Our Happy Place Review: Atmospheric Winter Horror

Part haunted house story, part psychological thriller, part murder mystery, Our Happy Place by Paul Bickel is a haunting, if overlong, look at isolation.

Raya (Raya Miles) is the lone caretaker for her husband, Paul (Paul Bickel, who is also the writer, producer, and director of photography for the film). Due to the ravages of Covid, they have chosen to isolate in their cabin in the woods, cutting themselves off from friends while Paul recuperates. But each morning, as dawn breaks, Raya finds herself waking up outside, miles away from her home. At first, she is lying on the ground, but as time passes, she discovers that she is wakening in an increasingly deep grave.

Accompanying her nighttime walks in the woods are nightmares of women being tortured, eventually with dreams of being tortured herself, with the perpetrator being her bedridden husband. As the film unfolds, Raya’s friend Amy (Tracie Thoms, Station 19) becomes increasingly concerned as Raya explains what she is experiencing. And it is in their conversations that we understand that there are time jumps happening that cannot be explained. 

Our Happy Place creates a steady fear that develops over the course of the film, with just enough obfuscation to keep the climax a surprise but with enough breadcrumbs to keep the viewer engaged.

Filmed at the height of Covid lockdowns, this movie relies heavily on the performances of the two leads to make it work, and they deliver, particularly Miles, on whom the bulk of the tone lies. She provides the audience with a genuinely impressive debut performance, allowing us to get inside her fear with her. This is juxtaposed impressively with the flashbacks of her during happier times, allowing us to understand where she is now from where she started.

Bickel also manages to convey menace while being tied to a bed and under an oxygen mask for the majority of the film. His performance keeps us guessing through the entire run of the movie.

The biggest downfall of Our Happy Place is its repetitive nature. The awakening in the woods and trudge back to the house can become a bit tedious as the film moves on, with not quite enough variance in it to make each instance stand out. There are changes that happen over time, but both the nightmares and locations are similar enough throughout that it can bring down the pacing, particularly in the second act. While the movie is only 90 minutes, there are times when it feels longer.

For an incredibly sparse cast and a limited set, the film still manages to create an impressive atmosphere. The use of shadow and quick movement just behind the scenes provides an underlying terror throughout. There is an axe present throughout the movie that is a simple prop but is incredibly effective at conveying the danger present, even if we, as audience members, aren’t certain where that threat is coming from. And the limited cast adds to the frightening ambiance. 

The story also does a decent job of keeping the audience unsure of what is going on. There are numerous time skips that add to the tension, and the ending creates additional questions, not just about Raya and Paul, but about the house itself. While that will work for some, for others, it may make the film feel a bit muddled.

Isolation does strange things to people’s minds. Add to that the stress of caring for someone during a global pandemic, and it is the perfect recipe for an effective horror movie. While Our Happy Place doesn’t navigate the telling perfectly, it certainly has enough going for it to provide some chills, no matter what the weather is outside.

Our Happy Place had its World Premiere at Dances with Films on December 7, 2024.