House At The End Of The Street

Year: 2012
Genre: Horror thriller
Director: Mark Tonderai


Plot: A teenage girl and her mother move into a small town, living not far from a house where the family that stayed there had been murdered. The girl befriends the boy who was the sole survivor of the incident, and soon learns he is harboring a secret about that night.


The gist: Don't let it fool you. House At The End Of The Street might be marketed as a horror film of sorts, but it's actually more like a psychological thriller, and unfortunately a boring one at that.

Jennifer Lawrence is Elissa, who moves into this small town with her mother (Elisabeth Shue) and live near the house where its inhabitants were killed by a family member recently. Elissa befriends Ryan, the boy whose family was killed in that house, despite warnings from her mother and everyone else. Ryan seems like a good guy, but we all know he's hiding something.

The script doesn't give the actors much to do as they go about their business, causing the story to develop way too slowly. It'd be nice to have a few scares here and there, but the pedestrian plot doesn't allow that to happen. In the end, it turns out to be like a teenage TV show episode with a couple of twists.


The good: Lawrence at least tries hard to make her character stand out. Her acting is probably the best thing about this film. And I must admit, some of the twists were good, though not mind blowing.

The bad: Max Theriot turns in a dull performance here, looking as bored as the film itself. The near total lack of suspense didn't help at all either.


Verdict: It's not horrible, but much too dull to sit through. You're better off watching Jennifer Lawrence somewhere else. (2.5/5)