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* SupernaturalProofFather: Bol is the focus of most of the supernatural occurrences, since he is the one who feels the greater guilt, but he is firmly in denial about all of it for most of the movie.

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* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:It's revealed that Rial was the only survivor of a brutal massacre in a classroom, which she survived by hiding in a cabinet.]]
* SupernaturalProofFather: Bol is the focus of most of the supernatural occurrences, since he is the one who feels the greater guilt, guilt [[spoiler:because he was the one who abducted Nyagak]], but he is firmly in denial about all of it for most of the movie.


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* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "You have no daughter."]]
* WhamShot: In a flashback, Rial talks to the fellow women of her village in a classroom, then Bol finds Rial leaving her hiding place in a cabinet. As the camera turns, it reveals [[spoiler: all of the women had been brutally slaughtered, and Rial was the only survivor.]]
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* AsYouKnow: The first time Rial mentions the ''apeth'' to Bol, she refers to it almost immediately after as "a night witch", even though he presumably already knows what an ''apeth'' is.

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* AsYouKnow: The first time Rial mentions the ''apeth'' to Bol, she refers to it almost immediately after as "a night witch", witch," even though he presumably already knows what an ''apeth'' is.

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** Subverted later on, when Bol taunts the apeth to come directly for his flesh instead of asking others for it, leading him to the conclusion that the apeth ''can't''. He feels bolstered and taunt the apeth...who in turns wishes him good luck for his sleep. Bol loses immediately all of his composure.



* ThereAreNoTherapists: The refugee process Bol and Rial go through never seems to consider the enormous psychological strain they must be under after fleeing a civil war. There's no mention of putting them in touch with a counselor or any kind of support group.

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* ThereAreNoTherapists: The refugee process Bol and Rial go through never seems to consider the enormous psychological strain they must be under after fleeing a civil war. There's no mention of putting them in touch with a counselor or any kind of support group. Considering the harsh restrictions on the house and the general dismissal when a clearly distressed Bol goes to Mark to ask for a new house, it's likely because they just don't get much consideration at all from the system.
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** The guy mentioned above under BaitAndSwitch [[spoiler: turns out to be a completely decent human being, but the scene nonetheless emphasize how very much on-edge Bol is in the strange, mostly-white environment.]]
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* TheAtoner: Deconstructed. The couple feel that they have to atone for failing to protect Nyagak and all of the others. Bol tries to deny these feelings at first, but [[spoiler: they end up almost consuming him. Ultimately, however, they accept that no self-destructive gesture can bring their friends and family back, and they have the right to go on living - though the grief may never go away.]] See SurvivorsGuilt below.

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* TheAtoner: Deconstructed. The couple feel that they have to atone for failing to protect Nyagak and all of the others. Bol tries to deny these feelings at first, but [[spoiler: they end up almost consuming him. Ultimately, however, they accept that no self-destructive gesture can bring their friends and family back, and they have the right to go on living - though the grief may never go away.]] See SurvivorsGuilt below.]]

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* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:The ''apeth'' tries to possess Bol's body by burrowing into his skin]].



* IntimidatingWhitePresence: Their neighbour comes across as this, an unfriendly white lady who is constantly smoking cigarettes. In her first scene, Bol waves hello to her. She does not wave back. Later, she tells him it would be better if he and Rial just left.

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* IntimidatingWhitePresence: IntimidatingWhitePresence:
**
Their neighbour comes across as this, an unfriendly white lady who is constantly smoking cigarettes. In her first scene, Bol waves hello to her. She does not wave back. Later, she tells him it would be better if he and Rial just left.



* SlashedThroat: [[spoiler:Rial kills the ''apeth'' by grabbing it from behind and slitting its throat with a kitchen knife]].



* WickedWitch: The ''apeth'' is a truly horrible instance of this, looking like a walking corpse with a sinister leer. It's portrayed by veteran [[PeopleInRubberSuits rubber monster]] actor Creator/JavierBotet.

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* WickedWitch: The ''apeth'' is referred to as a truly horrible instance of this, looking witch, but looks more like a walking corpse with long, spindly limbs and a sinister leer. It's portrayed by veteran [[PeopleInRubberSuits rubber monster]] actor Creator/JavierBotet.
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* WickedWitch: The ''apeth'' is a truly horrible instance of this, looking like a walking corpse with a sinister leer.

