In 1948 Alfred Hitchcock made a film called Rope, an ingenious thriller about two men who host a dinner party shortly after murdering a classmate they deem inferior. The ingenious aspect of the narrative is coupled with an equally ingenious method of cinematography, in that the film is made to look as though it were shot entirely in just one take.
Shoot to 2012, this very same technique is being used once more, but with a slightly fresh twist. In Silent House, we follow Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen), a young girl who ends up trapped inside a house while it is seemingly robbed. But things get more terrifying when it becomes clear to Sarah that the strangers may be omnipotent in nature.
Told entirely from Sarah's perspective, this one-take thriller unfolds right before your eyes in a surprisingly chilling manner. Alas, Silent House, from Open Water directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau (who also scripted), is no Rope. Rather, the film is a messy exploration of someone's madness painted with a thin veil of ghostly horror. As such, the film has very little replay value and is nowhere near as memorable as Alfred Hitchcock's classic.
The biggest problem with the film is in its twist. Without giving too much away, let's just say that the means do not justify the whole. In other words, Silent House is a film built on a lie. This wouldn't be much of a problem if the twist didn't negate the rest of the story that happened before it.
On some level, the twist is fascinating. It adds a layer of subtext that otherwise wouldn't be there in a generic horror film. However, it also makes for an unsatisfying whole that asks far too many questions and leaves the audience with almost no answers.
Cinematography, despite having a video-like appearance, is quite brilliant. The execution of the one-take visuals is expertly done. And the film's haunting foes are often rather creepy. Elizabeth Olsen, who basically controls the entire picture, is absolutely staggering here as well. While her sisters were not the world's greatest actresses, Elizabeth shows more promise than the both of them combined, and then some.
Silent House certainly boasts some interesting ideas, along with a great performance from Olsen, but the film simply has no replay value. It's not a very satisfying experience, and sometimes, because the audiences never privy to all that's going on inside the house, the one-take cinematography does dampen the thrills. However, if you're up for something that ultimately plays things a little more psychological than horrifying, Silent House should prove to be an interesting deviation from the normal genre fare.
The film comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. It is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, in 1080p/AVC with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Shot on video, largely in the dark, Silent House does not always boast the finest image. There's quite a bit of motion blur, noise and other minor distortions. The encode is mostly decent, though, other than some minor banding.
Audio is fairly effective though not nearly as immersive as expected. Dialogue is clean, with no distortions or crackles. Surrounds are aggressive on occasion, but more subdued than I would have hoped. Given the one-take nature of the production, I would have expected a mix that relied on audio for thrills, and while Silent House does do that every once in awhile, sound design is a bit more muted and quiet, leaving the audience underwhelmed.
Extras are fairly thin. There's a commentary track from co-directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau. It's an interesting track that explores both the story and the film's elaborate cinematography. It'll really make you wish the film were just a little bit better. The disc also boasts Universal's traditional extras like BD-Live and pocketBlu. The BD also includes a DVD and Digital Copy of the film.
Silent House is a film worth exploring, if only once. It boasts a few decent scares and a great performance from Elizabeth Olsen, but it can't shake the stale story and dull twist that very nearly ruins the entire picture.
Source : feeds.ign.com
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