'The House' Chapter I Ending Explained: Inside Mabel and Isobel's escape from the house

Van Schoonbeek's intention to help Mabel's family is far more sinister than it seems
UPDATED JAN 14, 2022
Mia Goth as Mabel, Matthew Goode as Raymond, Eleanor De Swaef-Roels as Isobel, and Claudie Blakley as Penny in 'The House' (Netflix)
Mia Goth as Mabel, Matthew Goode as Raymond, Eleanor De Swaef-Roels as Isobel, and Claudie Blakley as Penny in 'The House' (Netflix)

Divided into three acts, 'The House' certainly leaves you perplexed. As per the logline of the anthology -- 'Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this dark animated comedy'. Act I or the first part focuses on the house's origins, which is a constant fixture in the anthology, tying all three stories together.

Looking for more animated series on Netflix? You might want to check out 'Love, Death + Robots', 'Eden', 'Yasuke' and 'Scissor Seven'.

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Act I 'And heard within. A lie is spun' tells the tale of the origin of the house. Mabel and her family come from humble means, and even though they don't have much, the family seems to be content. However, the visit of Raymond, Mabel's father's relatives, caused upheaval in their otherwise normal lives.

Due to his relatives' berating, Raymond feels the pressure of having failed his family. He stumbles about, drunk in the woods, where he makes a deal with certain Mr Van Schoonbeck, who offers to build his family an entirely new home. However, the terms and conditions are that they have to give up thier old house, including their possessions. Raymond agrees and soon moves into the new home with his wife Penny, Mabel and Isobel. While thier obsession slowly consumes Penny and Raymond with the house, Mabel notices some bizarre occurrences, like the zombie-like construction workers and never-ending mazes.

Barney Pilling as Van Schoonbeek, Mark Heap as Mr. Thomas in 'The House' (Courtesy of Netflix © 2021)

Mr Van Schoonbeck even gives her parents new clothes to match the house and when mabel notes that it is ugly, they reprimand her for the same. Mabel quickly realizes that it is just her and Isobel. One night, they both get deeply lost in the maze of the house and make startling discoveries, such as the fact that Mr Van Schoonbeck's aid, Thomas, is actually a paid actor and that her father has been slowly burning their old possessions.

By the time she can alert her parents that something is severely wrong with their new home, they are already consumed by it, turning into literal furniture. The house then goes up in flames, with Mabel and Isobel barely managing to escape. While both the children make it out alive, their parents aren't so fortunate. Meanwhile, the house still stands, unwavering, waiting for its next victims.

'The House' premieres on January 14, 2022, on Netflix.

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