'The Last House' Review
- Erica Richards
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 08/07/26 [Netflix]
Genre: Action. Horror. Mystery. SciFi. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated PG13.
Distributor: Netflix.
The Verdict: A Mistake
When I saw Greta Lee and Wagner Moura as the leads for The Last House, I was intrigued and excited. A newly released Netflix survivalist film where a family of four is trapped inside their home attempting to outlast a mysterious weather-based entity that is trapping them inside, but why?
At first, this plot feels very reflective of early COVID lockdown times and as if we, the audience, are forced to relive those early and uncertain days. We see the family pulling out old movies and board games, reading, and doing other things they typically do not have time for in a “normal” world. We see them frustrated with each other because of their proximity; we see them bond. We see them at their lowest, rationing food and miserable. We see them attempt to communicate and connect with their neighbors, with no real way to truly protect or care for them. Trapped and isolated, we see them watch their neighbors succumb to the conditions and the outside world take on forms and conditions that are truly incomprehensible.
The real failure of The Last House is that it tries to be too many things at once. Is it a horror film with a monster at the helm of this entrapment? Is it a survivalist film with a supernatural twist? Is it a mystery? An action film? What is The Last House trying to be or trying to teach me? Who do the characters have to defeat to be successful? Who am I rooting for and why?
Unfortunately, The Last House is an overall struggle that never finds its identity in genre, tone, or messaging. If the film could have fully committed to a survivalist thriller, I think it could have been more successful. It is too disjointed to make any real impact in one area or another, and I finished the film feeling like I was left with my hands up in a shrug and thinking “what was the point of that?” instead of feeling any sense of restored faith or relief that the family survived. I had no reassurance of what their life would be like or any sigh of relief that, “ahh, they made it!” feeling when a resolution is made, or safety is restored. I felt more of a “what now?” feeling instead of a hope for this family’s future. I also felt no connection to understanding why certain decisions were made in where the direction of the film was going; I felt like the easy route was taken because there was no other development or thought to the next part of the plot.
