Izzy Lee is an author and filmmaker most well known for projects including her short film, Meat Friend, and her recent book, I Can See Your Lies. Now, she’s bringing House of Ashes to audiences, a new horror film Lee directed and co-wrote with Steve Johanson (Meat Friend). In the film, a grieving widow is unjustly put on house arrest. Trapped within the confines of her home, the widow faces supernatural and human terrors that threaten her sanity, as well as her life.

The film begins with the protagonist, Mia, being dropped off at her home where she will be on house arrest for one year. While this setup is reminiscent of films such as Disturbia and Housebound, the “crime” presented in House of Ashes is quite different. In the film, Mia is suspected in her husband’s death, but she is ultimately cleared and his death is ruled a suicide. Instead, Mia is the first woman charged for a crime after she suffers a miscarriage. It’s not only an interesting setup to trap Mia in her home, but it also brings up an important political issue highlighting the absurdity of women being criminally charged for something they have no control over. Because of this setup, Mia is faced with community backlash in the form of a sinister parole officer, a nosy true crime influencer, and a disgruntled neighbor. She also has to get used to living with her new boyfriend, Marc, who has been supportive since Mia’s release, but also clearly wants all signs of her deceased husband out of the house. As if that wasn’t stressful enough, that same deceased husband seems to be haunting the couple, starting off by hiding and moving things, then escalating to more frightening feats. It’s a great blend of psychological thrills and paranormal chills as the audience watches one woman face a range of horrors all around her.

While House of Ashes does a fantastic job of showing all the different dangers one woman can battle, there are still some lingering questions. Most notably are questions related to the timeline and sequence of events leading up to Mia being dropped off for her house arrest. This is true for all events before the film begins, but especially when it comes to Marc. The audience learns he was an old school friend of Mia’s and the pair reconnected after her husband’s death, but because we don’t know much about what happened before it’s unclear how long ago they began dating, but it was long enough for Marc to move in. Mia’s journey is the definitive focus of the film, and that aspect is done quite well, but having just a bit more background information would likely strengthen the overall plot.

The cast of House of Ashes is small, but each actor gives a memorable performance. Fayna Sanchez (Creepshow, Dollface) stars as Mia. Sanchez adds a vulnerability to Mia as she feels like she’s losing her mind on house arrest. It seems the entire world is against her, which would drive just about anyone insane. When Mia finally gets some of her confidence and power back, that is when Sanchez really shines. Vincent Stalba (Lessons in Chemistry, The Vince Staples Show) plays Marc. While Marc seems helpful and loving on the surface, Stalba incorporates an underlying sense of obsession with every interaction. It allows for uncomfortable awkwardness to fester into something more, giving Stalba room to be quite menacing. Other standouts are Mason Conrad (Writers Block Painting with the Devil), Lee Boxleitner, and Laura Dromerick (Next Exit).

Audiences are sure to enjoy the visual elements in House of Ashes. Lee expertly creates a dreaming, ominous atmosphere in the mostly single-location film. This is done through a combination of striking, vibrantly colored lighting and haze, allowing for an other-worldly feel to the film. It not only makes the film stunning to look at, but it also helps to blur the lines between dreams and reality. On top of that, it adds to the supernatural elements as the haunting goes from bad to worse. Watching the film, it’s apparent Lee has a unique visual style when bringing films to life. It’s a style that is beautiful, memorable, and one I hope to see more of from Lee in the future.

House of Ashes is a suspenseful, ghostly examination of the many different horrors women are forced to confront in today’s world. Despite the lingering questions that can confuse the plot, the overall story arc created by Lee and Johanson is still a compelling one. This is only improved further by the great performances and dazzling lighting. Along with being an interesting watch, House of Ashes is sure to lead to some interesting and important conversations about the dangers of the current political climate. It will also make audiences take notice of Lee’s work, keeping an eye out for what she does next.

OVERALL RATING: 6.5/10