This new English felt stop-motion anthology on Netflix contains three dark tales about the drawbacks and unhealthy societal expectations of home ownership. (Well, two tales that are basically horror and one that's more of a psychological piece; to quote Sesame Street: one of these things is not like the others.)
Well, this was definitely different. You don't see a lot of adult animated films, especially in stop-motion. Writer Enda Walsh displays a lot of talent, coming up with some unique, atmospheric stories that draw you in. The first two are really effective at being creepy. I thought the whole home ownership thing was a really interesting idea. Though this is predominantly horror, don't expect it to be a traditional cursed/haunted house movie. Walsh has legitimate and thought-out stuff to say on the subject matter.
Breaking down the stories:
First segment (8/10)- A family is offered a new, grand house by a mysterious benefactor. The best one. This is a really unsettling story.
Second segment (7/10)- The Developer (voiced by Jarvis Cocker), a mouse desperately trying to sell a house he's flipped over, deals with some unusual potential buyers. This is the weakest as is often the case with the middle segment with an anthology. Some interesting ideas, definitely different, and the ending leaves an impression. However, it feels drawn out, and it's on the viewer to try to piece things together.
Third segment (8/10)- Cat and landlady Rosa (Susan Wokomo) tries to keep her large, old house afloat, both financially and literally. The rest of the area has completely flooded, and the water is creeping in. This is the one that's the odd one out; not scary or dark, but moody in a modern Gothic sort of way. I'm rather okay with the movie ending on a less harsh note; sort of a film equivalent of a chaser. Segment could've been a little shorter, but it's a decent character piece and has a dreamlike feel to it.
Nexus Studios really outdid themselves with the animation here. Movement is so fluid. However, I wasn't a big fan of the design of the human characters in the first story. The felt look works well with the furry animals, but it is just weird seeing it represent human flesh. Also, not a big fan of how small the mouths are.
There are moments where the set design is so good and the camera angles at times are so well placed that it produces some cinematic shots. In particular, the appearance of the third segment's house surrounded by water as far as the eye can see is truly memorable.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. If you want something different, I highly recommend this. Unless you scare easily; you won't like this then.
