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With imagery that seems to recall nightmares everyone seems to have at some point, The House is actively engaging and eye-catching. At first.

The movie is actually an anthology with three episodes set in the same house, in different decades and with different types of characters. The first chapter is the best one, with a fully thought-out concept that is clichéd but very effective. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying, leaves the viewer wanting for more in the same way watching a movie trailer does.

The second episode is wayy less effective. Thematically and plot-wise, there seems to be no connection between the episodes. Worse than that, the ideas they seem to have wanted to explore feel only hinted at. After the second episode, I just gave up. Overall, first chapter is worth watching if only for the spooky atmosphere and engaging story. The second chapter destroys whatever promise the first one showed. Having top notch production values does not make up for lack of plot and faulty writing.

If you watch it without the expectations that come from the 2 first installments in this series, you are in for a treat! Very entertaining zombie movie that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but spins it well enough. Plot-wise, it offers a satisfying conclusion to the series while tying all of it together. The tense, claustrophobic atmosphere is there, although the scares - and consequently, the horror - have been reduced. Personally, I appreciate that the found-footage format has been dropped, it did nothing for me except make me nauseated and confused at the action scenes. Acting, effects, make-up and CGI were pretty much spotless. Overall, as someone who has watched almost all zombie movies, ranging from excellent to dumpster fire, I can tell you right now this does. Not. Deserve. The bad ratings.

Many puzzling decisions were made by whoever was directing and producing this movie. First of all, combining the two first games into one movie is not a decision I inherently dislike, but it was not done well. With it, they also destroyed the possibility of making a movie about Nemesis, which is another weird decision. It also means we're watching 10+ characters in a 100 minute movie, which is waaaaay too many characters to develop properly.

I know everyone everyone and their mother complained about the casting, but I honestly do not mind so long as everyone pulls their weight and the characters retain their essence. The latter is not the case here at all. Main character motivations and backstories were changed in ways that did not benefit the storyline at all and, not only that, also made the movie extra confusing and disjointed. Adding to that, they introduce a plethora of subplots and easter eggs that of course could not be developed properly for lack of time. Same with the monsters, they can't really shine because there is too much to do and show in a 100 minute movie combining the storylines of two games. It all just feels super rushed and because of that, confusing. It is such a letdown to hint at very interesting storylines that just could not be developed.

The soundtrack is comprised of another set of bad decisions. The songs are in complete disaccord with the feel of the movie and the scenes. Very puzzling indeed.

The atmosphere and sets, however, were nailed. It feels like a Resident Evil movie in ways that the Paul W. S. Anderson ones did not. There is horror and tension and that sense of dread that permeates the games. The first half of the movie sets everything perfectly, but then it all goes downhill because the runtime is not long enough to develop any of the multiple plotlines introduced. Overall, this is just straight up not a good movie, but I can think of worse ways to kill an hour and a half. At least the first 45 minutes are very good.