Movie Review: The Silent House

I had heard about The Silent House back in 2010 and was impressed by what it promised: "Real fear in real time." The film was shot in one continuous take. No cuts. No edits. Just a camera running for 72 minutes, which means if anyone missed their cue at the 70 minute mark they get to start all over again. After seeing this on a list of movies to look out for in 2012, I decided to seek it out and see if it lived up to its potential.

As far as I know this is the first movie of its kind, which is probably why it comes from Uruguay. God forbid Hollywood does anything this inventive. The film is based on real events that took place in the 40s. A father and his daughter Laura (played by Florencia Colucci) are hired by their friend Nestor to renovate a small cottage. They arrive late and spend the night in order to get an early start the next morning. Laura begins to hear noises outside and attempts to wake her father, but he shrugs it off. After Laura hears footsteps coming from the second floor, her father agrees to go upstairs and look. Like 100% of horror films, he doesn't come back and Laura is left to not only find her father, but also discover the secrets of the house.

With a mere budget of around $6,000 the film manages to look great. The only lighting comes from a pair of lanterns that Laura and her father use to get around the house. The crew appears to be minimal as only one camera is used to follow Laura at all times. Don't expect anything fancy here as it's low budget, and any steady cam work is out the window. The film also does a great job at keeping you guessing. When all is said and done, it was mostly unexpected. If you do manage to catch the film, be sure to stay after the credits for a creepy little epilogue.

The Silent House was a pleasant surprise, especially since Atrocious had ruined my expectations of similar types of movies. They manage to hide to small budget, the performances are on par, and it manages to tell a creepy little story. You'll hardly notice the way the film was shot, but once it is over it is quite impressive to see what the filmmakers have pulled off here. The format works extremely well for low budget horror, and I think it can be used as a platform to improve upon in the future. For now though, The Silent House is the one and only movie that can claim it has "fear in real time."

UPDATED: Apparently this is movie has a remake coming out in March, starring the forgotten Olsen sister, Elizabeth. No word on if the same gimmick is being employed or not, but either way get ready for an inferior remake, America.