The Beach House

'The Beach House' is the perfect type of film to know as little about as possible before going in. I knew basically nothing about it and it made it an absolute treat. Some could call the first half of the film slow, and they'd probably be right, but I loved it. It did what so few horror movies do and took the time to let us care about the characters and their fate. For a cast of relative unknowns I thought the cast were terrific. The main couple were nothing flashy, but they were likeable and realistic enough to get onboard with.

The film features some very clever foreshadowing. It was hard to fully appreciate all of it at the time, whilst knowing so little about what the future of the film had in store, but in retrospect it was very clever. I really didn't know what direction the film was going to go in. It holds its cards close to its chest for quite a while. The path that it does ultimately go down has not always been my favourite genre of film in the past, but I really liked the way 'The Beach House' went about it.

The film has a very strange ending, that I think makes sense, but I also suspect is not going to be to everyone's liking. It was a bold way to end the film though, and like it or not you should at least give it respect for that much. I had a good time with 'The Beach House' and would recommend it as one to check out.

Did you ever see a movie that you thought was pretty good, but that was so weird and out of nowhere that you weren't really quite sure how you were supposed to process it as a viewer?

The Beach House is one of the newer additions to Shudder, and, for the most part, it's a pretty standard horror movie. It's a slow burn about a young couple that go to (you guessed it!) a beach house for a romantic vacation together, only to find an older couple also staying at the beach house. For about half of the movie, things are okay - you're just watching a flawed relationship trying to fix itself and grow - but, when things go awry, they really go out with it.

This film has an uneasy feeling throughout. It gives off a vibe of unease, as though it were preparing the viewer for what is to come. There wasn't a moment of the film that I felt I could trust any particular characters, especially once the film really started revving its engine and working toward the final act.

There are a lot of tense moments in the film, which is one thing they pulled off really well. Where it lost me was in the plot, the way it suddenly (and I do mean suddenly) begins to get a little too sci-fi for my liking in a film like this. I'll give it credit for doing something different (it easily could've been very cliched) and trying to be its own thing, but it's an instance where I feel it, perhaps, tried a little too hard to be original and ended up being off-putting as the film went on.

That being said, credit needs to be given where it's due. Everyone acting in this film did a great job. The characters were relatable and believable. And the shots in this thing are absolutely stunning as well. The aesthetic of the film is eye-catching and beautiful throughout, which made it a film that was still enjoyable despite its faults.

The Beach House's relatively short runtime is filled with a sense of impending doom. It's slow to get started, but once the infection begins the film manages to offer up enough dread to keep you locked in. Well-acted and plenty of eerie atmosphere. Overall, this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It's far from perfect and suffers from a few cliches and dumb character moments. There is one particular reveal in the last block that disturbed me. I always find the scariest films revolve around body horror and what Mother Nature could have in store for us. I highly recommend watching something a little more upbeat after you finish it. The film has managed to stay on my mind the last few days.

The beach house adheres to a lot of the classical sci-fi and horror tropes, it's reminiscent of alien and the mist. But it manages to surprise you enough to keep you entertained and tense. The special effects are well done, the creatures mysterious but familiar enough to make you believe they could exist. The strong female lead and the aesthetics are a plus.

The reviews for this movie are incredibly inconsistent. However it seems like people are agreeing about certain aspects. Everyone seems to agree with the sentiment that the movie is a slow burn. I personally found the first half of the film to be interesting and it increasingly built tension. Others will say it was boring.

The film is also being hammered on for being mysterious and accused of offering no real explanation as to why certain things are happening. Not true, there are several scenes/conversations that offer theories and possible answers to what is happening. However, the theories are presented indirectly. I personally found the explanations interesting enough.

The climax of the film is ultimately why I recommend this movie. Around the 50 minute mark is when this film separates itself from the pack. There are 2 horrific set pieces in particular that are extremely well shot and present genuine creepy imagery.