With the world slowly coming out of lockdown,House Monsteris the latest horror thriller to draw inspiration from the real-world events of the ongoing pandemic. Writer/director David Axe takes the ongoing isolation and fear that many people have felt over the past year and throws in a sinister twist. Today, we have the first trailer forHouse Monsteralong with a poster that warns, “It’s alive inside.”
The story centres around a struggling actress as she quarantines alone in the wake of aglobal pandemic. But after a series of bizarre occurrences around her home, her paranoia grows and she increasingly begins to expect that she is not alone. As the days draw on, the monster within her home gets bolder and more ever-present, until the woman is forced to confront her literal demon.
House Monsteris the latest feature from up-and-coming indie film writer David Axe. The former military journalist turned graphic novel writer, produced his first feature film in 2017Theta Girl. Agrindhouse-style revenge thrillerabout a young woman who must track down her friend’s killers, unravelling a conspiracy about a new drug called Theta in the process. Axe followed up in 2019 with another feature, Lection, a film about a local election in a post-apocalyptic society. Serving as a social commentary on the state of government with loose libertarian themes.
Axe looks set to turn his hand to social commentary again with his latest movie that will be more in the vein of his second feature.House Monsterit appears, will draw parallels with theongoing conversation about mental health. The tagline “It’s in your house. It’s in your head” suggests there could be more to the story than what’s on the surface. Similar to recent horror hits likeThe BabadookandHereditary, the film teases the idea that the quarantine blurs the lines of reality for the trapped protagonist and that she may have to face the demons in her head to overcome the one in her house.
It’s unclear at this stage whether the titular monster will exist at all or whether it will simply be a manifestation of the loneliness the protagonist is feeling. Becoming further intensified as the days move on and she begins to lose grasp of the concept of time, sinking deeper into her depression.Monster Houselooks to use isolation and nihilism in much the same way popular horror classics such asThe Thinghave in the past, to deliver a truly chilling experience.
Theclaustrophobic thrillerwill also adopt the latest incarnation of found footage horror made famous by theParanormal Activityseries. Making use of modern tropes such as CCTV and webcam shots to create a pseudo-realism to the narrative in an attempt to immerse the audience further. Audiences should now be very familiar with the obligatory video chat with friends and relatives having been immersed in a similar situation for the past year.Paranormal Activitymuch likeThe Blair Witch Projectbefore it really struck a chord, horrifying fans nationwide. WhetherHouse Monstercan have the same impact or will simply be another underwhelming attempt to follow the formula likeUnfriended, remains to be seen.
House Monsterwill star Mike Amason, Aaron Blomberg, Jennifer Hill, and Josh Kern and is scheduled for digital and DVD release in North America on September 7th 2021 from Wild Eye Releasing.
