House at the End of the Street
Imagine moving to a new town, seeking a fresh start, only to discover your quiet street harbors a horrific secret—a house where a gruesome double murder took place. This is the unsettling premise of House at the End of the Street, a psychological thriller that thrusts Jennifer Lawrence into a chilling mystery where the past isn't just haunting, it's dangerously alive. The film invites us to question everything we see, peeling back layers of deception to reveal a truly disturbing truth. The film initially presents as a conventional horror tale, then expertly pivots into a deep psychological thriller. It explores the profound and destructive impact of childhood trauma and identity abuse. Despite a chilly reception from critics, the movie resonated with audiences, becoming a box office success.
AI Summary
Imagine moving to a new town, seeking a fresh start, only to discover your quiet street harbors a horrific secret—a house where a gruesome double murder took place. This is the unsettling premise of House at the End of the Street, a psychological thriller that thrusts Jennifer Lawrence into a chilling mystery where the past isn't just haunting, it's dangerously alive. The film invites us to question everything we see, peeling back layers of deception to reveal a truly disturbing truth.
- The film initially presents as a conventional horror tale, then expertly pivots into a deep psychological thriller.
- It explores the profound and destructive impact of childhood trauma and identity abuse.
- Despite a chilly reception from critics, the movie resonated with audiences, becoming a box office success.
A New Beginning, A Haunting Past
Our story begins with Elissa, a 17-year-old, and her recently divorced mother, Sarah. They've just moved into a seemingly peaceful, upscale suburb, hoping for a fresh start. But their new home comes with a chilling local legend...
Just a few doors down sits a house with a dark history. Four years prior, a 13-year-old girl named Carrie Anne Jacobson reportedly murdered her parents there, before vanishing without a trace. Her older brother, Ryan, was the sole survivor—and now, he lives alone in that very house.
The neighbors, understandably, are wary, even hostile towards Ryan. He's an outcast, with only the local police officer, Bill Weaver, showing him any measure of kindness or support. This isolation makes him an intriguing, if tragic, figure to Elissa.
Forbidden Connections
Against her mother's stern warnings, Elissa finds herself drawn to Ryan. Their relationship blossoms amidst the whispers and judgmental stares of the community. Ryan confides in Elissa, painting a tragic picture of his sister's past.
He explains that Carrie Anne wasn't inherently evil. An accident many years ago—a fall from a swing while he was supposed to be watching her, as their drug-addicted parents were high—left her with severe brain damage, leading to extreme aggression. This, he claims, is what ultimately drove her to kill their parents.
The Hidden Truth Begins to Surface
But Ryan's story holds a secret far darker than Elissa can imagine. He's not living alone. Deep within the house, hidden away, he's secretly caring for someone he claims is his now-grown sister, Carrie Anne.
One night, this hidden 'Carrie Anne' escapes, brandishing a knife at a passing couple. In a desperate attempt to conceal her and protect his secret, Ryan accidentally kills her. Devastated, he seeks solace at a diner, where he meets a kind waitress named Peggy Johns.
Soon after, Ryan finds himself in a violent altercation with some local high school bullies. In self-defense, he breaks one boy's leg and flees. Elissa, concerned, drives to his house, where she makes a horrifying discovery: tampons in the garbage, and then, the secret room.
Inside the room, she's attacked by a woman she believes to be Carrie Anne. Ryan intervenes, subduing her. But as Elissa searches the kitchen, she finds blue contact lenses and Peggy's wallet. The terrifying realization dawns on her: the woman isn't Carrie Anne... it's Peggy, kidnapped and forced to impersonate the missing sister.
The Unraveling Deception
Elissa wakes, bound to a chair. It's then that Ryan reveals the full, chilling truth. Carrie Anne never killed their parents. She died years ago, from the very swing set accident he described. The 'Carrie Annes' he's been hiding and replacing were kidnapped women, forced into a twisted role.
The real killer of their parents was Ryan himself. He endured years of abuse, blamed for Carrie Anne's death by his parents. This trauma shattered his psyche, leading him to lash out violently against his tormentors, and then to recreate the sister he lost through others.
A Deadly Confrontation
Determined to make Elissa his 'new Carrie Anne,' Ryan decides to dispose of Peggy. Officer Weaver, a seemingly supportive figure, arrives—but Ryan brutally stabs him to death. Elissa makes a desperate bid for freedom in Ryan's car, only to be knocked out with chloroform and trapped in the trunk, alongside Peggy's body.
