We Used to Live Here

The Victorian house at 3709 Heritage Lane, which the online conspiracy forums refer to as “Old House,” is an archetypal symbol and motif in the story. Ancient, isolated houses with hauntings and questionable histories are a standard trope in horror fiction, but what makes Old House different is the way that it’s always changing, expanding, and making room for new “hosts.” The real estate ad describes the house, located deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, as having “the wisdom of old age” (10). The novel frequently personifies the house, as in this passage: “Somehow, the structure looked vaguely alive, as if it were standing on tiptoes, craning its neck to listen” (186). This directly connects the house to Thomas, who uses it as his home and as the place where he draws new people into his altered reality. People in the area and all over the world take an interest in Old House and its unusual past.

On the tour of the house after Thomas and the family first arrive, he points out several key elements, like the stained glass window and the circle symbol that Alison drew. The differences in these features that Eve first notices indicate that she isn’t in the same world she was before; the house thus thematically represents