Connect with us
House At The End Of The Street Review: Should you stay away?

31 Days of Halloween

House At The End Of The Street Review: Should you stay away?

How well do you know your neighbors?

Welcome to another installment of 31 Days of Halloween! This is our chance to set the mood for the spookiest and scariest month of the year as we focus our attention on horror and Halloween fun. For the month of October we’ll be sharing various pieces of underappreciated scary books, comics, movies, and television to help keep you terrified and entertained all the way up to Halloween.


[amazon_link asins=’B00AQ4SU7K’ template=’AiPTProductAd’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’3eab602b-c844-11e8-819f-176afb3669d8′]

Do you know your neighbors? Do you merely give them a passing wave on your way to work, or are you on a first name basis with them? Perhaps you even invite them over for a barbecue every now and then. Have you ever wondered if there was more to them than meets the eye? Maybe they’re hiding something.

This rings true for House At The End Of The Street‘s Elissa Cassidy (Jennifer Lawrence). Elissa and her mother Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) move into a new home and begin hearing rumors about a double-murder that took place in the house next door. On her way home from a party one night, Elissa meets her new neighbor Ryan Jacobson (Max Thieriot). He’s a college boy heartthrob and the sole survivor of the murders that took place in his home four years prior. Despite several warnings from the townspeople, she befriends her neighbor, who seems much nicer than everyone gives him credit for.

The film ends with a Shyamalan-esque twist that was well set up, with subtle hints given throughout the movie. Despite the clues, the ending remains unexpected and is absolutely shocking to its audience. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t measure up to its finale.

This 2012 mystery/horror flick was written by David Loucka and Jonathan Mostow, and tragically, the writing is what hurt the film the most. House At The End Of The Street is filled with embarrassing horror clichés. For example, we have a policeman (Gil Bellows) whose flashlight is coincidentally broken, the dumb blonde girl who falls while being chased and leaves behind something she could’ve used as a weapon, and a killer who seems invincible in Billy Loomis (Scream) fashion.House At The End Of The Street Review: Should you stay away?Some of the dialogue also sounded strange. One line in particular happens while Elissa meets Ryan for the first time. He sees her on the side of the road and offers her a ride home, which she accepts after some resistance. One of the first things she says to him is, “Your parents got killed.” This is so out-of-the-blue and it doesn’t feel organic at all during the conversation that they are having.

Another downside to this movie was the choice to cast Jennifer Lawrence as the lead protagonist. Although she is a wonderful actress, this role wasn’t for her and she didn’t fit the character well. She was very hit or miss with her line delivery, which is very distracting when trying to watch a story unfold.

The rest of the cast did a fine job, with Max Thieriot leading the pack as a mysterious recluse. He nailed every line, even the ones that sounded weird and didn’t quite fit the scenario or his character’s personality. He did the best with what he had, and what he had was a cliché-ridden horror movie with a less-than-flawless script.House At The End Of The Street Review: Should you stay away?Despite these setbacks, I found that the pacing of the film was great. I never got bored watching it, and I really loved the many chase scenes. The first two especially were the most intense moments in House At The End Of The Street. They were both frightening and nerve-wracking, and Mark Tonderai’s directing covered them spectacularly.

Overall, I personally love this movie, but I’m not unaware of its issues, mainly being its dialogue and casting choices. It’s an exciting film that leads up to a gasp-worthy finale, which makes it a perfect watch for the upcoming Halloween season.

House At The End Of The Street Review: Should you stay away?
House At The End Of The Street Review: Should you stay away?
Is it good?
This movie is a fun and nail-biting watch, but it is far from perfect.
Unexpected twist ending
Nice pacing
Fine acting from most of the cast
Multiple thrilling chase scenes
Jennifer Lawrence miscast as lead
Strange and unfitting dialogue at times
Has its fair share of horror cliches
6
Average
Buy Now

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt' Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt'

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in ‘Blood Hunt’

Comic Books

X-Men Monday #241 - Steve Foxe Talks 'X-Men '97,' 'Dead X-Men,' and 'X-Men: Blood Hunt - Psylocke' X-Men Monday #241 - Steve Foxe Talks 'X-Men '97,' 'Dead X-Men,' and 'X-Men: Blood Hunt - Psylocke'

X-Men Monday #241 – Steve Foxe Talks ‘X-Men ’97,’ ‘Dead X-Men,’ and ‘X-Men: Blood Hunt – Psylocke’

Comic Books

Films to check out at SXSW Films to check out at SXSW

Films to check out at SXSW

Movies

'My Adventures with Superman' gets new comics series starting June 2024 'My Adventures with Superman' gets new comics series starting June 2024

‘My Adventures with Superman’ gets new comics series starting June 2024

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup