--- title: "The Last House: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-last-house/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-last-house" critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 12 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." --- # The Last House (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 52 from 12 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews split almost down the middle, and lean cool. Where critics agree is on the first hour: a family shut inside a house, working out how to eat, sleep and keep each other sane, and doing it with some ingenuity. The lead performances, chiefly Lee and Moura, are widely praised, as is the production design of the house itself. Several reviews say the film is at its best while the threat outside stays unseen. The reservations cluster on the third act. Once the creatures appear, most critics find the design unmemorable, the decisions silly and the ending rushed or abrupt. Several also feel the lockdown allegory is raised and then dropped. The spread is wide. Polygon is the outlier at the warm end, finding the family dynamics moving and comparing them to Spielberg; Vulture is the harshest, calling the film rudderless and empty. Most sit in the middle: watchable, forgettable, better before the monsters. ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic finds it a modestly diverting couple of hours with a fun premise of a family trapped in their home, but notes it goes off the boil in the third act with CGI monsters; praises the problem-solving ingenuity in the contained setting. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-last-house/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The film succeeds as a claustrophobic domestic drama buoyed by empathetic lead performances and detailed production design, even as its sci-fi premise remains fuzzy and its thematic nods to climate change and community feel underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-last-house-review-1236828947/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 69/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic finds it a solid but flawed Netflix post-Covid lockdown thriller that works best in its grounded family survival moments. They single out the relatable early makeshift togetherness and resourcefulness for praise while criticizing the unmemorable creature design and sloppy final act. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/07/the-last-house-review-thriller-movie) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2026. The critic describes it as a psychological chamber drama and survival thriller about a family using wits and dwindling resources, praising Leterrier’s capable direction and solid performances from Lee and Moura. It is most effective while the threat remains unknown but slips when the creatures are revealed and the conclusion feels rushed. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-last-house-review-greta-lee-wagner-moura-netflix-1236666386/) ## The AV Club — Monica Castillo Rating D+. 7 August 2026. The review faults the film for goofy monsters, silly character decisions, and failing to sustain mystery or suspense over time, though it notes some enjoyable scares and strong work from Lee. It ultimately recommends taking a rain check. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-last-house-review) ## The New York Times — Ben Kenigsberg Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The review posits that the film’s central question—how long one could endure such confinement—is more compelling than the movie itself, which depicts a frictionless, resourceful family persisting through the ordeal with little dramatic tension or deeper insight. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/07/movies/the-last-house-review.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic finds the premise intriguing but the execution shallow and forgettable, with insufficient character development, a lack of claustrophobia, and nothing meaningful to say about its COVID lockdown allegory or high-concept premise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-house-netflix-movie-review-2026) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic calls it a perfectly terrible, rudderless film that fails at characterization, scares, and intrigue, with bland direction, an anemic script, and no real exploration of its themes or people. It encapsulates mediocrity in contemporary American cinema. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/netflixs-the-last-house-is-a-perfectly-terrible-film.html) ## Polygon — Aimee Hart Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic lauds the film's depiction of a family's struggle to survive an inexplicable lockdown in their home, emphasizing the beautiful family dynamics reminiscent of Spielberg films. She singles out the strong characterizations and chemistry of the lead actors for praise. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/the-last-house-review-steven-spielberg-movie/) ## Film Stories — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 August 2026. The critic calls it an okay monster movie that fuses the anxiety of the lockdown era with Lovecraftian horror in the vein of A Quiet Place. They single out the poignant family dynamics and post-lockdown themes for praise, while noting the film becomes more predictable once the monsters appear and ends abruptly. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/the-last-house-netflix-horror-thriller-mixes-lockdown-and-lovecraft/) ## The Wrap — William Bibbiani Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2026. The critic finds the film neither fresh nor exciting but not bad overall, crediting its star power and skilled presentation for overcoming a contrived premise. The lead performances and director's pacing stand out as the main strengths amid storytelling contrivances and a forced feel. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-last-house-review-netflix-wagner-moura-greta-lee/) ## NME — Victoria Luxford Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic finds the film a poorly conceived mystery with a payoff that isn’t worth the wait; it may provide some thrills for survival horror enthusiasts but it’s ultimately more sombre than scary. They single out the grim family melodrama and lack of ideas or character development after the initial setup. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-last-house-review-netflix-greta-lee-wagner-moura-3961219) --- © 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/the-last-house.md