A24 has a reputation for making people feel deeply, profoundly uncomfortable. They've done it with cults, with grief, and with sentient eggs, but The Front Room hits a different kind of nerve. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to wash your hands after watching it. Honestly, it’s not just about jump scares; it’s about that specific, agonizing dread of having an unwanted guest in your house who simply won’t leave.
Most horror movies rely on a ghost or a masked killer. This one relies on a mother-in-law.
The film, directed by the Eggers brothers (Max and Sam), centers on a young, pregnant couple—Belinda and Norman—who take in Norman’s estranged, ultra-religious stepmother, Solange. It sounds like a standard family drama on paper. It isn't. It is a messy, visceral, and often gross-out exploration of power dynamics and religious mania. If you’ve ever had a relative overstay their welcome, The Front Room will feel like a documentary filmed in hell.
The Psychological Warfare of Solange
What makes The Front Room work so well is the performance of Kathryn Hunter. She is a force of nature. She plays Solange with this twisted, physical intensity that makes your skin crawl. Solange isn't just a mean old lady; she’s a woman who believes she is a literal vessel for the Holy Spirit, which, in her mind, gives her the right to colonize every square inch of Belinda’s life.
Belinda, played by Brandy, is trying to maintain some semblance of autonomy while her belly grows and her house shrinks.
It’s about boundaries. Or the lack of them.
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The film leans heavily into "maternal horror," but it flips the script. Usually, the threat is the baby or the act of birth. Here, the threat is the generation that came before. Solange uses her frailty as a weapon. She uses her bathroom accidents as a weapon. She uses her "tongues" and her prayers as a way to dominate the domestic space. It’s psychological warfare disguised as a need for care. You see Belinda slowly losing her mind because how do you fight someone who is "helpless" but also trying to steal your soul?
Religious Trauma and the Southern Gothic Vibe
The Eggers brothers clearly have a thing for folklore and religious obsession. You can see the DNA of their brother Robert’s work (The Witch), but The Front Room is more contemporary and, frankly, much nastier. It utilizes a Southern Gothic aesthetic that feels heavy and humid.
The religion in this film isn't the "love thy neighbor" kind. It’s the "I have been chosen and you have not" kind. Solange represents a very specific type of charismatic, Pentecostal-adjacent extremism that views everything through a lens of spiritual warfare. To her, Belinda isn't just a daughter-in-law; she’s a battlefield.
One of the most jarring things about the movie is the sound design. The clicking of Solange’s canes, the wet sounds of her eating, the guttural noises she makes during her prayers—it’s all designed to trigger a sensory overload. It makes the house feel like it’s closing in. The "front room" itself becomes a shrine to a past that Norman tried to escape, and as the film progresses, that past starts bleeding into the present in ways that are hard to watch.
Why the Ending Polarized Audiences
People are divided on the finale. That’s typical for A24. Some viewers wanted a more traditional "good vs. evil" showdown, but The Front Room doesn't give you that satisfaction. Instead, it offers a cynical, almost pitch-black look at what it takes to actually win a power struggle with a narcissist.
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Belinda has to change. She has to get down in the dirt with Solange to survive.
There’s a specific scene involving a "blessing" that many people found too over-the-top. But if you look at the film as a dark comedy—which it definitely is—the absurdity makes sense. It’s a "hagsploitation" film for the modern era. It’s gross, it’s loud, and it doesn't care if it offends your sensibilities. In fact, it’s counting on it.
The film highlights a very real fear: the loss of the "self" when you become a parent or a caregiver. Belinda is being squeezed from both sides. She’s being drained by the life growing inside her and the life decaying in the other room. It’s a biological and spiritual pincer movement.
Technical Mastery and the Eggers Legacy
Max and Sam Eggers didn't just stumble into this. They’ve been around the industry, working in the shadows of their brother’s success, and The Front Room is their loud, messy coming-out party. They chose to adapt a short story by Susan Hill (who wrote The Woman in Black), but they injected it with a modern, racialized tension that adds layers to the conflict.
The cinematography by Gioulakis is claustrophobic. He uses tight shots and weird angles to make the house feel distorted. You never feel like you have enough room to breathe. That’s the point.
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Key Takeaways for Horror Fans
- Kathryn Hunter is the MVP: Her physical performance is arguably the best in any horror film of the last few years. She uses her body like a contortionist to convey age and menace.
- Not for the Squeamish: This isn't a "clean" horror movie. There are fluids. There is filth. It uses "disgust" as a primary emotional driver.
- The Soundtrack Matters: Pay attention to the way the music shifts from traditional choral sounds to distorted, industrial noise. It mirrors Belinda’s mental state.
If you’re going into The Front Room expecting a jump-scare-heavy flick like The Conjuring, you’re going to be disappointed. This is a slow-burn character study that happens to have a monster who wears a cardigan and prays for your downfall. It’s a movie about the horrors of family obligations and the price of keeping the peace.
Honestly, the real horror isn't the supernatural stuff. It’s the realization that some people will never change, and the only way to deal with them is to become something you hate.
How to Approach This Film
If you haven't seen it yet, watch it in a dark room with good speakers. The audio is half the experience. Also, maybe don't eat while watching it—seriously.
For those who have already seen it and are left wondering "What did I just watch?", the best move is to look into the history of "hagsploitation" cinema. Films like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? are the spiritual ancestors here. Understanding that lineage makes the campier, more grotesque elements of The Front Room feel intentional rather than accidental.
Ultimately, this is a film about the survival of the fittest within a four-wall ecosystem. It’s mean-spirited, technically brilliant, and deeply uncomfortable. It’s exactly what psychological horror should be.
Actionable Insights:
- Research the source material: Read Susan Hill's original short story to see how the Eggers brothers expanded the psychological elements into physical horror.
- Analyze the soundscape: If you are a film student or buff, re-watch the dinner scenes specifically to see how foley art (sound effects) is used to create a sense of revulsion.
- Contextualize the "Hagsploitation" genre: Compare Solange to other "monstrous matriarch" figures in cinema to see how the film subverts the trope of the "venerable elder."