‘House Of Screaming Glass’ Review – Commendable Small-Scale Horror

House of Screaming Glass is encapsulated in a way in its long, strategic opening shot. The camera slowly, seemingly to no end, rises from a tragic frame. Details are revealed to a strict extent in the close-quartered frame; words are cut off, context is merely suggested, and nothing is sacred. When the movement finally slows and the camera freezes, the final reveal, followed by a harrowing voiceover, is the nail in the coffin. This is an experimental, inherently imperfect, jagged vision of indie horror that is more than the sum of its parts.

The horror genre survives and thrives on invention. All the well-known hallmarks, the marble pillars of horror movies, made their names on it. It needn’t be said that films like Halloween and Scream shook the foundation of this type of film because a director understood what it took to stand out and create something special.

Now, by no means am I comparing House of Screaming Glass to films like those aforementioned. To a point, this film is horror-lite, as far as content and tone go. What they have in common, though, is the spirit; that’s an earned mark of respect not to be understated. This is a film made without a safety clause, for better or worse, and that can hardly be said for anything in the genre (or sub-genres) today.

The film is about a young woman, Elizabeth (Lani Call), who leaves a life of isolation after inheriting an old schoolhouse from her grandmother, whom she’s never met. The plot hinges on the mystery of not only their nonexistent relationship but also why she was chosen to receive that schoolhouse. She goes so far as to state in the first act that her grandmother had never seen her face. It’s an interesting basis.

In telling this story visually, director David R. Williams wrings shots and sequences for all they have; this 100-minute runtime definitely could’ve been trimmed, at least it seems that way. But Williams also makes everything feel almost metaphysically necessary. When things draw out, even if it isn’t clear why, there’s an odd air of meaning. As a result, nothing ever really bores, even if it drags on a bit.

The story itself is a relatively subtle, somewhat thin exercise in conceptual tension. How far can questions go before they have to be answered, if they do at all? Further, how much can be left unsaid without losing the immersion that comes with being left on the edge? It’s a fine line between given and withheld information, and as far as House of Screaming Glass goes, it’s a smudged one.

Yet the film still manages a proper unraveling of details as things roll on, and really, considering the small scale and budget the filmmakers are operating on, the scope in every department is admirable. Don’t go in expecting a seismic shift in the genre, but in the same way that we look 50 years back and see small budgets being used effectively, House of Screaming Glass ticks that box with an impassioned glow.

How this film will suit you is going to depend on your level of commitment. If you’re someone who’s used to the mainstream, and that’s as far as your interest in the genre and similar stories goes, there may not be enough standing out here to pull you in. But for those steeped in horror/thriller history and willing to give anything a shot, this compressed experiment in spooky storytelling is worth an honest shot. What the film lacks in flagrance it makes up for in at least commendable efforts just about everywhere else.

Go in with an open mind and appreciate a filmmaker having fun in a genre that continues to lose luster as the years go by. Not an excellent effort, but worth recognition nonetheless.

House of Screaming Glass will be available on VOD and DVD on May 21, 2024, courtesy of Deskpop Entertainment.