Though 'IMDb' lists 'The House (2022)' as a TV series*, 'Netflix' presents it as a feature-length affair and plenty of online sources (including 'Wikipedia' and several reputable film critics) refer to it as a movie. As such, I'm going to consider it a feature film, making it the first film I've seen that was initially released in 2022. It's also worth noting that, although its three stories exist more or less in isolation from one another, the thing feels like a cohesive experience that presents a few different interpretations of its central concept (so it's better suited to a movie than a mini-series, in my opinion). The first flick of the year is usually a bit subpar, but this is far from such. It's actually pretty great. The piece is an anthology of stop-motion animation that tells three distinct stories, each of which surround the eponymous house regardless of the fact that they're separated by many years and, even, the species of creature they focus on. The fact that the three stories star humans, rats and cats respectively can be interpreted in a few ways. Firstly, the changes in species could be entirely stylistic, meaning that the characters are represented by humans, rats and cats but are actually always one of the three (perhaps whichever you most connect with). Secondly, the timeline could be entirely linear and be set over a couple of thousand years rather than a couple of hundred, with giant rats at some point overthrowing humans before then themselves being overthrown by giant cats. The third possibility is that the house transcends conventional boundaries of space and time, occupying several different realities (across which these three stories take place). This aspect of the picture isn't particularly important and is certainly open to interpretation, like most of the narrative's surrealist events. It isn't so much a straightforward plot as it is a sort of unsettling mood poem. Even though the three stories are written by the same person, they feel wildly different in terms of tone and theme. Even their aesthetics are unique, the loose wool of the first segment contrasting sharply with the crisp fibres of the last. The segments compliment each other, though. In a way, they each start with the same concept and take it in their own direction, which makes for a consistently compelling watch. The first segment is, for me, the highlight, with a genuinely creepy atmosphere and a wonderfully moody aesthetic. There's something almost intangible about it and it often makes you smile because of how confidently bizarre it is. It feels like 19th century gothic horror, even if it's a lot more surreal than most entries in that genre, and it's certainly the most conventionally disquieting short in the film. The second segment has a surprisingly effective final moment, though, which is all the more startling because most of this story plays out like a pseudo 'kitchen sink' drama about an uncannily realistic renovator. As a result, it's actually rather scary as a whole. Its down-to-earth central performance and its nuanced animations make it feel remarkably true to life despite the fact that it features talking rodents. This is actually one of the things that makes it get under your skin, since it feels so strangely familiar and stressfully alien all at once. The moments of genuine comedy (largely absent from the first story) also add to this effect. The picture's third segment is very light on horror, more or less whittling its scares down to the gnawing realisation that the protagonist has been trapped by her own domesticity. It's a different sort of horror and it plays out more like a drama for most of its duration. Its hopeful ending is also tinged with a dash of sadness; perhaps it's too good to be true? Despite not being creepy, the final movement is still effective and engaging. Overall, this is a really solid animated horror film. Its aesthetic is gorgeous and its concepts are oddly engrossing. It isn't terrifying, but it is unsettling and it has the ability to provoke real retrospection. It's an entertaining affair from start to finish. 7/10.
*'IMDb' has subsequently altered the movie's page, which means that 'The House (2022)' is now correctly labelled as a film rather than a TV show.
