Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Quirky teen mystery/horror tale has some scares, swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Strange House
What's the Story?
Following the accidental death of her husband, Sabine (Julia Koschitz) moves with her two sons to a rural town in Austria to start a new life in THE STRANGE HOUSE. Teen Hendrik (Leon Orlandianvi) is angry to leave the city and his friends behind for a quiet rural town with poor internet connection. Little brother Eddi (Benno Rosskopf) is easier going, which may be why he's also the first target for the ghosts who apparently haunt the old house they've moved into. Eddi starts sleepwalking and speaking a foreign language in his dreams. When Hendrik meets local teens Fritz (Lars Bitterlich) and Ida (Marii Weichsler), he learns the history of the house -- local legend has it that a mother poisoned her two sons then killed herself there. The kids band together and decide they're going to figure out why the ghosts are still there and whether the real murderer was actually revealed.
Is It Any Good?
If you take this quirky movie from Austria as a kind of throwback to the goofy but not entirely scary teen-led mysteries of the 1980s, you may just enjoy yourself. The Strange House mixes silly humor, some of it quite local and much of it based in the character of nerdy Fritz, with campy terror, complete with possessed kids and comically creepy neighbors. But if you don't know this going in, the set-up could throw you off and give you the erroneous sensation you're in an actual horror film.
What gives the movie its retro feeling? It could be the innocence of the teens (including a budding romance with one chaste kiss), their relative independence to roam around town (think Stranger Things), and their multi-age teamwork in cracking the case (those meddling kids!). Or maybe it's the stereotyped baddies and single-mom family (E.T.-like). It might also be the synthesizer music that creeps in repeatedly. The combination works if you're open to it; if you're looking for real scares, you should look elsewhere.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether The Strange House is a horror film, or whether it fits into another genre or blends genres?
How do the teens show courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths in life?
What do you think was the significance of the slugs?
Can you locate Austria on a map? The village where the film takes place is on the border with Slovenia. Where could you find more information about this area?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 14, 2021
- Cast : Leon Orlandianyi , Julia Koschitz , Marii Weichsler
- Director : Daniel Prochaska
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , Fantasy
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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