Eric Sheffer Stevens, Elizabeth Olsen and Adam Trese investigate creepy happenings in Olsen's family vacation home in "Silent House." (Photo special to The Voyager)
When I first saw the preview for "Silent House," I thought, "Great, another horror film about a haunted house. Just what we need." But I have to say that as the movie progressed, it did not disappoint.
"Silent House" is directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, who also directed "Open Water," a similar film. Like "Open Water," "Silent House" has only a small cast of six people, which is really all the movie needed to make it effective.
The movie is based off a Uruguayan film called "La Casa Muda" and opened with the main character Sarah, who is played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's younger sister, Elizabeth Olsen, helping her dad and uncle rebuild their old family vacation house so that they can sell it. However, the mold in the kitchen doesn't seem to be the only unwanted nuisance in the house. The house, which lacks electricity and has all the windows boarded up, becomes a living nightmare for Sarah.
Olsen's character begins her 85 minutes of pure terror early on in the film. The creaks and bends of the house were the only sounds heard, which added to the suspense. Olsen did a great job of displaying the fear on her face, and her acting was superior for a horror film.
While the small sounds and loud bumps added a lot to the film, I felt it was the cinematography by Igor Martinovic that made the movie work. The whole movie is cut to feel like it was shot in one take, which takes a tremendous amount of editing skills. This was an effective tool for this movie because the viewer gets to move along with the character, such as falling when she falls and jumping when she jumps.
I could only find one downside to the cinematography. The camera often focused solely on one character and blurred out the rest of the screen. When the character began to move, I felt nauseous from the blurred out screen, and without a break in the film, it was hard to stare at the screen the entire time.
The final part of the movie comes fairly quickly since the film is only 85 minutes long. The twist can be figured out early in the final part, but the movie keeps the viewer's attention, and its twist is something that hasn't been over-played by past horror films.
"Silent House" is a good choice to watch if you want a quick scare and a nice plot twist without too much thinking. I would recommend seeing this movie in theaters though since the surround sound and dark setting added an extra scare.
Christie McClung
Contributing Writer
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