Silent House

Taken directly from a successful Uruguayan horror film of the same name, Silent House is purportedly based on true events that occurred in a small town in the 40’s. The original was produced on a budget of only $6,000 and immediately spawned a US remake. This is the film I will be discussing.

“Remember Me?”

Horror is an interesting genre. Those that love horror are addicted to it, those that don’t are usually repelled by it; but even under the umbrella of “horror”, there are many subgenres. Aliens, monsters, the supernatural, homicide, even strictly environmental horror, and every hodge-podge in between; there are no shortages of elements that have been used to scare and excite. The first records of film in the modern sense were in 1889, in the demonstration Monkeyshines, which showed employees of Thomas Edison playing to the camera on a full strip of film. Shortly thereafter in 1896 the first horror film, Le Manoir du Diable was publicly presented in Paris, and so a genre was born.

With so long a history and many elements to choose from, it’s rare that a film that is actually scary comes to the surface, and because the subject is so divisive, they’re usually commercialized from August until October. Silent House is one of those films. A genuinely creepy and tense ride once the stage is set. Our film follows Sarah, as she, her father, and her uncle are restoring an old home that has been in their family for generations. We are told the home is secluded from cellular service, and there is no electricity. The stage is set.

Real fear in real time.

There are a few interesting aspects of Silent House that stood out. The entire film appears as one continuous shot. The camera surrounds Sarah as she progresses deeper into the terror on screen in real time, and this effect is done perfectly. The film begins at dusk, progressing into full twilight and nightfall, lit only by flashlights and lanterns.

The silence will kill you.

In addition, while Sarah is hiding from the evil element she is surrounded by, the use of sound adds to the fear. One such scene shows the young girl cowered under a table, footsteps calmly approach. The strain and stress on her face, while she holds her breath, using all of her energy holding back a scream are palpable to the audience. This is one of those rare films where the actors, director and camera work are in perfect harmony to convey the original vision of the writers. Furthermore, and while on the subject of the writing, the American adaptation of La casa muda was written based solely on viewings of the original film, rather than translations and iterations of the original screenplay. In this manner, this presentation conveys the feeling of the original film, rather than the writer’s descriptions and variations of the original story. We see an interpretation of a wildly successful foreign film, rather than a regurgitation of the original writer’s concepts; a unique, original way to produce a film.

Finally, Silent House has its own twists and turns as the film develops. The story begins simplistically, and admittedly a bit slowly; but quickly transforms into a slalom of directions and misdirection, not simply falling into loud sounds and creatures popping on and off screen to terrify the audience. Silent House was released at Sundance 2011, and was received with mixed reviews; but this is typical for the genre. Created on a budget of $2 million, but sporting a box office gross of over $13 million, fans of the genre will always find the gems in such a prolific class. Silent House is available now on Netflix instant, as well as DVD, Blu-ray and Amazon Instant Video. For those seeking a tense ride, without a bland demon, spirit, or