‘House of Ashes’ Review – A Nightmarish Portrait of Grief and Loss of Bodily Autonomy [Panic Fest ’25]

A few years ago, the idea of a woman being prosecuted for having a miscarriage or stillbirth sounded like something out of a dystopian horror movie. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, this scenario has become a horrifying reality. Filmmaker Izzy Lee’s debut horror feature film, House of Ashes, cleverly utilizes the powerful combination of grief, loss of bodily autonomy, and toxic masculinity to tell a story that is contemporary and remarkably effective, led by a powerhouse performance from Fayna Sanchez.

House of Ashes was written by Izzy Lee (My Monster, Meat Friend) and Steve Johanson (Meat Friend) and directed by Lee. Producers include C. Robert Cargill (Sinister, The Black Phone), Jenn Wexler (The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game), and Kyle Edward Ball (Skinamarink), and filmmaker Joe Lynch (Mayhem, Suitable Flesh) even has a cameo.

The film follows a woman named Mia (Fayna Sanchez), who is living in a nightmare she can’t wake up from. Mia and her husband Adam (Mason Conrad) run a successful veterinary practice and are a happy couple expecting their first child. When Adam is found at the clinic, dead with a syringe in his neck, Mia is initially a suspect; until his death is ruled a suicide. The stress of losing Adam causes Mia to miscarry, and because miscarriage has recently become illegal in her state, she is prosecuted and placed under house arrest.