The Strange House – Netflix Review (3/5)

THE STRANGE HOUSE on Netflix is a fantasy horror movie for the whole family. This is a ghost story but with kids as protagonists which lends a heartwarming vibe. It’s from Austria so the language is German (org. title Das schaurige Haus) but the story is universal. Read our full The Strange House movie review here!

THE STRANGE HOUSE is a new Netflix horror movie with a ghost story at its heart. It’s a fantasy horror movie for the whole family but I wouldn’t let younger kids watch it alone without an older sibling. There are a few creepy moments along the way. And also a few scenes that most adults will only catch onto (i.e. the mom drinking a bit much to cope).

On IMDb, the default title is The Scary House (as the writing of this review, anyway). It’s an Austrian movie (org. title Das schaurige Haus) so the language is German, but the story is very universal. It’s all about family, friendship… and murder and ghosts!

Continue reading our The Strange House movie review below and find it on Netflix now.

Very likable characters

When the story in The Strange House on Netflix begins, we meet a mom and her two sons as they relocate to a small town in Austria. The family is from Germany but after losing their father (it’s shown that he was a soldier, so maybe that’s how he died), the mom needs to take a job in Austria.

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We don’t actually see much of the mom, because the kids are the protagonists in this ghost story. Fortunately, the young characters are very likable. Both the teenagers (which aren’t nearly as stereotypical as we often see) and the younger kids. There’s a nerdy little boy who is just the biggest sweetheart and he really does a lot to keep it light and fun.

And yet, this is very much a story about a haunted house where kids were murdered in 1980. Just to let you know that this is not a kids’ movie. It’s a family horror movie, which does not shy away from the horror elements.

Especially the character portrayed by Michael Pink is a very creepy dude. He might also be the only recognizable face for many. He played Jesus in the Ryan Reynolds horror movie The Voices (2015).

A murder mystery ghost story

While watching The Strange House, you’ll quickly be alerted to the fact that a murder happened in the house that this German family moved into. However, the house itself isn’t too scary. In other words, I don’t think kids will find the house itself scary or creepy.

Also, the ghosts follow the family outside of the house as well, so the title is a bit off in that sense. It isn’t actually about the house, it’s about the ghosts. And yet, the ghosts are the murdered kids. However, we don’t see them as much as we experience them posses living kids.

Again, this could sound scary, but it’s all in the name of trying to solve this murder mystery. In that sense, this story works really well and never becomes too slow or boring. 

Watch The Strange House on Netflix now!

Daniel Prochaska is the director of The Strange House (or Das schaurige haus) which is his first feature film. Prior to making this fantasy horror movie, Daniel Prochaska directed several short films and a TV movie, so he’s quite an experienced director. I definitely enjoyed the vibe of this family horror movie.

It even had moments when it reminded me of the brilliant German Netflix series Dark. That’s about as big a compliment as I could ever give and I really hope to see more genre productions from Daniel Prochaska.

This new Austrian Netflix movie is actually based on a novel by Martina Wilder, but the screenplay was written by Marcel Kawentel and Timo Lombeck. Overall, I was surprisingly well-entertained by The Strange House on Netflix, which I suspect could help create many new horror fans. Do check it out if you like a good ghost story and/or murder mystery!

The Strange House is out on Netflix from May 14, 2021.

Details

Director: Daniel Prochaska
Writers: Marcel Kawentel & Timo Lombeck (screenplay), Martina Wildner (novel)
Stars: Julia Koschitz, Marii Weichsler, Michael Pink