Rebecca Hall turns a fantastic performance as Beth, a recently widow who is being haunted figuratively and literally as she learns dark secrets about her late husband, Owen (Evan Jonigkeit).

Living in the house that Owen built, she begins to feel a presence in the house with her, and the way corners and arches come together seem to suggest someone standing nearby. Ar architectural design or purposeful creation?

Beth begins to have visions and discovers increasingly horrifying things about her late husband as she digs into his past. Her friend, Claire (Sarah Goldberg) tells her to let it go, to move on, and get on with her life.

Her neighbor, Mel (Vondie Curtis-Hall – I love when he shows up in anything!) also wants her to stay away form the past, and tries to help out, but he may know a little more about Owen as well.

It’s wonderfully crafted, and you need to pay attention every moment because there are some cool ideas at work here. It also gets under your skin if you really get into it.

The secrets are nothing short of horrifying when they are discovered, and oh so troubling when you discover the why. Moody, creepy and well-paced The Night House is sure to entertain, and doesn’t rely on jump scares (though there are a couple) to get its scares across.

Hall is wonderful in this film, dealing with the heartbreak and slowly balancing it with the growing realization that her husband had secrets. As things delve into the spooky, it actually heightens the horror of what is going on, not diminishing it.

Beth and the audience begin to put things together at the same time. She reveals some important facts to Claire, including the contents of Owen’s suicide note, and each piece forms a bigger and troubling picture until the truth is revealed, and Beth’s own life is in the balance.

I loved the production design, the lighting, the editing – some of the transitions are beautifully done, and I love how everything ties together, but also leaves enough of a thread dangling to make you wonder what will happen. And that’s great for conversations when the credits roll.

Spooky, unnerving, and solidly executed, The Night House is a wonderfully scary little film that has great performances, horrifying reveals, and tells a very good ghost story.

Hall is a wonderful actor and really gets to shine here. She’s in almost every scene and grounds the film in her performance. So good.