You need to see the modern horror masterpiece, His House

There is an argument to be made that “The real monster is trauma“It has become an overused trope in Modern horror. Hereditary, Babadookand with much less effectiveness, He smilesjust a few high-level examples. But, if you ask me, few films have used this trope quite as effectively as the 2020 film status.

The film follows Paul and Rial, two South Sudanese refugees, played by Sope Dirisu Wunmi Mosaku. They both give the kind of stunning performances you rarely see in a film of this genre. It’s part of what lifts status Higher than the standard “haunted shocker” fare. Mosaku, in particular, displays the kind of nuance and screen presence that would guarantee stardom in a just world.

But you don’t come to a horror movie for a dramatic thrill ride (that’s just a bonus), you come to it for the scares, and his house does that justice. Paul and Real are placed in a rundown house on the outskirts of London. There are holes in the wall, the wallpaper is peeling, and the electricity is erratic. However, it is a home and a chance to escape the civil war and genocide sweeping through their homeland.

But writer-director Remi Weekes doesn’t waste much time before ratcheting up the tension. There are jump scares, but there is a lot of terror in them status It comes from a feeling of fear of being uncomfortable. There’s something in the walls, but there’s something in the air too — not just within the walls of the house, but on the streets of the neighborhood in which they’re placed. No friendly faces. Every interaction with their new neighbors is fraught with danger.

Even those tasked with helping Paul and Real, like social worker Mark (played by Matt Smith), can barely hide their disdain for the new arrivals. Paul tries to assimilate, but the pressures of adapting to British culture and his guilt towards those he left behind, and those who did not survive the journey, drive him crazy. As the film progresses, flashbacks reveal the lengths Paul and Rial went to to escape the violence in South Sudan, and the nature of what haunts them.

status It is one of the rare films that manages to expertly blend the supernatural with realistic horror and heartbreaking drama. If you like your fears with a side Emotional gut punch-You can broadcast status On Netflix.