Review -- You Should Have Left

You Should Have Left (2020) - Haunted house films have assumed numerous dimensions over the decades. From the campy horror of 1959's House on Haunted Hill to the spiritual abyss of 1979's The Amityville Horror and on to the old school scares of The Conjuring, dwellings immersed in paranormal activity have long been a favorite of the genre. David Koepp's You Should Have Left, an adaptation of Daniel Kehlmann's novella, takes a distinctive approach to the phenomenon by cloaking the proceedings in metaphors of demons past.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Former banker Theo (Kevin Bacon) has not been spending enough time with his actress wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) and their daughter Ella (Avery Tiiu Essex). After seeing an ad for a cozy, spacious rental in Wales, the family decide that it is the ideal vacation spot. As soon as they arrive, though, strange things start happening -- the wall measurements seem to shift, shadows lurk in corners and no empty room is as empty as it seems...  

With various cinematic variations on the theme and with the exception of The Shining, I have still mostly seen haunted houses in cinema represent exactly that. The so-called Life House in Llanbister is an architectural wonder and was exceptionally well chosen as the principal location for this film. Remote and multitiered, it seems like the perfect place to get away from it all. However, like The Amityville Horror property, its well-lit rooms appear to be surveilling its occupants and surroundings. It is far from a home and closer to a frame of mind, reminiscent of Session 9's all-too-knowing asylum and The Grudge's cursed abode. 

Spaces and light play a significant role in bringing home the terror -- literally -- which is in no small part due to Angus Hudson's (The Broken) gloomy-yet-gleaming cinematography. There seem to be two layers to Hudson's aesthetics: a surface radiance entwined with somber interiors. As bright and spacious as the house is, it seems to thrive on mental claustrophobia and the paradox makes for fascinating and disorienting viewing. The perpetual silhouettes whirling around play havoc with the clear and clean lines of the setting, creating an unsettling sense of domesticity interrupted or never even generated.  

I have always liked Kevin Bacon's work. He is one of those rare actors who are consistently reliable in every genre and who consistently pick intriguing projects. From Footloose to Murder in the First to "The Following", Bacon is always versatile, making his characters come to life in an effortless manner. His Theo is a man possessed -- not by any kind of demon, but by his own psyche. Simply put, he does not need the eerie house to be imprisoned. Seyfried is also good as the unsuspecting Susanna, who might not know the man she had married. A bit of trivia for you: Christian Bale is uncredited as Stetler, the mysterious figure taunting Theo.

You Should Have Left is a unique, quietly unnerving horror piece that examines the painful nature of guilt and the clinging nature of the past. A puzzler and trickster in cinematic form, its metaphors and twists are a delight to unearth and ponder. It is a film that will make you think for a while and one that you will be happy to discover.

8/10