‘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.

Mia has reconnected with her high school boyfriend, Marc (Vincent Stalba), who recently moved back to town, and Marc is in the process of moving into Mia’s house. Despite not being alone while on house arrest, Mia’s mood is somber—she is struggling with grief over losing Adam and the harsh reality of being prosecuted for having a miscarriage. She begins to hear voices whispering her name and sees shadowy figures in her bedroom. She wonders if she’s losing her mind because she’s so isolated or if she is being haunted by a ghost. Mia becomes increasingly concerned when she starts to notice a change in Marc’s demeanor. He becomes more controlling; insists that Mia throw away everything that belonged to Adam in a jealous rage; and even drugs her after she rejects his idea that they eat gummies together to help her relax, despite knowing that she isn’t allowed to have alcohol or drugs of any kind as part of her house arrest.

Not knowing she is supposed to charge her ankle bracelet, it turns off, causing her probation officer (Lee Boxleitner) to show up at her house. In an aggressive exchange, he calls Mia a murderer for having a miscarriage and a snowflake. To make matters worse, Lexi ShokToks (Laura Dromerick) begins stalking Mia in an attempt to get a reaction from her so she can use the video to go viral on TikTok. With Marc’s behavior becoming more and more unhinged, Mia begins to worry about her safety and her sanity.

Fayna Sanchez gives an outstanding, impressively poignant performance as Mia, who represents all women fighting for bodily autonomy in a male-dominated world. Vincent Stalba is convincingly deranged as Marc, a man who thinks he has the right to control every aspect of Mia’s life, including whether or not she gets to grieve her husband.

Expert storytelling and skillful direction by Lee makes House of Ashes a scathing, nightmarishly relevant commentary on the way society views women and the control that men try to maintain over them. Ultimately, the film is a haunting, thought-provoking examination of what it’s like to be a woman in America and a thrilling feature film debut. Izzy Lee’s films should be on everyone’s watchlist.

House of Ashes premiered at Panic Fest 2025, which offered a hybrid festival experience again this year.

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