When a young man creates a device that amplifies paranormal activity within his home, he unwittingly unleashes spirits with evil intent. Our House is the New Netflix Horror Movie based on the book ‘Ghost From The Machine‘ by Matt Osterman. Throughout this article I will be discussing the film’s plot in full detail as well as it’s ending.
There will be heavy spoilers and it may be worth skipping this video for now if you’re yet to see the film.
With that out the way, I’m Deffinition and I ruin it so you don’t have to!
Plot Synopsis
We follow Ethan, a young genius that believes he that he and his friends have created a device that will Generate Wireless Energy. Codenamed ELI, the wireless electricity application will make electrical wires a thing of the past.
The experiment fails and the trio decide to abandon it.
When Ethan’s parents are killed in a car accident early on in the film, the teenager becomes a guardian to his two younger siblings. Ethan chose to carry out the experiment instead of picking up a family member which lead to his parent’s crash so he carries a lot of guilt on his shoulders. Struggling with money and the other stresses that come with parenting, Ethan retries the experiment within his home and soon discovers that he and his family are able to communicate with the dead through the device after leaving it running for a prolonged period.
His younger siblings begin to communicate with what they believe are their deceased parents and inexplicable occurrences begin to happen within the home. This confirms to all family members that the device can indeed contact the dead and they begin operating it often and foolishly, even going so far as to improve it’s capabilities at the spirit’s requests.
This allows the spirits to attempt to drown Rebecca and a dark female shadow appears within the house. Ethan’s neighbor who possesses psychic abilities notices that there is an aura around the house and informs the protagonist that his former partner killed herself within his home and that he has been seeing visions of it. It’s through this conversation that Ethan discovers that the device has reached beyond the house.
We learn the name of the spirit that inhabits the house is Alice and that she was a girl that mysteriously disappeared. Police believed that a man named Henry Gifford had abducted and murdered her though there was no evidence ever found. It’s at this point that Rebecca is lead into the basement by a small patch doll that leads to her being pulled into a chest. Rebecca awakens to find herself trapped in a room beyond a large bolted door. Though it’s never explicitly stated, this is what I believe initially happened to Alice. She was initially almost drowned in the Bathtub because she reminded the spirits of Alice and this is why they coveted her.
When attempting to destroy the machine, Ethan is stopped by his neighour who just wants the soul of his dead wife to live on but manages to convince him otherwise. This highlights how addictive the machine could be come should it be mass marketed and is a be careful what you wish for allegory that warns of the dangers of Ouja Boards and the like.
Ethan manages to destroy the machine but in the end, we witness that the Doll that lured Rebecca has been brought with them even though she left it in the house. We watch the doll peering out from a box which of course symbolises the entrapment of Alice and Rebecca and showcases that Henry was not actually defeated, he was merely disabled for a period of time. This highlights that the spirits are now fully in our world and stalking the family, with their eyes still set on Rebecca.
Ending Explained
A lot of the motives in the film are carried out because of Guilt and longing to recouple with the family’s deceased parents. As someone who has dealt with a lot of loss this year I could definitely relate to the longing that the characters faced and wondered if I would be corrupted by such a machine much in the same way that Ethan’s neighbour was.
The film subscribes to the theory that Electromagnetic Energy Levels allow someone to live on after their death. Einstein stated that Energy cannot be created or destroyed and that it can only be transferred from one form to another. This means that once we die the energy from our body is changed to another form but does not dissapate.
It’s a theory that, if correct, would allow us to live on forever and add weight to the fact that Ghosts may indeed exist. Personally, it’s something that I’ve always been heavily interested in and the piece offers an original take on how we may be able to reconvert the energy should a device that enables it be created.
It’s great that they decided to include a scientific method on how to contact ghosts as these have been developed throughout the centuries however none have held any substantial merit.
Review
Our House separates itself from the typical Original Horror Films that the streaming service showcases due to it’s soundtrack. This 80s-esque music really adds an atmosphere to the work that piqued my interest throughout. However, the film itself suffers from some slightly poor pacing and slower moments that make it slightly dull and mundane. Ethan fails the experiment twice and spends a lot of time discussing how it may work instead of it actually working. This felt like needless padding and I think the film would’ve flowed better should he have been successful on the second attempt and spent less time delivering exposition.
It has a great third act and definitely should have been the aesthetic that the film chose to lead with.
I thought the film had some great cinematography to it and the stylish design of ELI had a futuristic yet retro feel to it that felt like something akin to Nightrider and Doctor Who. As a whole though it failed to really deliver and was a slight disappointment.
Your Thoughts
So, what are your thoughts on Our House? Did you enjoy it and what did you take from the ending? Comment below and let me know! the best and I’ll see you next time.
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