Welcome to “The House”: How Nexus created a disturbing introduction to the Netflix anthology

To open the doors of the studio's original three-part auteur animation for Netflix, Nexus Studios turned to directors Nicolas Ménard and Manshen Lo. The duo devised a hand-drawn monochromatic title sequence to welcome viewers into the tactile stop-motion world of the anthology, which includes three stories directed by Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels, Paloma Baeza and Niki Lindroth von Bahr.

Ménard and Lo created a visual language that contrasts, but also encompasses, the film's three distinct stop-motion worlds, delicately filled with tension. Viewers are engaged on a haunting tour through The House that sets the tone for the dark comedy to follow. Drawing inspiration from 19th-century woodcuts as a starting point for their creative process, the couple made a point of showing only the essentials when creating these shape-shifting environments.

As audiences are carried up a living staircase and sinking checkerboard floor, the tension and anticipation builds, heightened by the score by Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Babel).

In search of a suitable typeface, the two accidentally stumbled upon Fermín Guerrero's “Brick”. The design was inspired by the signage of three major pubs in London's East End. With Art Deco traits and traces of Art Nouveau heritage, it was the perfect companion to the vignette aesthetic of black-on-black screen prints. Working with graphic designer Jolin Masson, the trio captured a balance between animation and typography, reminiscent of ancient picture books.

“What struck us looking at the anthology is that although the house had similar characteristics from chapter to chapter, it didn't seem to have a specific layout. It was changing shape. This lent a rather disturbing quality to the spaces in the films; they struggle to create a mental map of the place. So it seemed like a great foundation for our introductory sequence theme, ”Ménard and Lo noted.

The House premiered January 14 on Netflix and is available to stream worldwide.

Nexus Studios is a global creative studio with offices in London, Los Angeles and Sydney. His long list of projects includes the Oscar-nominated short This Way Up, the identity of the BAFTA-winning title "The Fearless Are Here," the Grammy-nominated film Happier Than Ever (Disney +, Billie Eilish, Robert Rodriguez) and the Emmy-nominated immersive film Back to the Moon. Learn more at nexusstudios.com.