The Beach House, written and directed by Jeffrey A. Brown, is a slow-burn horror film that quietly unsettles rather than shocks. The film premiered at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival in
September 2019 before receiving a theatrical release on July 9, 2020. Since then, it has steadily built a reputation among horror fans for its eerie atmosphere and environmental undercurrents, earning largely positive responses from both audiences and critics.
Where to Watch The Beach House
The film is currently streaming on Shudder and JioHotstar. In addition to its theatrical run, The Beach House was also screened at the prestigious Sitges Film Festival, further cementing its place within the international genre circuit. Beneath its unsettling imagery, the film explores themes of grief, healing, fractured relationships, and environmental decay, using isolation as a catalyst for emotional and psychological unravelling.
What Is The Beach House About?
The story follows Emily, a young woman attempting to reconnect with her boyfriend Randall during a getaway to his family’s beach house in a quiet coastal town. At first, the retreat feels idyllic. The couple befriends their only neighbours on the island, an older pair who appear warm, welcoming, and harmless.
One evening, after drinking and smoking marijuana, Randall notices something deeply unsettling: the water and surrounding trees seem to shimmer with an unnatural glow, as if teeming with strange, living organisms. Drawn by curiosity, Jane, the neighbouring woman, ventures closer to investigate. She soon begins coughing violently and becomes disoriented as a dense, ominous fog rolls in.
The following morning, the town appears abandoned. The beach is eerily empty, stripped of any signs of life. Ignoring Emily’s growing unease, Randall enters the water and suddenly drowns under inexplicable circumstances. Though he survives, nothing about him feels the same.
Emily herself is injured after stepping on a bluebottle jellyfish, and she makes a horrifying discovery: a worm-like organism has burrowed into her wound. As both she and Randall grow increasingly ill, the fog returns, enveloping the island entirely. Desperate to escape, Emily realises the nightmare has only just begun. Randall has been infected and is no longer himself, forcing her into a terrifying fight for survival.
Cast and Crew
The Beach House stars Liana Liberato as Emily, Noah Le Gros as Randall, Jake Weber as Mitch, and Maryann Nagel as Jane. The film is produced by Andrew D. Corkin, Sophia Lin, and Tyler Davidson under the banners of Low Spark Films and Uncorked Productions.
Anchored by strong performances and an oppressive atmosphere, The Beach House stands out as a horror film that lets dread seep in gradually, using environmental horror and body transformation as metaphors for loss, denial, and the consequences of ignoring the world around us.
