The House, Netflix’s first new series of the year is a stop-motion miniseries about three stories that are set in a large house. Each director directs a short, but all share a similar sense of dreadfulness and spookiness.
Nexus Studios has just released The House, the latest Nexus Studios anthology. This is just the latest in a long series of projects coming out of the UK company. The three sections of one-hour each are divided into separate chapters that focus on different aspects.
Chapter 1 is set in 1800s and centers on a family of poor people who move into an unusual house that brings bad luck and evil to its residents. It's a slow-burning tale with an Wes Anderson feel. With a stop-motion aesthetic as strong as the Ray Harryhausen films, Salad Fingers, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Salad Fingers, it has a Wes Anderson vibe.
The House is more than a dark comedy. It's an arthouse miniseries that challenges you to think. And it does so in a way that's often unexpected, and always rewarding.
This is a creepy, funny, unsettling and ultimately hopeful piece of cinema that's bound to stick with you for some time after the credits roll. And it's certainly worth a watch, with its engrossing story beats and modern stop motion animation.
The House has the best stop-motion animation you will see, aside form the shock value and gallows humor. Each chapter has beautiful detail, from flocked figurines for the second story and felt characters for the first.
The House's look is a throwback to 1980s Epoch Sylvanian Families and is a welcome sight to stop-motion animation fans. The chapters one and two have felt characters, which adds to the sense of fear. The second chapter is filled with lifelike stop-motion characters, which are delightful for those who love stop motion films.
The House doesn't have everything. Despite its stunning visuals and well-written scripts, it's not perfect. It's not able to overcome minor weaknesses in its stories. These often substitute the surrealist for more logical elements. Additionally, the ending is unsatisfying and uneven due to the use of sarcastic humor at just the right moment. Still, it's worth checking out for fans of dark comedies and stop-motion animation, especially those who enjoy the likes of Wes Anderson, David Firth and Tim Burton.