DVD Corner

House At The End Of The Street Blu-ray Review

While well acted, “House At The End Of The Street” is nothing you haven’t seen before.

The plot: A divorced, protective mother (Sarah) and her sassy teen daughter Elissa move into a new house next door to a home where a psychotic daughter allegedly murdered her parents. Unfortunately for Sarah and Elissa, they soon learn that the son of the murdered parents (Ryan) actually lives at the house next door. He seems normal enough at first, but is he harboring a nasty secret and, more importantly, is he the only occupant in the house? After all, the daughter was never actually found and could still be alive somewhere…

While not as horrid as some critics have suggested, “House At The End Of The Street” is certainly every bit as generic as the film’s title. A strained relationship that strengthens over a crisis, a seemingly good person that is actually a psycho, trusting the wrong person, a tragic past, plot twists, the creepy house next door- all of these horror clichés are present here. While cliches may not always be a negative thing for horror flicks, it is here thanks to the lifeless direction by Mark Tonderai. If there’s one thing you’d expect from a film like this, it would be scares and thrills. Alas, Tonderai makes this routine horror-thriller an overly stylized, slow paced bore that is entirely scare and thrill free.

The film isn’t a total waste of time, however, as there are two memorable performances here. Current superstar and Academy Award nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence delivers another solid performance here, but you have to wonder why she even bothered to star in this. If she wanted to do a horror film, she could have chosen something more high profile (or at least something original). The real scene-stealer though is actor Max Thieriot who really impresses as Ryan. I won’t go into too much detail to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say, he does a good job of becoming this character.

Note: Viewers have the option of playing the theatrical edition or the unrated edition of the film on the Blu-ray disc.

Video/Audio:

The film, which is presented in 2.35:1 1080p, looks sharp on Blu-ray. The moody lighting looks particularly impressive here.

Aside from music and dialogue, there’s not a ton going on audio wise with this 5.1 DTS-HD track. With that said, however, the track does a fine job covering what audio there is.

Extras:
* DVD copy and digital copy.
* Blu-ray ad and trailers for “House At The End Of The Street,” “Twixt,” “American Horror Story,” and “Red Dawn.”
* “Journey Into Terror: Inside House At The End Of The Street”- A standard featurette with cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, discussions about the script and characters, etc.

January 8, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Horror Film, House At The End Of The Street Blu-ray Review, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence Academy Award Nominee