3 STARS
I had a bit of a difficult time with one when it came to my rating system. I maybe a little too generous, as far as many of my friends are concerned of course. Silent House is another addition in a long line of a recent genre I like to call terror films. I think we can distinguish between terror and horror films. I put the "found footage" films like the extremely exceptional Paranormal Activity movies and The Blair Witch Project in that category. Where horror movies are meant to scare us with machete waving psychopaths, butcher knife holding mental patients, killer dolls, and monsters who invade our nightmares all the while, large breasted bimbos run about screaming and screwing (Yes, I am a huge horror fan); terror movies inflict exactly that, terror. The main character(s) are inflicted with so much terror that we, as the audience, can feel it in our bones, if done right of course.
Silent House accomplishes quite a bit in a short amount of time and with a very minimal cast. Elizabeth Olsen gives a tour-de-force scream queen performance. She portrays Sarah, a young woman spending a weekend at her family's lake house with her father. The duo are renovating the lakeside mansion, getting ready to sell it. It is out in the middle of nowhere, there is no electricity, and the windows are boarded up which , as we know, are the makings of a not so good time for the family. Sarah and her father are terrorized by unknown intruder(s), and I do emphasize terrorize. The following events are not jumping out of your seat, covering your eyes terror but there were a few times I grabbed hold of the armrest a little harder than I normally would. That is, about as much to expect from someone like me anyway. However, everything is captured in real time which I like and it is all film is shot in one continuous take which is very impressive, I think.
The ominous, creepy factor is there and Olsen does an extremely talented job of carrying this movie. I have to say I was impressed by the twist at the end. As you are watching, any seasoned movie goer knows there is something more sinister at work here. The ending events are much more real life than, say, the astroprojection in Insidious. There maybe more terrifying scenes on film than what you will see in Silent House, but just remember, this movie is a great reminder to beware what goes bump in the night.
Thank you and see you at the next blog.
