MovieChat Forums > The Beach House (2020) Discussion > There's something in the water

There's something in the water


This is a capably made slow-burn ecological mystery with a Northeastern coast milieu. It starts out similar to "Beach House" from the year prior, but takes a sci-fi/horror turn in the second half.

The landscape is scenic in a typical coastal sense, but desolate and somehow haunting. The tone is mundane and increasingly nihilistic. The film shoots for creepy mood rather than over-the-top thrills, although there are some shocks in the last act.

Winsome Liana Liberato works well as the protagonist but, really, the entire cast are effective (four people, basically). The proceedings get kinda boring by the mid-point, unfortunately, but the writer/director obviously wanted to keep things plausible, as in: What would happen if this took place in real life?

So, if you appreciate lowkey drama and eerie ambiance, this is worth checking out. If, however, you need exaggerated dramatics and explosions every five minutes, stay away. Even if you don't like the story, the flick's a great way to visit Cape Cod without actually going there.

Speaking of which, it was shot at North Truro, Massachusetts, which is near the tip of the Cape, facing the bay.

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