Silent House (Kentis, Lau)

[TGM]

SILENT HOUSE

Directors: Chris Kentis, Laura Lau

imdb

[TGM]

Okay, now here's a good freaking horror flick! This movie is creepy as hell, genuinely scary, and super tense throughout, and it never relies on cheap jump scares like so many horror films do these days. The "single take" also worked quite well I thought, keeping us intimate with the girl throughout and really keeping us on edge. I initially thought that the "single take" might become distracting, but it was generally unnoticeable most of the time, and it allowed for some really interesting shots.

My only minor complaint came with the twist ending, though even then, upon some reflection, I really don't have a problem with that either. It basically changes everything about the movie before it, so I dunno if that'll affect repeat viewings at all, but for this viewing at least, this was a good ass horror film.

[ciaoelor]

I liked the scene where Elizabeth is talking to her old friend outside of the house. Only Elizabeth is in sharp focus, while the girl and everything else beyond Elizabeth is completely out of focus.

Elizabeth deserves every close-up she gets. You could watch the film just to admire the way that a single lantern lights her delicate face in an otherwise dark house. (And her cleavage!)

I can't wait to see Martha Marcy May Marlene now...

[Boner M]

Well, now I wanna see this.

[Rowland]

I've seen the original, which was pretty decent until a ridiculously stupid twist ending that I suspect this emulates.

[ciaoelor]

I've seen the original, which was pretty decent until a ridiculously stupid twist ending that I suspect this emulates.

Indeed it does.

[Rowland]

Indeed it does.

Hmm. Well at least from what I've read so far, it sounds as though this film doesn't carry over the elegance of the original film, which did use the same faux-single-take gimmick, but did so while still featuring some highly accomplished and even artful framing, blocking, and what have you. This film's formal approach is largely being described as more closely resembling the generic shaky-cam, found-footage style.

[Philosophe_rouge]

The ending and unravelling is SO shitty, everything else is SO good.

[Ezee E]

The Strangers, Insidious and House of the Devil essentially have done all these same scares before, and better. Silent House attempts to be a little more cerebral at the end, but only feels cheap and thrown in.

[Ezee E]

Also, is it just me, or could Martha Marcy May Marlene have essentially started right as the credits roll in Silent House?

[Sven]

Knowing the ending, I'm curious about how it goes wrong. The scenario has a lot of potential, but it sounds like it's trapped by its genre.

[Ezee E]

Knowing the ending, I'm curious about how it goes wrong. The scenario has a lot of potential, but it sounds like it's trapped by its genre.

Just feels forced, and the acting from the others is beyond bad. After what may be the most frightening part of the movie (camera flashes as the only bit of light), it just goes eyeroll worthy.

[Rowland]

Virtually every creative deviation this film makes from the Uruguayan original works to its detriment. Olsen is the sole bright spot here, and even her distressingly credible performance begins to crack towards the end. It's a shame that most moviegoers will be familiar with this dull failure and not the similarly flawed but otherwise vastly superior original.