They sacrificed everything to find a better life, but something terrible was waiting for them on the other side. In the first trailer for Netflix’s His House, a Sudanese couple finds themselves face-to-face with a supernatural evil — one they cannot escape without risking everything they’ve worked for.
The debut trailer for Remi Weekes’ His House stars Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Gangs of New York) and Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) as a young couple who’ve recently escaped South Sudan. They’ve come to England as asylum seekers, and a social worker (played by Doctor Who’s Matt Smith) brings them to a temporary home in a small town while their case is pending. It’s a home they’re not allowed to leave, lest they risk their refugee status, which makes it hard when strange things start happening.
The film comes across as very tense and claustrophobic, with the couple feeling trapped by their circumstances but determined to survive at any cost. In a statement (published by Entertainment Weekly), Weekes said he wanted to tell a haunted house story that comments on problems with England’s refugee program — one that requires too much of people who’ve already been through more than any human being should have to experience.
“Unlike traditional haunted house stories, where the protagonist might be able to escape, our protagonists — two displaced asylum seekers — do not have the privilege to simply leave,” Weekes said. “Rather, they are stuck having to survive within their house. This is often the case in the U.K., where asylum seekers have to follow draconian rules when given accommodation. This is also often the case with trauma: You’re stuck having to find ways to survive your grief, and finding ways to heal within it.”
His House arrives on Netflix on October 30.
[referenced id=”1464962″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/09/lovecraft-countrys-wunmi-mosaku-and-abbey-lee-discuss-the-intricacies-of-ruby-and-christina/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/18/clgkmobaavtmrgaisfmq-300×169.png” title=”Lovecraft Country’s Wunmi Mosaku and Abbey Lee Discuss the Intricacies of Ruby and Christina” excerpt=”Lovecraft Country is an ensemble show about multiple members of the interconnected Freeman, Baptiste, and Braithwaite families, which made it important for certain characters to be expanded upon from their counterparts in the books. In particular, Wunmi Mosaku’s Ruby and Abbey Lee’s Christina have been given more fascinating arcs in…”]