(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A woman looking for an end to her suffering, checks in to the House of Abraham, home to a mysterious cult that promises a way out. She soon discovers all is not what it seems and must plan an escape before it's too late.”
In all honesty, House Of Abraham (2025) might qualify as a misunderstand Drama.
While it’s been heavily advertised where I see as a Horror/Thriller, the truth therein is that it’s more an examination of evil than it is truly horrific. The closest one gets to authentic Horror anywhere in it lies in a sequence wherein death guru Abraham (as played by Lukas Hassel) grins somewhat gleefully while underwater as he watches his latest victim / client Jonathan (William Magnuson) commit suicide in front of him. The context here is that Jonathan – a young man who’s been struggling emotionally for some time over his involvement in accidentally killing others while drunken behind the wheel (I believe it was) – comes to Abraham’s retreat for the purpose ending his suffering only to realize he lacks the resolve when his time is up. Trapping him inside a cage and submerging him in a swimming pool, Abraham promised to seal the deal; and Jonathan goes tragically into his Afterlife with the image of the guru’s grinning mug forever sealed onto his retinas.
Of course, there are a few more bits in here than gravitate toward conventional Horror. Genre royalty Lin Shaye as ‘Beatrice’ arguably gets near the mark as she’s revealed as Abraham’s willing sidekick at the ranch – the kind of literally knows where all the bodies are buried – as she displays a desire to dispense a bit of punishment to those at the House who may not be entirely willing to slide peacefully into the abyss without a bit of assistance on her part. Viewers watching closely might even catch a glimpse of the actress imbuing Beatrice with a bit of her own Jocasta complex: she definitely leaned in pretty close to seal the deal with a kiss only to find himself rebuffed by her surrogate son at the last moment, making her work here also something a bit … well … special?
But mostly House is the kind of ensemble Drama that finds life when talented actors and actresses are given a script to talk effectively about their lives. Since Abraham’s day job involves privately assisted suicide, the script (from Hassel and directed by Lisa Belcher) instead recontextualizes the ensemble around why this particular gang has decided to call it quits (existentially!), giving each player his or her own unique motivation. Shannon Khali Sykes) – Jonathan’s girlfriend – wants to join her beau in the afterlife, and she sees her death as nothing more than a kind of supernatural nuptials for the two of them. Alex (Marval A. Rex) is a female-to-male trans who has finally realized that gender had nothing to do with his/her depression; and now he/she just wants it all to end. Pierre (Sean Freeland), too, has seen his life collapse; and his resulting bitterness has grown insurmountable, leaving him with what he feels is no other solution.
And … then there’s Dee (Natasha Henstridge) …
According to her, she’s dealing with a diagnosis of Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Like the others at the retreat, she’s considered all of her options and feels as if cutting ties with reality as quickly and as cleanly as possible remains her only alternative; and, yet, at each opportunity she’s clearly conflicted with what such a choice means not only for her but also those around her. Very quickly, she becomes a bit of a Mother Hen to the group, arguing that these final exits need not be undertaken so casually. As one can guess, this puts her at odds with host Abraham; and Hassel’s script rather predictably slow walks the audience through the conflicts. Mind you: it makes for some interesting conversations, but that’s about it.
Henstridge is a good actress, and I wish that had been given a bit more to do here. Personally, I think her career has been sidetracked a bit by her own beauty, and perhaps she hasn’t been given roles with enough substance to show truly what she’s capable of. Rex does a particularly good job at handling the nuance of emotional disturbance: while there could’ve been more to what his/her backstory involved, it’s equally clear that – as a person (albeit fictional) – Alex lives life moment by moment. But for what it’s worth it’s Hassel’s work here that makes House most watchable. As the last self-help guru you’ll ever employ, he’s exceptional poetic and charismatic to a fault – perhaps that’s why his motivations are easily suspected by some – and his personal fascination with death itself vacillates between good-intentioned to downright psychotic in equal measures. Where such a proclivity takes him is, yes, a bit predictable … but – snicker snicker – such is life.
Sadly, it’s difficult to discuss the last reel of House – without spoiling too much, let’s just say that not everyone is who he/she seems – and once these identities are confirmed it arguably throws off all Horror’s pretense, morphing into a rather dour melodrama. In fact, some of what’s revealed suggests that … well … the lodge might well be keeping its doors open for future business … but under new management.
House Of Abraham (2025) was produced by Jump Rock Pictures. DVD distribution has been coordinated by the fine folks at Abramorama. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are exceptional. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There’s a surprising amount of content available here, including a commentary track, some behind-the-scenes stuff, bloopers, deleted scenes, and an associated music video. Well done!
Mildly Recommended.
In order to work textually, 2025’s House Of Abraham has to – ahem – cheat just a little bit when it comes to the ultimate identities of its central characters; and, sadly, the surprise felt a bit cheap in the last reel. (That isn’t to say that it doesn’t work; rather, it’s just to suggest that as presently all of it feels a bit … artificially? Maybe even contrived?) That disservice shouldn’t lessen the impact of screenwriter and lead Hassel’s work here because the man delivers a dynamite performance as the titular charming life/death coach whose managed to build his own cottage industry around suicide. As Abraham, he’s the snake oil salesman you can’t help but grudgingly admire – but never trust – even though you suspect he’s robbing you of your immortal soul in the process.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Jump Rock Pictures (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of House Of Abraham (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A woman looking for an end to her suffering, checks in to the House of Abraham, home to a mysterious cult that promises a way out. She soon discovers all is not what it seems and must plan an escape before it's too late.”
