--- title: "His House: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/his-house/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/his-house" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # His House (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 20 reviews: 16 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like His House, and largely for the same two reasons. The first is the acting: Sope Dìrísù and Wunmi Mosaku are praised almost everywhere for keeping the hauntings rooted in ordinary grief and guilt. The second is the idea itself, a haunted house that stands in for what the couple carries with them from their crossing, which reviewers find gives the refugee story a force that plain drama would not. Several call it one of the stronger British horror debuts in years. The reservations are about balance. Variety finds the real-world drama more persuasive than the scares, which it thinks grow rote late on, and the Los Angeles Times calls the horror derivative and at times a distraction from the couple’s pain. Den of Geek faults a rushed, overburdened third act. The spread is narrow; only Eye for Film is properly negative, calling the film mediocre while still admiring the leads. ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Rating 4/5/5. 18 October 2020. Bitel praises the film as a well-told, emotionally intelligent ghost story that gives refugee trauma urgent force. He singles out its shape-shifting hauntings and the way the house embodies the characters’ guilt and dislocation. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/his-house) ## Empire — Chris Hewitt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2020. Hewitt gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it one of the best British horror debuts in years. He particularly praises the performances and the way the supernatural scares serve the characters’ emotional story. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/his-house/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 2020. Festival review. Felperin calls the film a harrowing, bracingly creative debut and an effective horror story. She particularly praises the committed performances and the film’s skillful blend of jump scares with its deeper themes. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/his-house-1276185/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 27 October 2020. Ehrlich finds the film an urgent, spine-tingling ghost story that powerfully connects horror with the immigrant experience, despite rookie missteps. He praises the lead performances and the way the supernatural illuminates real-world hardships faced by asylum-seekers. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/his-house-review-netflix-1234595382/) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. The critic calls it a striking debut that gives the haunted-house story emotional and satirical heft. They praise the sensitive performances of Sope Dìrísù and Wunmi Mosaku. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xpo06j/his-house/) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2020. The critic finds the film a terrifying, unsettling ride with a compellingly ambiguous conclusion. They praise the nuanced performances and Weekes’s strikingly staged supernatural moments. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/his-house-remi-weekes-british-immigrant-haunted-house-horror) ## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2020. Festival review. The critic finds the film a confident, compelling horror debut that refreshes the haunted-house genre with a timely human story. They praise its strong lead performances and its treatment of grief and survivor’s guilt alongside the supernatural haunting. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/30/his-house-review-effective-haunted-house-horror-with-timely-spin) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 12 October 2020. The review finds the film arresting and jolting. It praises how supernatural horror makes the refugee experience’s grief and trauma palpable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/his-house) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 October 2020. Ebiri finds the film an inventive, highly effective horror movie whose social themes deepen its emotional impact. He especially praises the unexpected scares and the performances’ convincing warmth, while noting that the story’s real-world dread remains unresolved. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/his-house-review-netflix-scary-new-horror-movie.html) ## The AV Club — Anya Stanley Rating B. 28 October 2020. Stanley finds the film a unique, affecting haunted-house story that turns asylum seekers’ trauma into supernatural horror. She praises the lead performances and visual craft, while noting that the score distracts from tender moments. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/asylum-seekers-face-horrors-supernatural-and-not-in-the-1845491694) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Rating 3/4. 26 October 2020. Smith finds the film’s blend of horror, drama, and folklore forceful and emotionally resonant. He particularly praises how its supernatural terror reflects the characters’ trauma and the challenges of displacement. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-his-house-is-a-creepy-allegory-about-learning-to-live-with-trauma/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2020. Festival review. The available description presents the film as sophisticated British refugee horror. It singles out the film’s sophistication, but the review’s fuller praise or criticism is behind the paywall. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/his-house-sundance-review/5146718.article) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2020. Chang finds the film a crafty but derivative blend of refugee drama and haunted-house horror, with its scares sometimes distracting from the characters’ trauma. He especially praises the lead actors’ wrenching performances and their complex interplay. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-10-29/his-house-review-netflix) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 2020. Festival review. Kiang finds the debut uneven but impressive, with its real-world refugee drama more persuasive than its supernatural horror. She praises the grounded performances and the film’s vivid depiction of refugee life, while finding the later scares rote. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/his-house-review-1203473963/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 8.9/10. 4 November 2020. Crump finds the film touching, thoughtful, and relentlessly scary, strongly recommending its blend of immigrant experience and horror. He especially praises the tactile practical effects and the film’s emotional acuity. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/remi-weekes/his-house-review) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The critic recommends the film as an impressive, socially conscious horror story. They praise Dìrísù and Mosaku for grounding its escalating supernatural scares in genuine pain and sadness. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/his-house-review-netflix-2803830) ## Polygon — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 October 2020. The critic calls the film a terrifying, fresh-voiced debut, though some elements do not work. They praise its inventive haunted-house scares and the way the setting gives form to the refugees’ trauma. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/30/21542815/his-house-review-netflix-horror-movie/) ## Den of Geek — Valerie Complex Rating 3.5/5. 31 October 2020. The critic finds the film good but held back from greatness by a rushed, overburdened third act. They praise the lead actors’ emotional performances and the disorienting atmosphere that builds the horror. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/his-house-review/) ## /Film — Slashfilmcast Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 November 2020. The episode identifies His House as its feature review but gives no verdict in the page text. It singles out no specific element for praise or complaint there. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/577768/filmcast-ep-592-his-house/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2021. Kermode finds the film mediocre overall but still worth watching. She praises the lead performances and the attention given to forms of horror that are often overlooked. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/his-house-2020-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/his-house.md