‘Fear thy neighbor’
House at the End of the Street is a 2012 American horror thriller film directed by Mark Tonderai from a screenplay written by David Loucka, based on a story by Jonathan Mostow. The movie stars Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue and Max Thieriot.
Plot:
Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah and her daughter Elissa find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret.
Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds and disappeared—leaving only a brother, Ryan, as the sole survivor. Against Sarah’s wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan. As she gets closer to him, she discovers his secret…
Reviews:
“It had some nifty visuals (often tarnished by overbearing editing tricks) and was well acted (alas the often shitty dialogue made the performers look bad). With a lumbering pace, a see-through mystery, too many boo scares and so much puppy love you’ll want to choke the puppy…” Arrow in the Head
“Unless you want to see Jennifer Lawrence saunter back and forth in a tank top for ninety minutes sweating, and running around, House at the End of the Street isn’t worth sitting through for the surprise ending. It’s a derivative, hokey, and badly delivered twist that will leave anticipating viewers shrugging and moving on with their lives.” Cinema Crazed
“This is banal, lazy filmmaking that cannot even be bothered to be cheerfully cheap and cheesy, which is, for some horror fans, more than enough. It is, however, still stuck in the same-old put-the-pretty-girl-in-jeopardy rut, which means that Jennifer Lawrence is trapped in something that is constitutionally unable to allow her to be the strong, competent young woman she arrived as. It’s just not within the genetic makeup of a story like this.” Flick Filosopher
“Lawrence does her best to shine as a scream queen despite the dull and derivative script by David Loucka, whose previous convictions include the disastrous Dream House. Director Mark Tonderai relies on stock shocks and increasingly convoluted twists in lieu of suspense. Don’t be tempted to put in an offer; this house is built on flimsy foundations.” The Guardian
“As is obligatory with this sort of unoriginal trash, we get an unimaginative finale involving a chase around a house. This sequence felt like it lasted thirty minutes and could have only been more cliched if the heroine had finished off the killer with a nail gun. Don’t let the marketing fool you, this is one property best left vacant.” The Movie Waffler
” …a film that borrows so liberally (and strangely) from other movies that it could have been kind of fascinating to watch, but due to confused direction and a mishmash of acting, it’s ultimately kind of bland and forgettable. Unless you really believe getting to see Jennifer Lawrence in a tanktop for the majority of a film is worth the price of admission, this one’s a rental at best.” Screen Rant
” …marginally weirder and more enticing than one may have been led to believe by its marketing push, it also somehow retains the vilest elements of its perceived ilk, bullying us into being scared instead of actually embracing the violence, bloodshed, and all-consuming perversity it constantly, blandly implies and insinuates.” Slant magazine
“Tonderai treats Lawrence with the same cinematic sexual dominance that countless actresses have been subjected to in the horror genre, suggesting that all the film’s brutality is meant to inspire a certain amount of perverse pleasure. It has nothing else to offer, after all, so what other explanation could there be? […] House at the End of the Street is a nasty and unwelcome experience…” We Got This Covered
Cast and characters:
- Jennifer Lawrence … Elissa
- Max Thieriot … Ryan
- Elisabeth Shue … Sarah
- Gil Bellows … Weaver
- Eva Link … Carrie Anne
- Nolan Gerard Funk … Tyler
- Allie MacDonald … Jillian
- Jordan Hayes … Penn State Carrie Anne
- Krista Bridges … Mary Jacobson
- James Thomas … Ben Reynolds
- Hailee Sisera … Caitlin
- Craig Eldridge … Dan Gifford
- Jonathan Higgins … Doctor Kohler
- Olivier Surprenant … Jake (as Oliver Soul)
- Lori Alter … Jenny Gifford
Technical details:
- 101 minutes
- Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
- Audio: Dolby Digital | SDDS | Datasat
Box office:
The movie took $40,494,035 worldwide on a reported budget of $6,900,000.