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* WickedWitch: The ''apeth'' is a truly horrible instance of this, looking like a walking corpse with a sinister leer. It's portrayed by veteran [[PeopleInRubberSuits rubber monster]] actor Creator/JavierBotet.
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Creator/MattSmith appears in a supporting role as the couple's case worker, Mark.

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* BaitAndSwitch: As Bol is walking around the neighborhood, he's approached by a chavvy-looking guy who says he's "got something" for Bol. The audience is meant to be wary of the character, but it turns out that [[spoiler:he wants to invite Bol to watch a football match at the pub]].

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* ArcWords: "This is our home."
* AsYouKnow: The first time Rial mentions the ''apeth'' to Bol, she refers to it almost immediately after as "a night witch", even though he presumably already knows what an ''apeth'' is.
* TheAtoner: Deconstructed. The couple feel that they have to atone for failing to protect Nyagak and all of the others. Bol tries to deny these feelings at first, but [[spoiler: they end up almost consuming him. Ultimately, however, they accept that no self-destructive gesture can bring their friends and family back, and they have the right to go on living - though the grief may never go away.]] See SurvivorsGuilt below.
* BaitAndSwitch: As Bol is walking around the neighborhood, he's approached outside a church by a chavvy-looking guy who says he's "got something" for Bol. The audience is meant to be wary of the character, but it turns out that [[spoiler:he wants to invite Bol to watch [[spoiler:the church group has put together a football match at the pub]].welcome package for him]].



* BoomerangBigot: Rial approaches a group of black teenage boys to ask for directions, hoping they'll be kinder and more sympathetic than the [[IntimidatingWhitePresence white neighbours]]. They make fun of her accent and tell her to "go back to Africa".



* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: The ''apeth'' offers to bring back Nyagak if Bol will kill himself. At the climax of the movie, he is ready to accept the offer, although it's implied that the ''apeth'' is lying and would not have kept up its side of the deal.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: When trying to adapt to their new life, Bol suggests to Rial that they could start a family, earning a harsh look from her for seeming to forget Nyagak. [[spoiler: This is an early clue that Nyagak wasn't their daughter.]]
* HauntedHouse: Bol believes the walls of the house are full of ghosts, and punches holes in the wall trying to root them out. He even asks Mark to let them move to another house. [[spoiler: Ultimately, subverted, however, as it becomes clear that the house isn't the problem. They could move around all they wanted and the ''apeth'' (read: their PTSD and SurvivorsGuilt) would follow them wherever they went.]]



* ImplicitPrison: The house comes across this way, with all the strict conditions put upon Bol and Rial's residency. They're allowed to go outside, but they're not allowed to get jobs or supplement their allowance in any way. They're not allowed to have friends over or get a pet. They're not allowed to move without permission.
* IntimidatingWhitePresence: Their neighbour comes across as this, an unfriendly white lady who is constantly smoking cigarettes. In her first scene, Bol waves hello to her. She does not wave back. Later, she tells him it would be better if he and Rial just left.
** Mark, their case agent, is clearly trying not to be this, but he is InnocentlyInsensitive at best. An early comment from him about being "one of the good ones" feeds into Bol's entire complex about proving himself via ImmigrantPatriotism.



* NewHouseNewProblems: [[spoiler: A rare case where it's the trauma of what brought them to the house, rather than the house itself, that is the problem.]]



* SupernaturalProofFather: Bol is the focus of most of the supernatural occurrences, since he is the one who feels the greater guilt, but he is firmly in denial about all of it for most of the movie.



* ThereAreNoTherapists: The refugee process Bol and Rial go through never seems to consider the enormous psychological strain they must be under after fleeing a civil war. There's no mention of putting them in touch with a counselor or any kind of support group.



* WarIsHell: Bol and Rial suffer the aftermath of the horrors of war, including the loss of their daughter, and the loss of [[spoiler: both of their entire villages]].

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* WarIsHell: Bol and Rial suffer the aftermath of the horrors of war, including the loss of their daughter, and the loss of [[spoiler: both of their entire villages]].villages]].
* WickedWitch: The ''apeth'' is a truly horrible instance of this, looking like a walking corpse with a sinister leer.

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* SurvivorsGuilt: Bol and Rial are not only guilty of surviving while Nyagak had died, but because [[spoiler: practically ''all'' of their village was killed, including their other family members and friends. to drive this home, the movie ends with a shot of Nyagak and dozens of other presumed victims of the war crowded in the house, showing that even though they are gone, the memory of them them still haunts Bol and Rial.]]

