of explanation and introduces the threat in earnest. It's too vague and non-committal, and while it might set the stage for a sequel, the question is: who'd be keen on that?
Unfortunately, an experienced action director and two usually superb actors fail to salvage a mediocre idea, a flawed script, and a running time that should have been cut by at least a quarter of an hour. The Last House will sit at the top of the Netflix charts for a week or two, then it will be forgotten.