Writer: Siti Munawirah Mustaffa

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: "Paranormal Activity", “Dark Water” and “The Blair Witch Project”

Once again, the American film industry has run dry of originality as another film remake comes onto the big screen. This time around, it's an adaptation of a Uruguayan film "La Casa Munda", which was allegedly based on a real life event that took place in the 1940's.

An independent horror film directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, "Silent House" tells the tale of a young woman named Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) who follows her father, John (Adam Trese) and Uncle Peter (Eric Sheffer Stevens) to a secluded house in the countryside in order to fix the place before they can sell it. Upon having a quarrel over some trivial matter, Uncle Peter decides to leave the house and drive into town whilst John continues with his work. Soon after, Sarah starts to hear strange noises upstairs and tells her father about it. Concerned about his daughter's worries, John checks the whole place, only to be found bloody and unconscious by Sarah. In searching for the perpetrator, Sarah later discovers a much more sinister secret that has long been kept by the family for years.

When viewers feel the chills and prickles and begin to react to a dramatic scene of a horror film, then it only means one good thing: the film works. Although "Silent House" provides some of those deeply unsettling moments to the audience, the slow pace of some scenes that are intended to bring out the intensity have caused the film to be somewhat dragging. Despite so, Kentis and Laura still deserve a pat on each back for making the film in one single continuous shot. After all, there's still an effort, no?

If Elizabeth Olsen were to be one of the Olsen twins, then she would definitely be the prettier and more talented one. Nonetheless, she still is one of the Olsen sisters and is the only one in the family who can really contribute something to a film. Her paranoia is a complete shout of "Shame on you!" to the likes of Bijou Phillips and other female stars in horror flicks. With that much of star potential in her, the reviewer is of the opinion that it's time for her to outshine the booze binging, coke snorting socialite twins. Other casts, on the other hand are underutilised which is a no surprise for the horror genre as it's usually the case of one-man (or one-woman) show.

There is honestly nothing much to say about this film as it does not run free from plot holes such as: What really happened to Sarah? And why can't she remember anything from the past? At some point, the reviewer begins to wonder if the film has finally come to an end and when it does, it leaves the reviewer with the big question mark; Is that it? After all those shrieks and that cat and mouse game?

Regardless, "Silent House" is still a good attempt of bringing tingles down ones spine, but suffers from a lot of disappointments. The reviewer's only advise is to keep your hopes down whenever you're in the mood for watching low-budget independent films such as this one.

Cinema Online, 12 July 2012