Silent House (*** out of ****)

Horror films need something special to work now a days. Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project worked for so many (personally not me) because it used a technique (hand held camera) to create a sense of realism. Recent films such as Insidious and Don't Be Afraid of The Dark used imagination to draw in audiences to their tales of woe. So why not try a bit of both? In comes english remake Silent House a film that succeeds in a bold attempt at filmmaking.

Silent House takes place in real time for 88 minutes. What's even better is that the film is done in one single shot. So the film in a sense is a startling play. No quick cuts nor any jumping to other perspectives. The camera is a fly on the wall in this grueling tale. Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) is helping her father and uncle fix up a run down lake house. However when Sarah says she hears somebody walking around up stairs, shit hits the figurative fan. Elizabeth Olsen is a blessing for this film. Only two films I've seen with her in them and both times she tears the walls down. Here she creates the right amount of hysteria without it ever seeming fake. Great stuff there. The ending I'm sure will divide some but don't let that stop you from trying something new. In terms of scares I wouldn't say it is phenomenal but one particular scene I personally heard the loudest gasps/screams in a theater to date. Silent House does something fresh and success tremendously.

*** out of ****