Made back in the summer of 2010, before star Jennifer Lawrence achieved widespread acclaim for Winter's Bone or The Hunger Games, this banal, low-budget horror thriller finds the actress playing a feisty high school girl in jeopardy. Seeking a fresh start, divorced hospital worker Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) and her 17-year-old daughter Elissa (Lawrence) rent a beautiful house in a small, upscale rural town. Mom can only afford such luxurious accommodations because a double murder took place next door several years earlier: young Carrie Anne killed her parents and mysteriously disappeared into the woods, where she presumably drowned, although her body was never found. But Carrie Anne's older teen brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), still lives in the house as a virtual recluse, shunned by neighbors who repeat rumors that Carrie Anne is still alive, roaming around at night. Against her mother's wishes, Elissa befriends Ryan, voicing her curiosity about the tragedy that changed his life with the blunt inquiry, “Why do you still live in the house your parents got killed in?” Directed by Mark Tonderai, House at the End of the Street is mostly a teen melodrama that shifts into an implausible horror tale only during the final act. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include both the theatrical and unrated versions of the film, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Journey Into Terror” making-of featurette (10 min.), as well as bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: an unremarkable extras package for a lame film.] (S. Granger)
House at the End of the Street
Fox, 101 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, Jan. 8 Volume 28, Issue 1
House at the End of the Street
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