I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

A young nurse takes care of elderly author who lives in a haunted house.

This film seems to be getting negative responses from people, at least if I take IMDb as any sort of serious guide. At this time (January 2017) it sits at 4.8, which isn't awful but is certainly far from great. Having now seen the film, I find the low rating surprising. The acting is great, and there is nothing wrong with the film as far as technical matters go.

My guess is that people have the wrong mindset. The film was promoted by Rue Morgue, among others, and maybe people got caught up in some hype of Oz Perkins or misunderstood. Much like the recent Guillermo del Toro ghost story, people need to see this type of horror (the "gothic romance") as different from what they expect. It might be slower and there will be less blood. But it is about creating a mood, which I think this film does rather well.

A cool creepy story about, well its more about a house than anything else, or more like the creepy things that go on in it. It starts with the arrival of a home care nurse named Lily, and she's there to care for Iris Blum, a horror novelist nearing the end... And seeing that Lily is the ultimate scaredy-cat, moving into an big, very old house, occupied by a horror writer, well seems weird. But Lily goes for it, and as she cares for Iris, Iris starts calling her Polly... a character from one of her novels, The Lady in the Walls, her best known work. Once Lily checks it out, the creepiness begins. I thought it was a good piece of story telling, it splinters off, and tells the tale of Polly, and also the tale of young Iris writing the book... How all three stories intersect was pretty sweet, and a uber creepy narration helped on the creepiness factor of creepy. Filmbufftim on FB.

The curiously titled I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House opened with interesting visuals and fantastic narration, true be told I was gripped from the outset.

It tells the story of a nurse who moves in with an old lady who was once a successful author. To say anything more would spoil it, to say anything more would also be difficult as it's rather hard to explain.

So as mentioned the visuals were great and the narration solid, sadly the visuals don't last and the narration isn't enough to save the film. Not even remotely.

The film is certainly unique but I'm not quite sure who it'll appeal to, certainly not someone seeking a horror. It's an unusual little slow burning tale that had me interested but all the while I waited for it to get going.

Alas the movie though charming fails to deliver on any front, at least for me.

The Good:

Really unique style

Great narration

Bob Balaban

The Bad:

Really dull

Goes nowhere

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Ghosts are made by looking for them but pretending not to see

28yrs old? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha NO!

This story had all the makings of a great spooky mystery. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. It starts with very mysterious theories and possibilities. Then, nothing. It's like going to a steak house and eating a salad with tofu.

That's it, it's anemic. It never really tells you why the ghost is there, nor does the ghost appear much.

It needs more interaction between the supernatural and the living. It needs a solution and a reckoning with what happened to the couple that disappeared. In other words, it lacks the very basics of any story: who, why, what when, etc.

I was really looking forward to this movie because I am so sick of all the stupid slasher flicks. Oh well.

Good try.

The acting was subtle and well done, the story was intriguing (if its potential was never fully met), and the near silent tone of the movie was a strength more than a drawback. There will be unanswered questions, and that annoys a lot of people. If you are like me and prefer to leave with questions, you will appreciate this flick more.

I don't think the criticism calling it boring it fair. A lot is going on in the background if you pay attention. It reminds me of Victorian ghost stories. Not everything has to be extreme to be worth viewing.

All in all it has its problems, but worth watching if you don't mind a slow build.