A romantic getaway for two troubled college sweethearts turns into a struggle for survival when unexpected guests – and the surrounding environment – exhibit signs of a mysterious infection.
Shudder’s oeuvre delivers plenty of horror thrills on many, many layers. Whether it’s zombies, demons, or cults they’ve got it all. They even have a documentary horror. Still, the selection of viral outbreak films combined with body horror that doesn’t just end on “everyone’s a zombie” are few and far between. Much like “Color Out of Space,” “The Beach House” deals with an isolated couple getting away from the world to fix their relationship only for a terrifying viral outbreak to ruin their plans. As a first time outing for Jeffrey A. Brown, the writer-director, delivers on plenty of ominous overtones and the occasional body horror but it leans on mood perhaps a little too much as an extension of its stripped-down budget. Despite these few shortcomings, “The Beach House” works on many levels.
This is one of those movies where you need to know the gimmick beforehand in order to understand why it takes so long to deliver. Plenty of anxious moments telegraph the oncoming nightmare and we cringe every time a character washes their hands or slurps down an oyster. It’s that tension that carries us through the first two-thirds of this movie. We watch small narrative threads develop but all the while we’re dreading the final realization.
With only four main characters, the film succeeds on the strength of their performance more than its single-digits body shock. Liana Liberato leads the group as the suspicious protagonist. Noah Le Gros adds depth to her character and in the singular major outburst of the movie (pre-outbreak) affords us insight into his character through subtle nods. The best actors in this movie are the ones allowed to play a little more. Jake Weber and Maryanne Nagel are an older couple sharing the beach house with our protagonist Emily and her boyfriend Randall. The two liven up the scene immediately with their delicate “old people just having fun” vibes. Their performances really cue up the terror in us, especially Weber’s when his offputting smile and instant memory loss terrifies us. Watching him slowly wade into the water brings on dread almost as terrifying as the main plot thread.
The film moves at a steady pace from one scene to the next, inter splicing terrifying threads of algal blooms and microbes. Its cinematography mixes perfectly level shorelines with bobbing handheld shots, bouncing in unison with the waves. The lighting deals in extremely subtle terms with sunlight coming off ever-too-bright and darkness soaking up the edges of the frames. Fog envelops a good half of the movie and some digital effects do the heavy lifting on lots of outdoor shots. That doesn’t stop us from enjoying the movie as it’s tastefully done not to draw attention to itself.
Ultimately the movie closes out its dreadful story by admitting: when the enemy is microbiology there is no escape. It’s tough to stomach, especially as we’ve grown close to the protagonist. H.G. Wells suggested microbiology (and the Earth at large) might topple an alien regime but when microbiology is turned against us there is no magic cure or special recipe of chemical ingredients. Not one person is “immune” in this movie (a salient point especially given our modern-day circumstances.) While I had hoped for something more, the film ultimately concludes with just as much slow-moving dread as it began with.
All told, the movie utilizes a steady pace to tell a compelling story, but only compelling in parts. It’s unevenly focused on its main plot thread for the last third, leaving plenty of simple dramatic lines completely unaddressed. Normally I would shrug this off but given the amount of work put into keeping Emily (Liana Liberato) and Randall together throughout, it felt like there should be some resolution other than Emily’s “I’ll never leave you” bit. The body horror comes and goes, but never lingers and honestly, I think it could do with more. The practical effects route really amplified its horror and Brown could even double down.
I liked “The Beach House overall but found it needed more heft to either side of its equation. Dramatic narratives needed stronger resolutions and the body horror could easily double in volume. That may be the perfect form of this movie but even as it is I’d still watch it. I’d highly recommend it!
Now available to stream on Shudder
