THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE -- A Horror Film That Deals in Familiarity but Stays Fresh and Original

Review by Dan Skip Allen

SYDNEY PARK as MAKANI YOUNG in THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE. Credit: DAVID BUKACH/NETFLIX © 2021.

Home invasion films and teen horror films are popular genres within horror. Both of them tend to be pretty formulaic. Combining these two subgenres of the horror genre can be an interesting way to write/direct a movie. Netflix is in the horror game this month leading into Halloween. There's Someone Inside Your House is another one of their original horror movies for October. 

Sydney Park plays a young girl who moved to Nebraska from Hawaii to live with her ailing grandmother. She hangs with the odd kids in school that pretty much run the gambit of all possible races, religious backgrounds, and sexual orientations. When some murders start to happen of kids that are standouts in sports and academics, she and her friends are caught in the middle. Evidence left at the crime scenes makes things more confusing for authorities to uncover the truth.

All of these kids in this rural area of Nebraska have secrets they keep and are trying to hide from their friends and family members. This community of seemingly regular high school kids has more to be ashamed of than any of them can fathom. Can anybody figure out the connection to the killer before they all die? That is the question. Produced by James Wan and Shawn Levy, their horror backgrounds have nurtured this straightforward horror film that combined multiple subgenres of horror.
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This film has the usual horror movie tropes such as the weird kid that everyone thinks is the killer. It has family members that have motives to kill the kids as well. Law enforcement officers are no closer to finding the truth than they are at looking at their own suspicious family members for the killings. Nebraska and high school are the two perfect settings for this murder mystery.

SYDNEY PARK as MAKANI YOUNG in THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE. Credit: © 2021 Netflix, Inc.

The cast is full of relative nobodies but they are adequate in portraying the various roles they've been cast in. Director Patrick Brice has dabbled in the horror genre before with Creep and its sequel. He has the sensibilities to steer this film in the direction it needs to go. The camera work is also very professional as well. He adds nice editing to keep the scenes fast and fresh. 

This has a score that keeps the viewers on their feet as well, especially during the more violent scenes. It creates a somber, dark tone that is needed in this kind of setting of the film. The script is pretty much straight to the punch but also weaves in the details of the various teens' secrets and backstories. This can be a bit misleading at times but brings out the truth of the motivations of who these kids really are. 

Despite this film treading familiar ground, it has a very modern and up-to-date feel to it. It takes horror tropes and subgenres and combines them to create an interesting genre picture all its own. Lead by producers Wan and Levy, Brice and company keep the viewers guessing right up until the final knife blow is struck. As a horror fan that doesn't get surprised by anything I see in horror movies, this film was a pleasant surprise. Netflix is knocking it out of the park with their horror-themed month of films and mini-series. 

There's Someone Inside Your House streams on Netflix beginning October 6.

Rating: 4/5