House of Screaming Glass is an intriguing micro-budget horror that focuses on asking more questions than answering them. An almost abstract, experimental film that is a nostaglic nod to 1970s psychological horrors, one that works for the more patient minded viewer.
Elizabeth (Lani Call) has lived a life of isolation under the shadow of her mentally fractured mother. On the day her mother dies, Elizabeth receives an unexpected inheritance—a timeworn schoolhouse from her grandmother—whom she has never met. Within the schoolhouse, Elizabeth finds herself entwined in a tapestry of unsettling visions and harrowing nightmares that begin to take over her sanity.
Firstly, House of Screaming Glass, is a slow mover of a film, almost at an excruciating level of slow. Yet, that has been a purposeful decision from director David R. Willilams. We open with the slowest of slow shots of a body and our titular house that goes on for an age before a long and spaced-out narration from our lead character rumbles on. If you struggle with that level of slow pacing, then the rest of the film will be a struggle as Williams starts, and he means to go on with it.
It sounds like something that shouldn’t work, and as mentioned, for some, it won’t. But there is a method to his madness here. Shots linger, and scenes go on for that touch longer than they need to. But they always seem to be building to something. There is a reason for it all, even if it doesn’t necessarily fully work as intended. For a 100-minute-long film, there just isn’t enough plot to require that much runtime; sadly, a little more trimming would aid any pacing issues a great deal.
Early on, we have a piano scene that takes way too long to get going, but it works when it does reach its more disturbing moment. From then on, you get what Williams was going for in House of Screaming Glass. An atmospheric piece that is purposely made to have its audience feel distorted and unprepared for what is next. He builds up the unsettled factor well at times as he tosses in mysterious moments that are not fully explained nor expanded upon throughout his film. However, while those moments intrigue you, they don’t grip you.
House of Screaming Glass throws a lot of questions in the audience’s direction, and you sense Williams is having a grand time throwing out all of these possibilities our way. Is Elizabeth any of the characters in that opening? Has she met her grandmother before? What is going on with her arm? Loads of questions with little answers, as if we are to map out our ideas from what has been given to us. This is due to Williams presenting House of Screaming Glass almost abstractly. We suddenly watch Elizabeth speedrunning through the house on multiple occasions, which are not explained other than to show the size of the schoolhouse she now resides in. Again, it is a concept that will either lose you as an audience member or intrigue you deeper to see what Williams was aiming for.
Our lead, Lani Call, delivers a commendable performance in what is predominately a silent role apart from her continuous narration. She is a complete mystery to us as Call and Williams never show their hand with her, leaving you continually guessing about her past, which works well in the film’s favour. Her portrayal adds depth to the mystery she is wrapped in with her character, and as a performance, it is certainly noteworthy as, without her, you are not sure if House of Screaming Glass would work as well. It will be interesting to see how she works as an actor away from the confines given here.
As mentioned, House of Screaming Glass feels like a film made 50 years too late, and that is meant in the best possible way, from the muted, flat narration from Elizabeth to the stillness of the film. It’s a nostalgic nod to the atmospheric psychological horrors of the 1970s, a connection that might resonate more with fans of that sub-genre. You could almost believe this was a lost film found from that era; this thought even increases when we see Elizabeth’s bedroom, which has all the hallmarks of an Italian horror film with how it has been dressed.
It is an odd little film, almost experimental at times, yet for me, it worked. You get the method used to drive Elizabeth to her point of possible madness. No matter what, though, for a film made with an apparent microbudget, it is certainly interesting, and you can’t ask for more than that in a psychological horror. Keep your mind open on this one.
★★★
House of Screaming Glass is available on VOD from 21st May 2024
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