House of Darkness
Film poster
Directed byNeil LaBute
Written byNeil LaBute
Produced byDaryl Freimark
Tim Harms
Neil LaBute
Shaun Sanghani
Starring
CinematographyDaniel Katz
Edited byBridget Durnford
Music byAdam Bosarge
Production
company
SSS Entertainment
Distributed bySaban Films
Release dates
  • March 8, 2022 (2022-03-08) (Santa Barbara International Film Festival)
  • September 9, 2022 (2022-09-09) (U.S.)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

House of Darkness is a 2022 American black comedy horror film directed by Neil LaBute, starring Justin Long, Kate Bosworth, Gia Crovatin and Lucy Walters. The film is a reimagining of Dracula.[1][2]

Plot

After meeting at a bar, Hapgood "Hap" Jackson goes back to Mina Murray’s remote, castle-like estate. While Mina is out of the room fixing drinks, Hap calls a male friend to brag about his hookup. Following an evening of drinking, flirting, and kissing, Mina begins unbuckling Hap’s pants. Mina’s sister Lucy unexpectedly interrupts. Hap gets the idea that he might have a threesome with both women. Mina exits the room to get more drinks. Hap and Lucy have a private conversation.

Hap briefly falls asleep. Hap has a nightmare where he is imprisoned in a cave with a pile of shoes indicating he is another in a long line of victims. After he wakes, Lucy takes Hap on a tour of the manor. Mina eventually rejoins them and they return to the sitting room. Lucy and Mina propose exchanging ghost stories. Hap adlibs a glib story about a man who has a threesome with two sisters.

Lucy responds by telling a tale of wronged women who sought vengeance on men who raped them and who continue pursuing sexual predators across the world. Hap becomes further disturbed when Lucy mentions a cave like the one he saw in his nightmare. A third sister, Nora, enters the room. Realizing the women intend to teach him a morality lesson, Hap becomes combative and tries to leave. Revealing themselves as vampires, Mina, Lucy and Nora unravel their supernatural powers with their fangs to destroy and devour Hap.

Cast

Release

The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on March 8, 2022.[3] The film had its international premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 22.[4] The film premiered in select theatres on September 9,[5][6][7] and was released on Video on Demand and digital on September 13.[8][9][10]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 58%, with an average rating of 5.80/10, based on 62 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "House of Darkness finds writer-director Neil LaBute just as acerbic as ever, although he's made more compelling statements on sexual mores."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]

Josh Korngut of Dread Central rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5, writing that it "manages to make a home of its own within a well-worn horror subgenre with originality, tension, and charm."[13] Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting rated the film a 4 out of 5, writing that "The interplay of these two main performances – both sexually and linguistically – ensures that House of Darkness is never boring."[14]

Peter DeBruge of Variety wrote a positive review of the film, writing that it "neatly comments on the newly uncertain dynamics of modern dating, where 'decent guys' claim to no longer know how to proceed".[3] Nikki Baughan of Screen Daily wrote a positive review of the film, writing that "it’s always welcome to see filmmakers presenting a challenge to the patriarchal status quo, even if toxic femininity proves just as damning here as its masculine counterpart."[15]

References

  1. ↑ Squires, John (28 July 2022). "'House of Darkness' Trailer – 'Wicker Man' Director Returns to Horror With New Spin on Classic Tale". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. ↑ Nunez, JP (27 July 2022). "House of Darkness Trailer Is Subtly Spine-Tingling". Horror Obsessive. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 DeBruge, Peter (10 March 2022). "'House of Darkness' Review: A Player Becomes the Prey in Kate Bosworth and Justin Long's First Date". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ↑ Miska, Brad (27 July 2022). "'House of Darkness' Poster Bleeds With Romance [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  5. ↑ Hamman, Cody (25 July 2022). "House of Darkness release: Justin Long, Kate Bosworth thriller coming in September". JoBlo.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Bolton, Cameron (31 July 2022). "Justin Long Falls Prey to Kate Bosworth in House of Darkness Trailer". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  7. ↑ Vejvoda, Jim (29 July 2022). "House of Darkness: Exclusive Trailer for the Seductive Gothic Thriller". IGN. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Mack, Andrew (28 July 2022). "HOUSE OF DARKNESS Trailer: Starring Justin Long And Kate Bosworth". ScreenAnarchy. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  9. ↑ King, Aidan (28 July 2022). "Kate Bosworth and Justin Long's Hook-Up Turns Sinister in 'House of Darkness' Trailer". Collider. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  10. ↑ McLaren, Samantha (2 August 2022). "HOUSE OF DARKNESS'S TRAILER EMBRACES GOTHIC HORROR". Scream. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "House of Darkness". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ "House of Darkness". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  13. ↑ Korngut, Josh (1 August 2022). "'House of Darkness' Reveals An Intimate and Sinister Fairytale [Fantasia 2022 Review]". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Lipsett, Joe (25 July 2022). "'House of Darkness' Review – A Simple, Hilarious Dark Comedy [Fantasia]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  15. ↑ Baughan, Nikki (22 July 2022). "'House Of Darkness': Fantasia Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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