I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a slow-burn psychological horror film directed by Osgood Perkins. It’s a haunting and atmospheric movie that focuses on subtle dread rather than overt scares. The film follows Lily (played by Ruth Wilson), a young nurse who moves into an old, isolated house to care for an elderly, reclusive horror author, Iris Blum (played by Paula Prentiss). Iris suffers from dementia and is unable to communicate effectively, but she repeatedly refers to Lily as “Polly,” a character from one of her books.
As Lily spends more time in the house, she becomes increasingly unnerved by strange occurrences and begins to suspect that the house may be haunted by the spirit of Polly, a woman whose tragic fate was detailed in one of Iris’s novels. The lines between reality and fiction begin to blur as Lily starts to believe that Irisโs books were based on real events tied to the house’s dark past.
The film’s pacing is deliberately slow, with a heavy focus on atmosphere, isolation, and eerie visuals. Its minimalist approach to horror, combined with poetic narration and haunting imagery, creates a unique sense of unease. Rather than relying on jump scares, it builds a creeping tension, exploring themes of death, memory, and the supernatural.
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House received mixed reviewsโsome praised its mood, artistry, and psychological depth, while others found it too slow or abstract. Itโs a film for those who appreciate gothic horror that is more about atmosphere and lingering dread than traditional scares.
