Hey, that house over there?  Yeah, the one that’s kind of falling apart.  Wanna hear a story?  It’s about a girl that went crazy and killed her family….  Mmm, gotta love local myths.  Hasn’t everyone had one of “those” houses in their neighborhood at one time or another?  Well, in House at the End of the Street it’s that time for a mother and daughter that are making a new start in a new town.  Probably should have gone one town over.  If they’d done that though, we wouldn’t have such a creepy-good shocker on our hands.  We win, they lose.

House at the End of the Street (or the lovely acronym I’ve seen, HATES) cranks things right up with a flashback that shows the unfortunate events.  Things continue on in the present, four years later.  Momma Sarah and teen daugher Elissa move into the house next door; such a bargain, what a great idea!  Sarah’s a doctor so her schedule is erratic.  But the first night there she notices a light on in the house next door.  The house where the murders occurred.  The house she was told was vacant.  Oops.

Come to find out that young Ryan, the lone survivor in the family, is living in the house.  Torn up over the deaths and somewhat of a loner (as you’d expect), Ryan is an outcast in the town.  And it doesn’t help that the usual “she’s still out there” neighborhood urban legend is carried on by the teens in the area.  Policeman Weaver (Gil Bellows, Ally McBeal) has a soft spot for the shy, troubled teen, though that doesn’t do much good when the whole town has it in for the boy.

Meanwhile Elissa is making friends; of course she is, she’s a cute teenage girl.  BMOC and resident rich douchebag Tyler invites her to join the school’s “famine relief” club.  But the club is only a thinly veiled excuse to party while putting something flash on their resume (money they “earned” = money taken from rich parents who don’t notice).  But late one dark and stormy night, Elissa accepts a ride from Ryan.  They strike up a friendship, and let’s just say Sarah isn’t exactly jumping for joy.

“Everything has a secret”, says Ryan.  Darlin’ you said it.  His sister Carrie Ann is locked up in the basement — hey, that’s nothing any horror fan hasn’t already figured out from the trailers.  Brosef leaves her drugged but hey, she’s still Mrs. Rochester, amirite?  We all know how that ended up.  What is Ryan thinking?  Has he never read Jane Eyre?  Oh yeah, it’s a banned book, so small towns in B.F.E. are probably no longer teaching it.  Too bad for the characters in this flick.

As the movie goes on, information about the family is revealed bit by bit.  It’s a tease here, a small taste of their life there…but don’t worry, everything makes horrible sense at the end.  Let’s just say not everyone that starts out in this movie is with us by the time the credits unspool.  Bwahahaha!

The acting here is well above average for the usual horror film, with Elisabeth Shue and Jennifer Lawrence giving standout performances as a mother and daughter that are trying to reconnect.  (Echoes of another, horror-free film opening this weekend, Trouble With the Curve.)  Max Thieriot (My Soul To Take) as Ryan gives a performance that is subtle, but effective.

This is a horror movie, and as such there are the usual shout-outs to scares that have gone before.  Evil Dead’s cellar door, Carrie’s outcast family and tribe of high-school assholes, and just about every 80s slasherfest with a crackerpants psycho-killer horror backstory.  Luckily there are a few unexpected tweaks to the tried and true horror plotlines that will keep even die-hard scare buffs pleasantly surprised.  The horror newbies?  Well, let’s just say the woman next to me tried to curl up into a ball and fit into her boyfriend’s jacket pocket several times during the movie.  Trot out your best “whoa: I did NOT see that one coming!”  You’ll need it.

The musical score, all deep bass booms and low-pitch unsettling sounds, adds to the creepy factor big time.  So does the camerawork, with it’s shifting from angle to angle.  Keeping the camera out and about keeps you guessing at where it’ll be next, and what will be there when you look.  (Though I could do without the Carrie Ann-cam, a blurry quick-cut mess that is hard on the eyes and even harder on my sinus headache.)  Point-of-view shifts from character to character, give scenes an eerie irony that keep you wondering what will happen next.  And those of you wondering about the gore score, know that the red is kept to a minimum.  This film is all about atmosphere and chills, and any blood you see is just a brief bit of window dressing.  And really, it’s not needed for this story.

Is HATES a slasher movie?  A ghoulies and ghosties chiller?  A psychological thriller?  Oh now, if you’re intrigued you should just see House at the End of the Street for yourself.  But maybe during a matinee if you’ll be headed back home solo.  You know, to avoid the rush for the evening showings.  Sure, tell yourself that.  Whatever makes you feel safe.