In all honesty, House Of Abraham (2025) might qualify as a misunderstand Drama.
While it’s been heavily advertised where I see as a Horror/Thriller, the truth therein is that it’s more an examination of evil than it is truly horrific. The closest one gets to authentic Horror anywhere in it lies in a sequence wherein death guru Abraham (as played by Lukas Hassel) grins somewhat gleefully while underwater as he watches his latest victim / client Jonathan (William Magnuson) commit suicide in front of him. The context here is that Jonathan – a young man who’s been struggling emotionally for some time over his involvement in accidentally killing others while drunken behind the wheel (I believe it was) – comes to Abraham’s retreat for the purpose ending his suffering only to realize he lacks the resolve when his time is up. Trapping him inside a cage and submerging him in a swimming pool, Abraham promised to seal the deal; and Jonathan goes tragically into his Afterlife with the image of the guru’s grinning mug forever sealed onto his retinas.
Of course, there are a few more bits in here than gravitate toward conventional Horror. Genre royalty Lin Shaye as ‘Beatrice’ arguably gets near the mark as she’s revealed as Abraham’s willing sidekick at the ranch – the kind of literally knows where all the bodies are buried – as she displays a desire to dispense a bit of punishment to those at the House who may not be entirely willing to slide peacefully into the abyss without a bit of assistance on her part. Viewers watching closely might even catch a glimpse of the actress imbuing Beatrice with a bit of her own Jocasta complex: she definitely leaned in pretty close to seal the deal with a kiss only to find himself rebuffed by her surrogate son at the last moment, making her work here also something a bit … well … special?
But mostly House is the kind of ensemble Drama that finds life when talented actors and actresses are given a script to talk effectively about their lives. Since Abraham’s day job involves privately assisted suicide, the script (from Hassel and directed by Lisa Belcher) instead recontextualizes the ensemble around why this particular gang has decided to call it quits (existentially!), giving each player his or her own unique motivation. Shannon Khali Sykes) – Jonathan’s girlfriend – wants to join her beau in the afterlife, and she sees her death as nothing more than a kind of supernatural nuptials for the two of them. Alex (Marval A. Rex) is a female-to-male trans who has finally realized that gender had nothing to do with his/her depression; and now he/she just wants it all to end. Pierre (Sean Freeland), too, has seen his life collapse; and his resulting bitterness has grown insurmountable, leaving him with what he feels is no other solution.
And … then there’s Dee (Natasha Henstridge) …
According to her, she’s dealing with a diagnosis of Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Like the others at the retreat, she’s considered all of her options and feels as if cutting ties with reality as quickly and as cleanly as possible remains her only alternative; and, yet, at each opportunity she’s clearly conflicted with what such a choice means not only for her but also those around her. Very quickly, she becomes a bit of a Mother Hen to the group, arguing that these final exits need not be undertaken so casually. As one can guess, this puts her at odds with host Abraham; and Hassel’s script rather predictably slow walks the audience through the conflicts. Mind you: it makes for some interesting conversations, but that’s about it.
Henstridge is a good actress, and I wish that had been given a bit more to do here. Personally, I think her career has been sidetracked a bit by her own beauty, and perhaps she hasn’t been given roles with enough substance to show truly what she’s capable of. Rex does a particularly good job at handling the nuance of emotional disturbance: while there could’ve been more to what his/her backstory involved, it’s equally clear that – as a person (albeit fictional) – Alex lives life moment by moment. But for what it’s worth it’s Hassel’s work here that makes House most watchable. As the last self-help guru you’ll ever employ, he’s exceptional poetic and charismatic to a fault – perhaps that’s why his motivations are easily suspected by some – and his personal fascination with death itself vacillates between good-intentioned to downright psychotic in equal measures. Where such a proclivity takes him is, yes, a bit predictable … but – snicker snicker – such is life.
Sadly, it’s difficult to discuss the last reel of House – without spoiling too much, let’s just say that not everyone is who he/she seems – and once these identities are confirmed it arguably throws off all Horror’s pretense, morphing into a rather dour melodrama. In fact, some of what’s revealed suggests that … well … the lodge might well be keeping its doors open for future business … but under new management.
House Of Abraham (2025) was produced by Jump Rock Pictures. DVD distribution has been coordinated by the fine folks at Abramorama. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are exceptional. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There’s a surprising amount of content available here, including a commentary track, some behind-the-scenes stuff, bloopers, deleted scenes, and an associated music video. Well done!
Mildly Recommended.
In order to work textually, 2025’s House Of Abraham has to – ahem – cheat just a little bit when it comes to the ultimate identities of its central characters; and, sadly, the surprise felt a bit cheap in the last reel. (That isn’t to say that it doesn’t work; rather, it’s just to suggest that as presently all of it feels a bit … artificially? Maybe even contrived?) That disservice shouldn’t lessen the impact of screenwriter and lead Hassel’s work here because the man delivers a dynamite performance as the titular charming life/death coach whose managed to build his own cottage industry around suicide. As Abraham, he’s the snake oil salesman you can’t help but grudgingly admire – but never trust – even though you suspect he’s robbing you of your immortal soul in the process.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Jump Rock Pictures (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of House Of Abraham (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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