Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of October 18th – Dare to Spend Time in ‘The Night House’

Welcome back to my Home Movies! Today, we have a nice assortment of things hitting 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD. Leading the way is The Night House, but other titles like No Man of God and Old are certainly worth consideration this week as well! Read on for more…

Joey’s Top Pick

The Night House

Rebecca Hall is terrific in David Bruckner‘s deeply unsettling film. I spoke to Bruckner here about it, but the way he balances drama and horror in the movie is quite effective. Bruckner and Hall invest you in the main character’s grief, as well as in the terror of the premise within The Night House. Here is a small bit from my really positive review:

The Night House is unusual in that it really does throw itself all-in into making the drama work as much as the horror. During its debut at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2020, director David Bruckner perfectly explained the thesis. He said something (credit to colleague Perri Nemiroff for this) to the effect of you’ll face either “the idea that ghosts exist or the realization that they don’t.” Whichever side you fall on, this work has something memorable to say.

Recommended Viewing

No Man of God

Even without being a huge Ted Bundy person (I still don’t understand folks who are), No Man of God captured my attention. A lot of that is Luke Kirby‘s performance, but the whole thing ropes you in. This one is what Bundy obsessives should be fussing about. Here is a bit from my review:

No Man of God is at its best when the focus is on Bundy. Normally, I wouldn’t have expected that to be the case, as a less is more approach feels right. However, here we have such a curiosity about what’s going to happen next in the various conversations that our protagonist has with him, we’re chomping at the bit for more.

Also Available This Week

Broken Diamonds

Joe Bell

Old

The Protege

Scream (4K)

Smallville: The Complete Series (TV)

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season (TV)

Criterion Corner

The Incredible Shrinking Man

From The Criterion Collection: “Existentialism goes pop in this benchmark of atomic-age science fiction, a superlative adaptation of a novel by the legendary Richard Matheson that has awed and unnerved generations of viewers with the question, What is humanity’s place amid the infinity of the universe? Six months after being exposed to a mysterious radiation cloud, suburban everyman Scott Carey (Grant Williams) finds himself becoming smaller . . . and smaller . . . and smaller—until he’s left to fend for himself in a world in which ordinary cats, mousetraps, and spiders pose a mortal threat, all while grappling with a diminishing sense of himself. Directed by the prolific creature-feature impresario Jack Arnold with ingenious optical effects and a transcendent metaphysical ending, The Incredible Shrinking Man gazes with wonder and trepidation into the unknowable vastness of the cosmic void.”

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Ratcatcher

From The Criterion Collection: “In her breathtaking and assured debut feature, Lynne Ramsay creates a haunting evocation of a troubled Glasgow childhood. Set during Scotland’s national garbage strike of the mid-1970s, Ratcatcher explores the experiences of a poor adolescent boy as he struggles to reconcile his dreams and his guilt with the abjection that surrounds him. Utilizing beautiful, elusive imagery, candid performances, and unexpected humor, Ramsay deftly contrasts urban decay with a rich interior landscape of hope and perseverance, resulting in a work at once raw and deeply poetic.”

Stay tuned for more next week…