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* SurvivorsGuilt: Bol and Rial are not only guilty of surviving while Nyagak had died, but because [[spoiler: practically ''all'' of their village was killed, including their other family members and friends. to To drive this home, the movie ends with a shot of Nyagak and dozens of other presumed victims of the war crowded in the house, showing that even though they are gone, the memory of them them still haunts Bol and Rial.]]]]
* VengefulGhost: Perhaps. [[spoiler: Nyagak appears to the couple looking to scare them (especially Bol), but it's not clear if she was actually there or not]].

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* AdultFear: Bol and Rial suffer the aftermath of the horrors of war, including the loss of their daughter, and the loss of [[spoiler: both of their entire villages]].



* SurvivorsGuilt: Bol and Rial are not only guilty of surviving while Nyagak had died, but because [[spoiler: practically ''all'' of their village was killed, including their other family members and friends. to drive this home, the movie ends with a shot of Nyagak and dozens of other presumed victims of the war crowded in the house, showing that even though they are gone, the memory of them them still haunts Bol and Rial.]]

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* SurvivorsGuilt: Bol and Rial are not only guilty of surviving while Nyagak had died, but because [[spoiler: practically ''all'' of their village was killed, including their other family members and friends. to drive this home, the movie ends with a shot of Nyagak and dozens of other presumed victims of the war crowded in the house, showing that even though they are gone, the memory of them them still haunts Bol and Rial.]]]]
* WarIsHell: Bol and Rial suffer the aftermath of the horrors of war, including the loss of their daughter, and the loss of [[spoiler: both of their entire villages]].
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Presumably an autocorrect error.


* DeathOfAChild: The couple's daughter Nyagak was lost to the war. [[spoiler: It turns out, however, that they are not Nyagak's biological parents and that they abducted her to get a ride out of their waitron village. Still, Rial loved her like a daughter and acted as a replacement mother, so the grief she feels is still quite severe.]]

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* DeathOfAChild: The couple's daughter Nyagak was lost to the war. [[spoiler: It turns out, however, that they are not Nyagak's biological parents and that they abducted her to get a ride out of their waitron war-torn village. Still, Rial loved her like a daughter and acted as a replacement mother, so the grief she feels is still quite severe.]]



* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing. That being said, it's demonstrated that there isn't much to be patriotic about; while England is not waitron, it still seems to treat immigrants like Bol and Rial like second-class citizens, and Rial is mocked while walking down the street.

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* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing. That being said, it's demonstrated that there isn't much to be patriotic about; while England is not waitron, war-torn, it still seems to treat immigrants like Bol and Rial like second-class citizens, and Rial is mocked while walking down the street.

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* {{Curse}}: Rial believes [[spoiler: their terrible luck is revenge from Nyagak for letting her die, and that an ''apeth'', or night witch, is coming to get them.]]


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* {{Curse}}: Rial believes [[spoiler: their terrible luck is revenge from Nyagak for letting her die, and that an ''apeth'', or night witch, is coming to get them.]]

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* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Bol and Rial both survive and they seem to be rekindling their relationship, and despite the state of their new house they are allowed to stay in England. That being said, the movie ends on several shots of [[ISeeDeadPeople their dead family and friends]] filling the house and [[ThousandYardStare staring at them silently;]] this serves as a reminder to them (and the audience) that the battle with their trauma is far from over.]]



* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing.

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* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing. That being said, it's demonstrated that there isn't much to be patriotic about; while England is not waitron, it still seems to treat immigrants like Bol and Rial like second-class citizens, and Rial is mocked while walking down the street.


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* ParentalSubstitute: [[spoiler: Despite Bol and Rial kidnapping her, Nyagak saw Rial as this, although it's likely because she was forced to due to Rial being the closest thing to a parent she had. In contrast, she was somewhat distant with Bol and the curse is mostly out for his blood.]]
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Added DiffLines:

* BaitAndSwitch: As Bol is walking around the neighborhood, he's approached by a chavvy-looking guy who says he's "got something" for Bol. The audience is meant to be wary of the character, but it turns out that [[spoiler:he wants to invite Bol to watch a football match at the pub]].

