The House That Jack Built is a psychological horror art film directed by Lars von Trier, and was released on 14 May 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars a large ensemble cast, including notable actors Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, and Riley Keough.
The movie revolves around the main character and serial killer, Jack, who recounts five of his murders to the Roman poet, Virgil, known as Verge, as they pass through the nine circles of Hell. Throughout the movie we get a sense of the true psychotic nature of Jack’s character and the completely unmotivated and rash murders he makes. The movie uses the play, Dante's Inferno, as a metatext, as it recounts Jack’s murders through a series of flashbacks.
The movie was extremely well received and was considered to be 2018's "most extreme and controversial" horror film. Owen Gleiberman from Variety said, “It's designed to get under your skin, and does." Moreover, it was nominated for numerous accolades, including the prestigious Art Cinema Award and Hamburg Producers Award at the 26th Hamburg Film Festival. However, it underperformed at the box office and earnt a meagre $5.6 million.
