The Beach House (2020) | Film Review

“Horror” lends a certain connotation to each individual differently, contingent on their perceptions. There is no one explanation or definition of what a horror movie is; it happens to be one of the broader genres in film and allows imaginations to run wild. Filmmakers are able to craft the world they desire for audiences, which just so happens to often be the more unusual and terrifying alternative to our own realities.

The Beach House is intended to be a crossroads of H.P. Lovecraft, John Carpenter’s alien invasions, and the body horror of David Cronenberg met with an environmental and evolutionary science apocalypse. When two lovers, Emily (Liana Liberato) and Randall (Noah Le Gros), take the opportunity to reconnect at Randall’s family beach house, they encounter another couple staying there – Mr. and Mrs. Turner. As they begin to bond, an ominous phenomenon of Avatar-fluorescent, windswept organisms emits through their surroundings. Through investigation and interaction of this bizarre and curious spectacle, the two couples strive towards survival.

In the beginning, I felt like we might see glimmers of exceptional moments from one or two cast members, but by the end, you see the tremendous value in all of the cast, including Jane Turner (Maryann Nagel) and Mitch Turner (Jake Weber). The characters all make you just as uncertain as they are of what is going on.

If you’re looking for a stand-out performance, you’re going to want to give eyes to Liana Liberato, the main character of The Beach House. The way Liberato poises herself between moments of gleaming intelligence and passion, and other moments of fear and fighter-mentality is refreshing. One aspect that stood out to me for Liberato’s character’s scenes, which has nothing to do with her, is how sexualized the camera seems to be on her even when she’s just swapping out of clothes. Her character was never perceived as ultra-sexy and revealing, yet every time there is a glimpse of her bare skin, we have to linger in on it for a few seconds. I thought we moved past this after Michael Bay, but it seems not.

What’s interesting about this flick is the heavy emphasis on environmental biology and real-life sciences which serve as a foundation for the story. Director Jeffrey A. Brown seems to be particularly intrigued with the display and attention paid to horror in a not-so-fictional possibility. When audiences are able to connect the potential for the horrific story to come to fruition, it indeed poses much more of a threat to us all cognitively. I genuinely appreciate the existential fear imposed on me as a viewer but the final act of the story took a genuinely suspenseful climax and missed out on the opportunity to leave on a heavy note with a lighter, less despairing ending. Brown certainly has the right vision in mind, and truly even on screen, but the story could benefit from diving deeper into the hole of terror that he was evolving into.

While The Beach House would have profited from a more developed ending, there are plenty of absolutely tense and dreadful scenes to keep you invested. If you’re in need of an apocalyptic, parasitic horror film, The Beach House and its roiling ocean waves are welcoming you for a visit.