For ‘Hunger Games’ fans watching ‘House at the End of the Street,’ it’s hard to not yell at the screen, ‘Come on, Katniss, you’re in danger—bust out the bow and arrows!’ But Jennifer Lawrence definitely proves her range in playing a sassy, musically inclined teen who’s the polar opposite of super-serious, tough-as-nails Katniss Everdeen.
‘HATES’ finds 17-year-old Elissa moving from Chicago to a Pennsylvania suburb with her divorced mom, Sarah. They’ve gotten a great deal on a rental house…because it happens to be next door to the house where a girl killed her parents four years ago. Elissa strikes up a romance with the girl’s brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), who now, weirdly, lives alone in the house. But he’s keeping a dark secret, and—spoiler alert!—Elissa is in for some trouble.
Okay, we won’t give any actual spoilers, but let's just say there’s a creepy twist or two in ‘House at the End of the Street’ that will totally freak you out. There are also some moments that feel like horror movie clichés—though this is totally not a gorey movie, so even the squeamish can enjoy it. Lawrence and Theriot both give great performances, as does Elisabeth Shue playing Elissa’s unreliable mom Sarah. (Casting directors, give Ms. Shue more roles, please.) We just wish J.Law could have brought her Katniss-style fighting skills to up the action ante a bit!
‘HATES’ finds 17-year-old Elissa moving from Chicago to a Pennsylvania suburb with her divorced mom, Sarah. They’ve gotten a great deal on a rental house…because it happens to be next door to the house where a girl killed her parents four years ago. Elissa strikes up a romance with the girl’s brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), who now, weirdly, lives alone in the house. But he’s keeping a dark secret, and—spoiler alert!—Elissa is in for some trouble.
Okay, we won’t give any actual spoilers, but let's just say there’s a creepy twist or two in ‘House at the End of the Street’ that will totally freak you out. There are also some moments that feel like horror movie clichés—though this is totally not a gorey movie, so even the squeamish can enjoy it. Lawrence and Theriot both give great performances, as does Elisabeth Shue playing Elissa’s unreliable mom Sarah. (Casting directors, give Ms. Shue more roles, please.) We just wish J.Law could have brought her Katniss-style fighting skills to up the action ante a bit!
