His House

Inside His House: How Remi Weekes Crafted a Horror Hit from Refugee Trauma

Netflix’s His House (2020) arrived with little fanfare but quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation, praised for its fresh take on horror and its unflinching look at the refugee experience. Directed by Remi Weekes in his feature debut, the film follows South Sudanese refugees Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) as they navigate a haunted English house—and the ghosts of their past. latestnetflix.com's take is that Behind the scares, the production was a tight-knit, low-budget affair that leaned on improvisation, cultural authenticity, and a director determined to subvert horror tropes.

A Director’s Vision: Horror as Social Commentary

Weekes, a British-Nigerian filmmaker, didn’t set out to make a traditional haunted house movie. In interviews, he emphasized that His House was always about displacement, trauma, and the "ghosts" of war that follow refugees long after they flee. "The house is a metaphor for the system that’s supposed to help them but ends up trapping them," Weekes said in a Q&A . He wanted the horror to feel visceral but grounded, avoiding jump scares in favor of psychological dread.

The film’s blend of supernatural terror and real-world struggles drew comparisons to Get Out , though Weekes downplayed the influence, insisting his focus was on the refugee narrative. Still, the parallels were hard to ignore: both films use horror to expose systemic oppression, and both became breakout hits for their directors.

Casting and Chemistry: Dìrísù and Mosaku’s Breakout Roles

Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Wunmi Mosaku, both British actors of Nigerian descent, were cast early in the process. Weekes sought performers who could balance vulnerability with intensity, and the duo delivered. In interviews, they spoke about the emotional weight of the roles. Mosaku, in particular, highlighted the research she did to portray Rial’s trauma authentically, including conversations with refugees .

The chemistry between the leads was crucial. Weekes encouraged improvisation during rehearsals, allowing Dìrísù and Mosaku to explore their characters’ fractured relationship organically. "We didn’t want it to feel like a horror movie where the couple is just screaming at each other," Dìrísù said . Instead, their performances grounded the film’s supernatural elements in raw, human emotion.

Low-Budget Grit and Practical Effects

With a modest budget, His House relied on practical effects and clever cinematography to create its eerie atmosphere. Javier Botet, the towering actor known for his work in The Conjuring and IT, played the film’s most terrifying entity—a gaunt, long-limbed figure inspired by South Sudanese folklore. Weekes wanted the creature to feel "otherworldly but not like a typical Hollywood monster," and Botet’s physicality delivered .

The haunted house itself was a real location in London, which the crew transformed into a decaying, labyrinthine space. Weekes shot the film in chronological order to help the actors build tension naturally, a rare luxury for low-budget productions . The result was a film that felt intimate and immersive, despite its supernatural premise.

Reception and Legacy: A Horror Film with Heart

His House premiered at Sundance in January 2020 and was picked up by Netflix shortly after. Critics praised its originality, with Rotten Tomatoes calling it a "bold, unsettling debut" . The film’s 6.1/10 rating on SensCritique suggests it resonated more with audiences than critics, but its cult following has only grown since its release.

Weekes has since moved on to other projects, but His House remains a standout in modern horror—a film that used the genre to tell a deeply human story. For Dìrísù and Mosaku, it was a career-defining turn, proving that horror could be both terrifying and socially relevant.