Believe it or not, we are halfway through the summer months already. In non-apocalyptic years, for many families that would mean flights to theme parks, bus tours of new cities, and visits to crowded museums.
But this summer, with coronavirus resurging through the U.S. like a Hydra raising its second, uglier, larger head, the only vacation most families are (or should be) willing to consider is something a bit closer to home, hopefully something that only includes their own shelter-in-place bubble, and something that’s only a drive away, say, a nice trip to the beach. While most of us wouldn’t have expected to spend our summers this way, a few seemingly prophetic filmmakers have released the trippy horror film The Beach House with impressively impeccable timing.
The film opens with college couple Emily and Randall arriving at Randall’s 
family’s seaside vacation home to spend the weekend alone, enjoy the sun and surf, and hopefully repair their rocky relationship. What they didn’t expect was to find Randall’s parents’ friends cramping their style in the same house. As the two couples try to relax and make the most of the weekend, some of them start coming down with a weird illness that makes them start to act a bit off. As symptoms mount, they try to figure out what’s happening, where it’s coming from, and more importantly, how to avoid getting sick.
While COVID-19 has sent most of us horror-lovers digging through 
Shudder, IFC Unlimited, and even YouTube for scary movies we’ve yet to see, hoping for just one more chance to escape real-world terror, in some ways this film throws reality right back in our faces. That may not sound appealing at first, but like a metastasized metaphor for 2020, this film actually quite effectively latches on and stays with you long after the credits roll.
Slow to start, The Beach House first appears to be a trippy existential 
commentary on life’s purpose and humanity’s place in the universe of living things. Mixing stunning shots of stars and deep-sea vents into dream-like sequences, you may find yourself wondering when the scares begin, or maybe whether you missed the message – or the mushrooms.
But once the film hits its stride and the horror mounts, The Beach House weaves these themes together into a terrifying glimpse of what might prove to one day be more reality than fantasy. Rounded out by believable acting and just enough gore to remind you what you’re watching, this eerie twist on a zombie movie also leaves its audience with some seriously scary questions about the future of both people and planet.
SpecialK Verdict: If you’re looking for an escape from the headlines, this one might not be your pick, but if you’re eager for a horror film that makes you think a bit more deeply this summer, The Beach House is worth checking out.
The Beach House was released to the streaming service Shudder on Thursday, July 9.
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