David Bruckner’s The Night House is a 2021 psychological terror movie. The story follows a widow dealing with her husband’s death as she starts to see strange occurrences in her house. Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Evan Jonigkeit, and Stacy Martin make up the cast. The movie holds your interest and is expertly made. I talk about both of the different viewpoints that the movie might present. There will be spoilers in this explanation of The Night House’s narrative and conclusion.
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Who or what is NOTHING, according to The Night House?
Death is NOTHING. In a metaphorical sense, the emptiness that a person feels is what motivates them to take their own life. The movie might be seen as a series of paranormal occurrences or as having symbolic aspects that allude to despair. I rather prefer to think of it as a hybrid.
The Night House: What transpired when Beth nearly passed away?
When Beth was 17 years old, an accident caused her heart to stop for four minutes. Beth saw nothing in that brief period. Later it is revealed that NOTHING is an entity that stands in for Death. But, nothing could actually be that hole that Beth feels. We’ll go into greater detail about this.
Beth, who is known to have depression, claimed that her husband, Owen, prevented her from having suicidal thoughts. It’s difficult to say if her near-death experience started it or if there was another factor that contributed to her despair.
We’ll go over each of the two possible interpretations of The Night House one at a time.
The Supernatural Interpretation of The Night Home
Beth’s interaction with NOTHING caused it to seek her back ever since. When Beth was 17, Death came very close to taking her, but she was able to avoid it. Over the years, NOTHING was the cause of Beth’s gloomy thoughts and melancholy, but Owen stood as her rock and kept her on her toes. Because of this, NOTHING was able to convince her. Now, NOTHING started pleading with Owen to save Beth.
What topics did Owen’s books cover?
The occult and voodoo were topics covered in Owen’s writings. He looked up on luring evil spirits away because he was aware that NOTHING was pushing him to kill Beth. The writings claim that by placing the evil force in a type of maze, mirror rooms and the Louvre Doll (the impaled voodoo clay figure) can confuse it.
How did Owen interact with the girls?
In order to make a gift to NOTHING, Owen brought girls that resembled Beth and slaughtered them using his alternate mirror home and occult and voodoo materials. Nothing was being misled into believing that it was being brought to Beth due to the different way the house was set up. But this was short-lived.
Which Madelyne? Why does Owen commit suicide?
The final woman with whom Owen established contact and who he intended to murder but was unable to do so is Madelyne. Owen grabbed her throat a little too tightly during their kiss at the other house, as Madelyne recounts, but he released it when she begged him to. In addition to realising that nothing could be deceived indefinitely, it appears that Owen was unable to keep up with his murderous spree. He therefore assumes incorrectly that Beth would be safe if he commits suicide.
In his suicide note, Owen wrote:
You were accurate.
NOTHING is present.
NADA is not pursuing you.
You’re now secure.
As she was close to death, Beth once said it was NOTHING. This is what Owen is referencing in this sentence, therefore I’ve included the word.
Beth’s Findings
Beth is left very vulnerable and depressed as a result of Owen’s suicide. Her thoughts become darker as she learns more of Owen’s secrets. Beth makes it simpler for NOTHING to locate her by retrieving the voodoo doll from the mirrored house and bringing it back to her residence. Beth is now being coaxed towards suicide by NOTHING, who is whispering to her. In the mirrored home, Beth discovers the girls’ dead bodies in Owen’s phone and begins to wonder if her husband was a psychopath.
In the bathroom, Beth finally runs into NOTHING, who reveals to her what her husband was actually up to. In the shape of Owen, NOTHING reminds Beth that they first met when she was on the verge of passing away, and that she should now get in touch with him.
Explanation of The Night House’s Finale
Nothing makes an effort to persuade Beth that there is nothing to live for. The only person still alive who matters is Claire, who is yelling for Beth. Beth is being convinced of NOTHING while she sits on the boat with a gun. Beth seemed to be in a state of limbo, somewhere between life and death. Claire, a friend of hers, runs over yelling for her. Beth eventually pushes through the darkness and puts down the revolver. Beth is returned to the pier by Claire.
The Night House’s climax demonstrates that while Beth’s neighbour cannot see anything on the boat, she is still unable to see anything. She will have to battle her despair her entire life because NOTHING will feed it, but finally, Death will strike everyone at some point. She will need to find happiness and a reason to live till then.
Mel| Nothing is present.
Beth| I’m aware.
Mel is not referring to the thing; she is only using the word “nothing” in English. Beth answers, “I know,” but she still sees NOTHING.
The Metaphorical Interpretation of The Night House
No evil force exists. Depression is the only thing.
Other from what Claire and Mel tell us, we really don’t know much about Beth and Owen as people. Even though they appeared to be a wonderful pair, they were each battling their own problems.
Owen’s Urges
It’s possible that Owen overindulged in occult and voodoo literature. He finally started luring ladies to his night house, where he dumped their bodies after charming them. When Mel once saw Owen walking by with a female who looked like Beth, she thought he was having an affair. Later that night, Owen arrived at Mel’s house covered in mud and intoxicated, saying he had “shameful cravings” but had managed to control himself. It seems that one of Owen’s victims was recently killed and buried.
After some time, Owen brought Madelyn from the bookstore to the house, but he was unable to murder her. After eventually resisting the impulse, he understood that he couldn’t continue in this way. He was killing women who looked like Beth, therefore he might end up killing her. So, Beth is now safe once Owen commits suicide.
Beth’s viewpoint dominates how we view the film. Given that Beth has battled depression for a while, Owen’s suicide has caused her to fall even deeper into despair. Her sinister intentions are manifested in everything we see in the film. Nothing is truly evil, and the only thing worth living for is the void within her skull. Like Owen, Beth chooses suicide after being pushed past her breaking point. Yet she is unable to follow through. A part of her understands that not everything is gone and that some people still love her.
Depression Beth
According to The Night House, Beth’s despair is represented by the dark shadow on the boat, which only she can see. This is also how her mind is making it real, just like all the other appearances of the supernatural. No ghost is present. She must discover ways to combat and manage with her depression because she is not totally free from it and never will be.
This perspective is only flawed by the fact that Owen’s suicide letter is illogical.
You were accurate.
Nothing is present.
Nobody is pursuing you.
You’re now secure.
What exactly does he mean here by “nothing”? If everything in the note were metaphors, it wouldn’t make sense.
What do you think of The Night House’s storyline and climax? Please provide your feedback below.
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