By Melissa Garza
Both my husband and brother were uninterested in watching this film. I showed them the trailer and neither of them thought it was worth renting. So, here I am, alone in my apartment watching the movie by myself. The hubby is out buying groceries so it’s just me and my bunny Arino who is hopping around the living room happily oblivious to the film on TV.
I love horror movies. Watching them alone can be a little unnerving. The worst was when I decided to watch The Strangers (2008) alone. My husband wasn’t living with me then. I figured since I had seen the movie before it wouldn’t terrify me. I was wrong. I had nightmare after nightmare then.
House at the End of the Street didn’t look as scary as The Strangers so I decided, ‘what the hell.’ Thankfully, I was right and this is much more of a suspense film than a straight-up horror movie.
It begins with Sarah (Elizabeth Shue) and her daughter Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) moving to a new town and into a beautiful home. The only reason they can afford to rent the new place is because a double murder occurred next door. They are told a young girl, Carrie Anne (Eva Link) murdered her parents.
Both Sarah and Elissa seem unaffected by the history of the abandoned home. They lived in a rough neighborhood previously where people were shot on a regular basis. The new neighbors seem more upset that the values of the home dropped than the tragedy that occurred. They rallied to get the surviving son Ryan (Max Thieriot)to move out of the home so they could tear it down, but he refused. His intentions instead were to fix it up and to sell it. This caused him to be ostracized by the neighbors and for the most part he remains a loner.
Meanwhile, Tyler (Noland Gerard Funk) a jerk from school develops a crush on Elissa. He invites her to a party and despite an initial reservation, she goes. When they are alone in a bedroom, he becomes too rough and tries to convince her to sleep with him even after she says ‘no.’ He doesn’t go as far as to rape her and he does let her go, but she is far from home. She begins walking the 10 mile hike when it starts to rain.
Ryan sees her and offers her a ride. At first she refuses, but as the rain pours down she decides to jump in. The two quickly develop a friendship which of course leads to more. Sarah is opposed to the union believing that Elissa is trying to save Ryan and that he is dangerous. Despite her hesitations, Sarah invites Ryan over for dinner to get to know him. She does set an ultimatum that they are not allowed alone together prompting Ryan to once again feel ostracized and he leaves.
The next day, Elissa seeks out Ryan who tries to abide by Sarah’s decision. Elissa pushes him until he agrees to break the rules and they go back to his place and begin to make out.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Carrie Anne lives with Ryan. He cares for and protects her. Soon, Ryan can’t keep Carrie Anne or the secrets concerning his parents’ demise safe anymore.
This is a very interesting film. The pace is excellent. The questions that the movie poses throughout are interesting and the answers are not ones that are likely to be guessed.
The acting is great. Elizabeth Shue always does a fantastic job. Though, I’m sure she is most known for Adventures in Babysitting (1987), but more than that she is an accomplished actress who always adds presence to any role she is in.
I really thought Jennifer Lawrence did a remarkable job as well. She really portrayed the average rebellious teenager well. When things became dark and dismal, she expressed fear and anger in a way that brings the viewers into the movie.
Lastly, Max Thieriot also did fantastic. He makes Ryan a very sympathetic character. One cannot help but root for him and Elissa to find a way to be together.
The conclusion is surprising and well crafted. There are unexpected twists and turns. This is definitely one not to miss.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10
Thank you for reviewing ‘House at the End of the Street’, Melissa. I have heard a lot of buzz about this movie, but I didn’t actually get the chance to see it until last week. My shift at DISH was over for the afternoon, so I went online too see if there were any good movies available On Demand. I saw that this movie was available, and I ordered it to download to my DISH Hopper DVR so that it would be ready to watch the moment I got home. I agree that this was a great film; slow burning films like this down always work well, but this one was so good that I made my girlfriend come over so that I could watch it with her that night.