'I am the pretty thing that lives in the house'- influence

'I am the pretty little thing that lives in the house' is an American-Canadian horror film that is exclusive to Netflix. It was brought out in  2016 and was written and directed by Osgood Perkins. However the reception it brought was limited as it only received an average rating of 4.3/10 on Rotten tomatoes . Nigel M. Smith of The Guardian wrote, "Osgood Perkins layers on the dread in his haunted house thriller. But as it becomes clear that there's no worthwhile story, the scares dissipate fast and gave it an overall rating of 2/5 stars. 

                                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRP-4f_vyrY

However there were certain aspects of the film which got my attention in how the use of; voice overs and slow pace editing of continuous shots, gave an overtly eerier atmosphere and allowed the viewer to enhance their perception and imagination. These two aspects are key within the film 'Virago' due to the psychological themes that run throughout. Another factor to take into consideration is that  this therefore allows the viewer to conclude what may occur next and add their own little part to film, which is quite key as it allows the viewer to create a personal connection to the film in an unconventional way. Due to the unconventional psychological nature of the film using voice overs allows the film to become almost real and and though the viewer at home is there and therefore makes them engage with the film by asking themselves i.e. 'is she really dead' 'what would you do now'. It also enhances the likely chance of the viewer to watch the full film as it leaves you wondering whether the main protagonist is dead and is telling their story or you're following someone and are able to hear their thought process. Stereotypical within psychological thrillers this question is usually established 3/4 way through or at the beginning.  What i also greatly admired about this film is how it unconsciously makes you question the taboo topic of life and death and the house you live in. In the sense that your home is actually not your home due to the pass residents who have owned the house and in fact you're just in the chain of being in it, in others footsteps. Having an ongoing question after the film is what my team and i greatly aim for. The film additionally foreshows Lily's story whilst coinciding with the story of another character: the previous owner of the house 'ghost'. Within Virago both Edward and Elizabeth's story will be being shown to allow a greater picture to be established and to also allow continuity for the viewer to be able to piece together both sides of the story.

In addition 'I am the pretty thing that lives in the house' character of 'Lily', greatly influenced the character of 'Elizabeth Virago' in terms of dress, mannerism and overall integrity to finding out the truth. Elizabeth is too 28 years old when she dies in line with Lily, who is unable to make it to her 29th birthday.  In terms of dress, lily appears rather minimal, inline with her hospice job. However a key influence for Elizabeth is how well groomed and  how of a natural beauty lily in fact is. This will be portrayed within the chosen outfit for Elizabeth and minimalistic make up choices. One key theme for the film Virago is 'the image of beauty' in terms of how others see Elizabeth and how her husband 'Edward' sees her both alive and non-living.