Spoilers want a crossbow.

The slow burn horror film always walks the line between crafting a dreary atmosphere and losing the audience. To be fair, not everyone has the same endurance to a movie that takes its time so your mileage may vary and this could be an acquired taste. It’s definitely going to keep up with bleak undertones throughout, so this is not going to be sudden genre reveal. On the other hand, if you’re going to waiting for the jump scares to start, this won’t be your cup of tea.

Recluse (2026) was directed by Henry Chaisson. After horrible burning accident, reclusive artist Lawrence Wyatt (Xander Berkeley) is bedridden with a mask covering his face. His estranged daughter Joan (Sasha Frolova), an audio engineer by trade, has reluctantly returned to the family estate. The house is a mansion, with dark corners and extensive gardens to get lost in. It also doesn’t help that it has seen the death of Joan’s brother and the disappearance of her mother. Also inhabiting the house are the lifelong housekeeper Lydia (Toby Poser), her son and gardener Todd (Kimball Farley) and the last in a long line of nurses, Emily (Mia Vallet). Joan must now reconcile with the demons of her past as well as the scattered whispers and sounds that she hears around the house.

If your head is not in it, there’s a good chance you’ll find this mystery not as engaging as it could be. To be honest, there is not much horror involved. It’s trying to set up tension and it does leave some things open ended for you to resolve on your own. Joan herself knows she could be imagining half the stuff that she’s seen but there’s scenes where the rest of the characters have standalone eerie events that negate it all being in her head.

Recommended with reservations. Don’t expect all loose ends to be tied up neatly by the end. That being said, the atmosphere is well built although depending on your patience levels they might make the runtime feel longer than it is. Worth a watch if you’re in the mood for a slow burn.

That will do for now.