I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a Netflix Original ghost story. If you’re looking for those typical slasher, jump scares kind of things, this is not for you. Directed by Osgood Perkins (Longlegs 2024, The Blackcoat’s Daughter 2015, The Monkey 2025), this Gothic horror film is pure art, a traditional ghost story being told by someone who lived it.

The premise is simple, a nervous nurse who scares easily finds herself caring for an old ailing horror novelist while living in a house with hidden secrets. It’s simple yet they were able to tell it like a novel in of itself.

The very first scene of the girl in white dress, camera slowly panning from right to left, revealing the girl in white dress with her blurry face facing left. The scene felt like a moving painting. It was very entrancing with a sense of dread.

Great dialogue and well articulated narration

The narration by Lily (played by Ruth Wilson) was articulated clearly, with distinct pronunciations and tone that blends well with the theme of the story. Its like a never ending slow burn nightmare, and even though you feel the dread and death of it, you still listen whilst clinging to your blanket for security. It is more a poem than a movie script. Even when Lily speaks to Iris Blum (played by Paula Prentiss), it feels like an exchange of words from a literature.

The film has a minimalist design and you could see it not having that much going on the surroundings, the camera points to a spot, and we have a subject matter. The movement of the camera was very subtle, even when switching from one scene to another, it felt like the transition was slow and gentle.

The tone of the film reminds me so much of Midnight Mass (Netflix limited series)

Perfect use of ambient sound and music

All throughout “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House”, they made use of sounds and music to the full extent. Constant use of rain pattering, ambient sounds and white noise to blend perfectly and increase the scene’s tension. The soft ambient sounds creates the feel of something fading away. We hear the words being repeated by Polly “This is where you begin to rot.” The music’s tone is hypnotic and immerses you more with the feel of dread of the film.

Not your average horror flick

Do not expect any jump scares nor serial killers running around with a knife, this blends atmosphere, visuals and sound perfectly. Instead of the usual jump scares with high pitched noises for added shock value, this film takes you on an audio and visual smooth and dreadful ride. Captivating you with precise camera angles, slow panning from side to side, subtle imagery of the ghost that lives in the house.

The film has very little dialogue between casts, Lily with Mr. Waxcap (played by Bob Balaban) and Lily with Iris Blum. Most of the dialogue often comes from the narration or when Lily reads an excerpt from the book “The Lady in the Walls”. Written by Iris Blum in the film. I’m honestly interested in owning the bbok myself, though I think that it is non-existent.

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a breath of fresh hair to be honest, a break from the usual horror formula we mostly see these days, showing kills and gore scenes with tons of jump scares. I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House features a stellar cast with great script writing.

Conclusion

Most reviews you see of “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House” are negative, from IMDB to Rotten Tomatoes and whatnot. View it with an open mind and don’t expect the usual. It is an audio and visual experience like no other. I can’t believe I slept on this for years. Definitely a hidden gem from Netflix Originals.