Hatchet reporter Emily Holland shares her latest movie experience.

“House at the End of the Street” (2012)

As Halloween approaches, so does the torrent of gore-splattered, fright-generating movie trailers that make their way to television screens. Soon enough, you will not be able to tell one horror trailer from the other.

But don’t let the cliché title and the all-too-familiar scenes dissuade you from seeing “House at the End of the Street.”

The story begins in a gruesome fashion. A young, seemingly deranged girl murders her parents in the family home. Jump forward four years, and the film continues with 17-year-old Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) and her recently divorced mother, Sarah (Elisabeth Shue), who move from Chicago into the house neighboring the scene of the murder. The only surviving member of the murdered family, an enigmatic, socially ostracized brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), still lives in the home where his parents were killed. Intrigued by the neighborhood rumors surrounding Ryan, Elissa pursues a friendship with him, becoming gradually more involved in his dark family history.

“House at the End of the Street” delves more into the psychological as opposed to the supernatural – a quality that reinforces the movie’s haunting and strangely realistic elements. As the plot slowly unfolds through small flashbacks to Ryan’s life, it becomes clear that this is not a typical “haunted house” story.

Still, the film’s momentum builds slowly. The first half of the movie comprises jump-scares which keep viewers on edge, but no plot drivers move the film forward. Once the deeper plot is revealed, however, even the most experienced horror-movie enthusiasts will second-guess their predictions. The film develops into a complex thriller toward the end as the totality of the plot is revealed.

Despite its entertaining and unpredictable elements, the film’s poorly written script proves impossible to ignore. Somehow Lawrence, Thieriot and Shue carry their parts with skill, but the supporting actors struggle, bumbling through basic lines.

“House at the End of the Street” serves as a fun thriller that isn’t too deranged or gory. It thrives on the element of surprise, making it more psychological thriller than horror film. As far as scary movie experiences go, “House at the End of the Street” delivers.

Genre: Thriller, horror
Director: Mark Tonderai
Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot
Release Date: Sept. 21