A Última Casa da Rua

In case you close your eyes every time Hollywood is mentioned, you might not know that Jennifer Lawrence was in The (hugely profitable) Hunger Games. She's currently Tinseltown's darling and, judging by this film, can sell anything.

The House at the End of the Street is about a teenage girl and her mother, who move into a house next to one where some murders were committed a while back. The teenage boy who witnessed said killings still lives there. Let the creepiness commence.

There is nothing 'supernatural' about this film, it's a sort of horror/thriller with teenage leads. And that's the most important part. Whereas Twilight was a vampire story for teens and The Hunger Games was a Battle Royale/Running Man for teens. The House at the End of the Street is a horror/thriller for teens. I'm sure plenty of 15+ people will enjoy it too, but I'm going to stick my neck out and guess that its primary fanbase will be around the 15 years of age mark.

I've seen a lot of these times of horror/thrillers. Perhaps that's my problem. I know every scare and twist going (and can therefore predict them a mile off). However, if I hadn't watched many of these sorts of films, I'm sure I would enjoy it much, much more. Basically, to seasoned and cynical cinema-goers such as myself, this film offers nothing new. It conforms to every cliché going, yet it was pretty damn successful, proving that Jennifer Lawrence is one hell of a box office draw. Fair play to it for finding an audience - I just don't think many people will get much out of this is (a) they have seen plenty of these type of films before and (b) if they're not in the 'Twilight generation.' Oh, and don't get me started on the actual NAME of the film. Even fans of the film must admit that whatever Hollywood writer picked it was having a really slack and lazy day. Seriously...

I was a little bit skeptical about watching this movie and I came very close to not watching it. But, because I had a spare couple of hours with nothing better to do, I decided to give it a whirl.

A lot of modern-day horror movies are made on a budget. The typical tell-tale signs which give them away is the use of poorly lit sets, very few filming locations and a very small cast of young and unknown actors. They like to follow the path of "The Blair Witch Project" and rely on heavy breathing to create the suspense. A pretty young lady starts to breathe heavily in the dark, something jumps out and gets her, right? Nowadays, this has become the norm and this is what we come to expect.

Well, I'm pleased to say that "House at the End of the Street" is different and unique in its own right. Why? Because its actually got a storyline and it keeps you thinking! Just when you think you've figured it all out there's another clever twist that comes along and makes you think "Gee, why didn't I think of that". This is a movie which is always one step ahead of you! Also, the actors in this movie actually act. Don't get me wrong, it's not on the same page as an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but it is, nonetheless, very refreshing.

"House at the End of the Street" turned out to be a little gem. I'm glad that I rented it.

This movie was a pleasant surprise to me because I thought it was going to be more of a "horror" movie...I wouldn't call it that, I'd call it a terrific suspense thriller with good twists here and there. I liked the casting and the storyline. The actors did a good job, esp. the young college student male lead. This is a story that could have actually happened, imo. The music was a big part of the movie, too. Good soundtrack that, while I was aware of it, it did not take away from the scenes but built up my anxiety! It was like another character. Definitely worth seeing for all the right reasons. Very entertaining and kept my attention throughout. All this without "blood & guts" galore - made me think of the old Alfred Hitchcock-type thrillers that depended more on the viewer's anticipation and imagination. Lastly, I thought I had the plot figured out, but I was surprised at how wrong I was. Smiled on my way out of the theater.

If you've never seen a movie before then this is probably tolerable. Its always nice to see Elisabeth Shue. Jennifer Lawrence is definitely a leading lady of the future but this does no-one associated with it any favours.

Its just too clichéd, too predictable to be of any entertainment value.

In fairness I didn't totally hate it, but it wasn't involving. Its not a movie that you'll ever watch again or buy the DVD/ BR.

This is no fault of the cast but the script which means that you'll know how the movie ends before it is even half over.

Unless you're a rabid Lawrence fan then I wouldn't bother with this until there is a Netflix or DVD release.

People don't seem to like this one much, but I found it totally decent. It's probably better than it should be simply for the presence of Jennifer Lawrence - who is just smoking hot. Okay, she's a good actress, too, and gives a good performance. She won an Oscar last year for Silver Linings Playbook (much deserved, in my book). Her tank top from this film should have been nominated for an award. Okay, enough about how hot Lawrence is (very, is the answer). The story here is decent, if nothing special. Lawrence, moving into a new home, falls for the damaged teen down the street, Max Thieriot (also pretty good). His horrifying past (his parents were murdered by his insane sister) is well known to the small town they live in. He harbors a few other secrets, as well. This mostly wins for me because Lawrence comes off as a fairly smart horror heroine. The climactic sequence is really well done (shades of the climax of Wait Until Dark - would have been nice to see this in the theater, as I came really close to doing last year). Elisabeth Shue also co-stars as Lawrence's mom. She's still good looking and is a fine actress. I'd love to see her in a really good role at this point in her career.