It’s very sad that horror has always been targeted as the most unrespectable genre of all. Awards have almost no consideration for it, and the industry used to consider it a failure when an actor went towards horror after being mostly in dramas. A century has gone by, and validation from “more respectable sources” hasn’t been necessary for the genre to grow and extend towards more artistic portrayals. But it still feels pretty great to see horror succeed in the mainstream; examples like Jordan Peele’s success with Get Out are exciting to see.
Luckily, we don’t have to refer to huge successful films to make a point with our article. Sometimes, it’s just about performances. The discourse for horror performances (and female performances in horror, specifically) grows louder each day, with many people calling for awards ceremonies to take more notice. We’re getting there. In the meanwhile, let’s analyze one of modern horror’s prominent performers, an versatile actress who found an exceptional way to address primary characters. In horror, everyone is welcome to make it big.
Rebecca Hall is an impressive actress who’s made it big in Hollywood through drama. A breakthrough performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona made eyes turn and got her some nominations. After that, genre has been a huge part of her career. After directing the acclaimed film Passing, many would say she would go across and stay on a more serious side of the river, but fortunately for horror fans, that was not the case.
In 2020 and 2022, she made two excellent horror films that confirmed her status as the scream queen we didn’t know we had in our midst. If there’s a reason why horror isn’t being overlooked as it was before, we like to say it’s partly because of the presence of Rebecca Hall.
Grief (and Something Else Entirely) Strikes in The Night House
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David Bruckner’s The Night House subjected Rebecca Hall’s character to a horrific circumstance. Beth is trying to continue on living after her husband and love of her life committed suicide and all he left was a cryptic note. The lack of answers is much too heavy for her, but the threat isn’t only the emotional burden. There’s something haunting her besides grief. In the film, Hall performs in a traditional narrative structure. It isn’t so much of a challenge to develop her character when following the rules of her character’s journey.
But the actress takes everything one step further. Even if the film enters a more traditional second act when revealing the threat, there’s nothing basic about Hall’s display of drama. The Night House uses a mundane spark to enter an ethereal plane with Hall at the center trying to solve an impossible riddle that turns definite death into uncertain disbelief.
Motherhood Is Traumatic in Resurrection
Less known (for now) than Bruckner's The Night House is 2022's gripping horror-thriller Resurrection. Directed by Andrew Semans, the film tells the story of a young mother whose past literally comes back to haunt her. We won't spill the details because this is one of those films that you will only believe once you digest it by yourself. Hall really raises and sets the bar very high with a performance that's hauntingly magnetic. Not because of empathy (her nature isn't exactly good), but because her character drifts towards a primal plane, understandable because of a conception of motherhood that can be easily questioned because of this film.
This is Hall's best performance in the last 10 years. Yes, even better than what she did in the excellent 2016 film Christine. It evokes an emotional gravitas that's natural for the actress: in Hall's eyes, trauma is represented by an unknown universe of unpredictable emotions. As chaotic as the third act feels, Hall's presence allows us to land and understand that what her character did was inevitable. She takes us to a world of body horror and impossibility, only translatable through the incredible script by Semans.
Beyond the Boundaries of Horror
With an average of three films per year, we can't say Hall is out of work. She will keep on doing what she does best. We only hope horror remains a big part of her career.
At this point, it seems inevitable that the actress gravitates towards the genre with huge success and with challenging roles that can expose how incredibly talented she is. Let's not forget Resurrection and The Night House were good movies because of her, but also because they were greatly directed following original scripts. We can only imagine her talent also comes from being able to choose stories that suit her, and these two were very, very good decisions.
The Night House is available to stream on Hulu, and Resurrection is available to stream on Shudder.