Silent House, directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, the pair behind the thrilling film Open Water, is a remake of the 2010 Uruguayan film La Casa Muda. The story centers on a young woman, her father and her uncle working together cleaning out and repairing an old lakeside family cabin; in the process ending up stalked, while "trapped" inside.
Elizabeth Olsen, having received high praise for her performance in Martha Marcy May Marlene, gives a solid performance as the young Sarah. If her first two feature films are a sign of things to come, then Ashley and Mary-Kate's younger sister is well on her way to establishing herself as an extremely talented actress on her way to a very successful film career. Sadly, the same can't be said for Adam Trese, who plays Sarah's father John, and Eric Sheffer Stevens, who plays John's brother and Sarah's creepy uncle, Peter. Neither of the two men is capable of holding their own when sharing screen time with Elizabeth; whether it's in delivering the dialogue or just acting out a scene.
The most impressive thing about Silent House is that the movie appears to have been filmed in one continuous take; running the entire 88 minute length of the film. The problem with shooting the film in this fashion is that not every scene works. In one sequence, we follow Sarah as she runs throughout the house trying to hide, and then escape. The scene is well done, and is at times reasonably suspenseful. In other scenes, however, the camera does more harm than good; such as poorly focused shots on the appearances of ghostly figures and the jostling of the camera as we run along with Sarah as she attempts to get away from the house.
As someone who sees many movies, there's nothing that bothers me more than when a director, writer, producer and/or studio thinks the audience is easy to get over on. The biggest issue with Silent House is that it was marketed incorrectly. The movie is not a horror film; it is a psychological thriller. If the film had been marketed as such, and wasn't done in the single shot format, I think the potential was there for a decent movie. If the film had been made as a horror movie and followed through on that, I think it could have been better. As it is, Silent House is a major disappointment that never meets its potential on any level.
Grade: C-
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Elizabeth Olsen, having received high praise for her performance in Martha Marcy May Marlene, gives a solid performance as the young Sarah. If her first two feature films are a sign of things to come, then Ashley and Mary-Kate's younger sister is well on her way to establishing herself as an extremely talented actress on her way to a very successful film career. Sadly, the same can't be said for Adam Trese, who plays Sarah's father John, and Eric Sheffer Stevens, who plays John's brother and Sarah's creepy uncle, Peter. Neither of the two men is capable of holding their own when sharing screen time with Elizabeth; whether it's in delivering the dialogue or just acting out a scene.
The most impressive thing about Silent House is that the movie appears to have been filmed in one continuous take; running the entire 88 minute length of the film. The problem with shooting the film in this fashion is that not every scene works. In one sequence, we follow Sarah as she runs throughout the house trying to hide, and then escape. The scene is well done, and is at times reasonably suspenseful. In other scenes, however, the camera does more harm than good; such as poorly focused shots on the appearances of ghostly figures and the jostling of the camera as we run along with Sarah as she attempts to get away from the house.
As someone who sees many movies, there's nothing that bothers me more than when a director, writer, producer and/or studio thinks the audience is easy to get over on. The biggest issue with Silent House is that it was marketed incorrectly. The movie is not a horror film; it is a psychological thriller. If the film had been marketed as such, and wasn't done in the single shot format, I think the potential was there for a decent movie. If the film had been made as a horror movie and followed through on that, I think it could have been better. As it is, Silent House is a major disappointment that never meets its potential on any level.
Grade: C-
visit our site at www.twodudereview.com