The Humans is a well-crafted drama focused on the scary business of living

The Humans

Cast: Richard Jenkins, Beanie Feldstein,

Amy Schumer Director: Stephen Karam

Duration: 1 h 46 m Available: In Vancouver, Toronto and additional cities,

and on demand.

The Humans is either the scariest drama I’ve ever seen, or the least terrifying horror movie of the year. It seems to be asking the question: What if a haunted house was only a little bit haunted?

The story, adapted by writer/director Stephen Karam from his own play, takes place entirely within a small, unfurnished, decrepit New York apartment. Brigid and Richard (Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun) are in the process of moving in, and have invited the rest of her family over for a Thanksgiving/housewarming party.

The family includes her sister Aimee (Amy Schumer), parents Erik and Deirdre (Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell) and grandma Momo (June Squibb).

We’ll spend most of the movie figuring out the family dynamics and backstories, with the biggest revelations waiting to be sprung in the third act.

But some things are clear from the start. Aimee is a lawyer who recently broke up with her girlfriend, and has intestinal problems. Erik has a recurring nightmare he can’t bring himself to talk about. Richard has a weird dream he won’t shut up about. And Momo has Alzheimer’s.

Then there’s the apartment. Ancient (by New York standards) and having seen decades of better days, it’s a real fixer-upper, all peeling paint, sticky doors, cracked porcelain and windows no amount of cleaning is going to make transparent.

I can imagine the realtor concluding the transaction with a shrug: “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

But is it haunted? There are occasional loud crashes from upstairs and a ghostly figure glimpsed through frosted glass, explained by Brigid as an elderly neighbour and the super’s wife, respectively. Coats fall off hooks. Light bulbs spark and burn out. And there’s no cell reception, unless you’ve got Verizon or are prepared to flatten yourself against a window. If it’s poltergeists, they’re very particular.

The drama portion of the proceedings is pretty basic stuff, though nonetheless watchable for it. We see Richard carefully feeling his way through the evening in a manner that will be familiar to anyone who remembers their first holiday dinner with the in-laws. Someone is a little too hard on their mother. Someone feels the need to proselytize about religion. Someone has too much to drink.

It’s well-crafted drama, with fine performances from the cast, who have four Oscar nominations among them. Jenkins is particularly good, hinting at financial problems back home in Scranton, and at one point asking his daughter’s boyfriend: “Don’t you think it should cost less to be alive?”

But in fact everyone in the family seems to be living a slightly tarnished version of the American dream. It’s Thanksgiving, and yes, they’re thankful, but we sense that each of them expected a little more out of life. Alas, you can’t call an exorcist if the only thing haunting you is your past. ★★★★