The Beach House is a 2019 American science fiction horror film about a young couple whose weekend away turns into a seaside nightmare.
Written and directed by Jeffrey A. Brown (The Unheard; shorts: Sulfuric; The Wooden Box) making his feature debut, the movie stars Noah Le Gros (A Score to Settle; Depraved), Liana Liberato, Jake Weber (The Haunting of Molly Hartley; Dawn of the Dead; Wendigo) and Maryanne Nagel (Clown Town; The Russian Bride).
Plot:
Hoping to reignite their relationship, Emily (Liana Liberato) and Randall (Noah Le Gros) arrive at his family’s weekend getaway. However, it seems Randall’s father also told another older couple Mitch (Jake Weber) and Jane (Maryanne Nagel) that they could use it. They all agree to share the home and soon enjoy an indulgent night of partying.
Unfortunately, the two couples wake up to a living nightmare of apocalyptic proportions. Something is infecting the water and a bank of fog is making its way ashore…
Reviews:
“The Beach House is an atmospheric triumph from newcomer director Jeffrey A. Brown. He crafts a slick tale of invasion and destruction that’s both intimate and cosmically grand. The Beach House is both a loving throwback to monster pictures from yesteryear, but at the same time, it helps the genre evolve to new places.” Bloody Disgusting
“Despite delivering on the back nine, or back six if we’re being mathematically accurate, the hour investment required to cart there is a pricey fee to pay. Better balance between the long build and the brief payoff would benefit The Beach House with a throughline its dryness thirsts for. In fact, consistent balance is the key challenge confronting the film.” Culture Crypt
“The Beach House largely succeeds at what it sets out to accomplish. A surprising blend of genres executed with a pleasantly surprising amount of craft for a debut feature. The film would have benefited from more instances of body horror to capitalize on the first half’s tension, but this doesn’t stop it from being an emotionally fraught creature feature.” Cultured Vultures
“None of the events or the characterization of that first hour inform what follows in the film’s final act, and the disconnect between those two things has the unfortunate side effect of creating a similar disconnect in this particular reviewer. Once the movie shifts into high gear and embraces its strange brand of Lovecraftian horror, there are a number of effective moments and terrifying visuals…” Daily Dead
” …a lot of the unease here stems from both the intentionally dreamy performances from its leads, as well as the slow burn pace that writer/director Jeffrey A. Brown sets for this film… which makes the affair a fever-dream, psychotronic winner! The Beach House doesn’t just succeed by ambiance alone as it is also full of all manner of bizarre and stomach-churning practical effects, and unique creatures…” Horror Fuel
“Ultimately, there’s nothing really wrong with The Beach House – which is well-acted, particularly by Liberato – but there’s nothing to make it stand out from the crowd either. While you can spend a pleasant enough time with it (especially as it’s only 90 minutes), it is too slight to prove memorable. Jeffrey A Brown introduces some interesting ideas that don’t really go anywhere…” JumpCut Online
“The Beach House is a gut punch that many won’t be able to handle currently. But for those that do give it a try, Brown has lined up an utterly horrifying cautionary tale of pandemic terror that sadly comes months too late to prepare us, but maybe not too late to remind us that “life is fragile,” as Emily says, and no one should take these things lightly. Wear a damn mask in public and be thankful that, as awful as it is, our current situation isn’t as dire as in The Beach House.” Killer Horror Critic
” …this enigmatic calling card is not without its flaws and foibles. For some, the deliberate build will prove a little too soporific and the pay off too slight, for others the subtlety will incite disengagement. The Beach House can also feel a touch emotionally arid and would have benefited from pockets of astute humour sewn into the fabric of its schlocky slacks.” The People’s Movies
“The movie begins with breathtaking and eerie shots of the seafloor, a menace compared to wide shots of the unmysterious waves and beachfront. Not only are the unknown ocean depths terrifying and set up in the film as a foil to the perilous infinity of outer space, but this concept stayed disappointingly restricted solely to comments along the lines of it must be something in the water.” Scary Movie
“The Beach House keeps moving things along, giving the audience no time for dwelling on why or how, and it is better for it. It builds on our preconceptions about the Cthulian myth and other creature horrors we grew up with and leaves it to us to make connections. With countless eco-disasters on the news in our daily lives — global warming, arctic melting, offshore drilling, hurricanes, massive forest fires — unfortunately, it is not hard to accept what’s happening in The Beach House is entirely possible.” Screen Anarchy
With its scenes of painful self-surgery, body transformations and use of bizarre lighting, The Beach House feels almost like a low budget counterpoint to Color Out of Space. That’s not surprising as Lovecraft’s story was one of the film’s inspirations […] Mixing doom and despair with some trippy visuals The Beach House is a captivating and disturbing film.” Voices from the Balcony
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Release:
After premiering at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival in New York, The Beach House was acquired by AMC’s Shudder and streamed on July 9th 2020. The film is released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 15th 2020 via RLJE Films/Image Entertainment. Order via Amazon.com
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