Monday, October 1, 2012

Silent House (2012)



Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) is trapped inside her family’s secluded lakeside house in the country. Her father is left unconscious after a brutal attack, and Sarah must find help quickly, because someone doesn’t want her to escape.

Why are the intruders stalking Sarah and her family? Why do they want to cause her harm? What are they after? This was the big mystery throughout the film. Silent House tried to deliver a shocking surprise at the very end, but the big twist really didn’t do anything for me. The big surprise wasn’t awful, but the “it’s all in her head ” twist did feel a bit underwhelming. I was expecting a jaw-dropping shocker at the end. Chris Kentis (the director for this film) did such a wonderful job of building the suspense, and I did have big expectations for the grand finale, but Silent House just left me with that “Really? That’s it?” feeling.

The big twist was a let down for me, but Elizabeth Olsen was just fantastic here. The rest of the acting in Silent House is pretty mediocre, but Olsen really did carry this film on her back. Her character receives the bulk of the focus and screen time, and Olsen is the driving force behind Silent House. I NEED to find a copy of Martha Marcy May Marlene, because seeing more of Elizabeth Olsen has become a priority for me.

You’ll see some blood in Silent House, but this film really doesn’t feature any graphic scenes of gore. I actually enjoyed this approach, because Silent House is filled with some excellent tension, and the jump scares were just great. Silent House is a thought provoking horror film, that will keep you guessing until the very end, and Elizabeth Olsen’s superb performance is very enjoyable.

Silent House has received some harsh treatment from critics and moviegoers. The mass majority continues to bash this film, and the bulk of the hate is directed towards the big twist at the very end. As I said before, the big twist did disappoint me a little bit, but the grand finale didn’t ruin this film for me, and Silent House has made my list of favorites for 2012.

Final Rating: 7/10

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