The House That Jack Built is a dark, psychological horror film, following the life of prolific serial killer, Jack. The film follows him over twelve years, through a series of flashbacks detailing his gruesome crimes, giving chilling insight into the mind of a serial killer, showing how he disturbingly tries to justify his crimes and feels no remorse.
In his own warped interpretation of his crimes, Jack believes that the murders are in fact forms of artwork. He sees himself as a Dante-like figure, speaking to Virgil as he journeys through the circles of hell. However, as viewers, we see that there are no moral justifications for Jack's crimes and he is in fact deluded.
Jack is shown to be manipulative, cruel, and barbaric in his flashbacks. During his crime-spree he frequently killed people who were innocent and trusting, revealing his complete lack of human decency. For example, a couple of his victims were actually in a relationship with him and had no idea about his murderous inclinations. As such, the true horror of this film is the fact that it reveals the dark and unfathomable capabilities of the human mind.