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----



* DeathOfAChild: The couple's daughter Nyagak was lost to the war. [[spoiler: It turns out, however, that they are not Nyagak's biological parents and that they picked her up while she was alone to get a ride out of their waitron village. Still, Rial loved her like a daughter and acted as a replacement mother, so the grief she feels is still quite severe.]]

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* DeathOfAChild: The couple's daughter Nyagak was lost to the war. [[spoiler: It turns out, however, that they are not Nyagak's biological parents and that they picked abducted her up while she was alone to get a ride out of their waitron village. Still, Rial loved her like a daughter and acted as a replacement mother, so the grief she feels is still quite severe.]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f2621245_3f61_42c7_9d68_4bcfb8982070.jpeg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
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''His House'' is a 2020 horror thriller written and directed by Remi Weekes, inspired by the story written by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. The film tells the story of a refugee couple, Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), who hail from South Sudan. As the two struggle to adjust to life in England, they deal with a possibly supernatural threat that boils just under their new home.

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''His House'' is a 2020 horror thriller written and directed by Remi Weekes, inspired by the story written by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. The film tells the story of a refugee couple, Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), (Creator/WunmiMosaku), who hail from South Sudan. As the two struggle to adjust to life in England, they deal with a possibly supernatural threat that boils just under their new home.
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* KickTheDog: When presented with two refugees who recently escaped, the English refugee agency they are sent to puts them in a shabby dilapidated house with barely functional electricity and water.
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Added DiffLines:

* DeathOfAChild: The couple's daughter Nyagak was lost to the war. [[spoiler: It turns out, however, that they are not Nyagak's biological parents and that they picked her up while she was alone to get a ride out of their waitron village. Still, Rial loved her like a daughter and acted as a replacement mother, so the grief she feels is still quite severe.]]


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* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The story never concludes whether [[spoiler: the events of the story are due to the ''apeth'' haunting the couple or whether it is because Bol and Rial are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the story is them coming to terms with it. There is evidence for both.]]

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* DomesticAbuse: As Bol and Rial become increasingly unhinged from their trauma and their anxiety from their new home, Bol becomes aggressive towards Rial to the point where he traps her in the house to stop her from leaving him, and she hits him over the head to escape. {{spoiler: Thankfully, by the end, their relationship is as good as it once was.}}
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing.

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* CreepyChild: Nyagak appears to the couple with a creepy mask that looks like her doll, and constantly jumps on Bol to attack him with disturbing speed.
* DomesticAbuse: As Bol and Rial become increasingly unhinged from their trauma and their anxiety from their new home, Bol becomes aggressive towards Rial to the point where he traps her in the house to stop her from leaving him, and she hits him over the head to escape. {{spoiler: [[spoiler: Thankfully, by the end, their relationship is as good as it once was.}}
]]
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing.AllForNothing.
* SurvivorsGuilt: Bol and Rial are not only guilty of surviving while Nyagak had died, but because [[spoiler: practically ''all'' of their village was killed, including their other family members and friends. to drive this home, the movie ends with a shot of Nyagak and dozens of other presumed victims of the war crowded in the house, showing that even though they are gone, the memory of them them still haunts Bol and Rial.]]
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!!''His House'' contains examples of:

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!!''His House'' contains examples of:of:
* AdultFear: Bol and Rial suffer the aftermath of the horrors of war, including the loss of their daughter, and the loss of [[spoiler: both of their entire villages]].
* AnImmigrantsTale: The whole root of the story is based on South Sudanese refugees fleeing to England in hopes of asylum, and struggling to adjust to a new world.
* {{Curse}}: Rial believes [[spoiler: their terrible luck is revenge from Nyagak for letting her die, and that an ''apeth'', or night witch, is coming to get them.]]
* DomesticAbuse: As Bol and Rial become increasingly unhinged from their trauma and their anxiety from their new home, Bol becomes aggressive towards Rial to the point where he traps her in the house to stop her from leaving him, and she hits him over the head to escape. {{spoiler: Thankfully, by the end, their relationship is as good as it once was.}}
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Deconstructed. Bol tries to force himself to be happy about England because he's afraid that everything he and Rial went through, including the loss of Nyagak, was AllForNothing.
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None

Added DiffLines:

''His House'' is a 2020 horror thriller written and directed by Remi Weekes, inspired by the story written by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. The film tells the story of a refugee couple, Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), who hail from South Sudan. As the two struggle to adjust to life in England, they deal with a possibly supernatural threat that boils just under their new home.

!!''His House'' contains examples of:

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