Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language and peril in animated anthology.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The House
What's the Story?
THE HOUSE is a mansion constructed under mysterious circumstances decades ago. The first family to move in loses everything due to inexplicable incidents. Flash forward to a more contemporary era, and a walking, talking rat now owns the house in a populated area and has invested all his money (and more) into fixing it up in order to desperately try to sell it. Problem is, the house keeps presenting new problems, including an infestation of bugs. In yet another era, a cat is now landlord to the house, which sits alone in a flooded area. She has just two tenants left, neither of whom pay their rent, and only her dreams of trying to complete her home improvements before the entire place is washed away.
Is It Any Good?
This oddball animated film for adult viewers picks up steam over the course of its three chapters, with the last 30-minute tale providing the most emotionally satisfying of the three. The first chapter of The House is a disconcerting story of a doomed family that movies into a haunted house. Placing two small girls at the heart of the story, populated with pasty-white, beady-eyed, fuzzy characters, makes it purposefully hard to watch. The second, more surreal chapter is flat out gross as it devolves into a feast of giant, beetle-like creatures. The final chapter introduces a bit of humor and ends on a magical note. The animation is surely commendable, and larger themes seem to have been intended, but all this effort is undermined by stories with limited narrative appeal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the animation on display in The House. How were the different chapters made? What techniques were used? Where could you go for more information?
What does the house represent across the three different stories? What overarching themes did you notice?
How would the second and third chapters have been different if the characters had been humans rather than animals? Why do you think the filmmakers decided to make them those specific animals?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 14, 2022
- Cast : Matthew Goode , Helena Bonham-Carter , Mia Goth
- Directors : Emma De Swaef , Paloma Baeza , Niki Lindroth von Bahr , Marc James Roels
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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