Sarah, Elissa's mother, arrives, only to be stabbed by Ryan. But Elissa, managing to escape, seizes Weaver's gun and shoots Ryan. As he attempts one final, desperate attack, Sarah intervenes, striking him with a hammer, finally ending his reign of terror.
In the unrated extended cut of the film, an additional twist reveals that Officer Weaver was not merely a supporter, but a close family friend of the Jacobsons. He was aware of Carrie Anne's death, Ryan's abuse, and even supplied the drugs to their parents on the day of Carrie Anne's accident, making him complicit in the tragedy by preventing the parents from heeding their son's cries.
The Echoes of Abuse
In the aftermath, Elissa and Sarah move out, seeking a genuine new beginning. Ryan is confined to a psychiatric ward, where the echoes of his past haunt him. He begins to hear the voices of his deceased parents, calling him 'Carrie Anne'.
A chilling flashback reveals the root of his psychosis: a young Ryan, dressed in girl's clothing, attempting to blow out birthday candles. His mother, calling him 'Carrie Anne,' violently slaps him when he protests, insisting he is Ryan. This traumatic forced identity became the core of his distorted reality.
Behind the Scenes
The journey for House at the End of the Street to reach the big screen was a long one, marked by what's known as 'development hell.' It was first announced in 2003 with Jonathan Mostow slated to direct and Richard Kelly to write.
However, it wasn't until 2010—seven years later—that production was finally revived. Mark Tonderai took the director's chair, with David Loucka penning the script, bringing the project to life after its prolonged dormancy.
Principal photography for the film was a brisk affair, largely taking place in various locations across Ontario, Canada. From August 2, 2010, to September 3, 2010, scenes were filmed at Algonquin College, as well as in the towns of Metcalfe and Carp.
Release and Reception
Initially slated for a February 2012 release, the film's premiere was pushed back to September 21, 2012, for its theatrical debut in the United States and Canada. While it found a big screen audience in North America, some countries opted for a direct-to-video release, like Sweden and Spain in 2013.
To coincide with the movie's release, a tie-in novelization was published by Little, Brown and Company on August 12, 2012, offering fans another way to engage with the story.
For home media, an unrated cut of the film was released on January 8, 2013. This extended edition featured slightly longer scenes and a modest increase in the depiction of violence, blood, and gore, for those seeking a more intense experience.
Box Office Performance
Despite its critical reception, House at the End of the Street surprised many by debuting at number one at the US box office on its opening Friday and Saturday nights. It finished the weekend narrowly in second place, grossing $12.3 million.
Considering its modest production budget of $6.9 to $10 million, the film went on to achieve a respectable commercial success, ultimately grossing over $44 million worldwide.
Critical Response
Critics, however, were less impressed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a low approval rating of 10% based on 68 reviews, with the consensus describing it as 'Poorly conceived, clumsily executed, and almost completely bereft of scares.'
Similarly, Metacritic gave the film a score of 31 out of 100, indicating 'generally unfavorable' reviews. Despite the critical panning, audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of 'B,' suggesting a more positive reception among viewers than professional critics.
Article
House at the End of the Street
House at the End of the Street is a 2012 American psychological thriller horror film directed by Mark Tonderai that stars Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot and Elisabeth Shue. The film's plot revolves around a teenage girl, Elissa, who along with her newly divorced mother Sarah, moves to a new neighborhood only to discover that the house at the end of the street was the site of a gruesome double homicide committed by a 13-year-old girl named Carrie Anne who had disappeared without a trace four years prior. Elissa then starts a relationship with Carrie Anne's older brother Ryan, who lives in the same house, but nothing is as it appears to be.
Although filming had been completed in 2010, the film was not released until 2012 by Relativity Media. Despite being panned by critics, the film was a moderate commercial success, grossing $44.3 million.
Plot
House at the End of the Street
Newly-divorced doctor Sarah Cassidy and her 17-year-old daughter Elissa move to a small, upscale suburb. They are disturbed to discover the house they are moving into is on the same street as the house in which a girl named Carrie-Anne Jacobson killed her parents four years prior. She fled and was never seen again, leaving her brother Ryan as the sole survivor. Ryan now lives alone in the house and is hated by his neighbors; Bill Weaver, a local police officer, is his only supporter.
Elissa's relationship with her mother becomes rocky when she starts seeing Ryan against Sarah's wishes. Ryan confides in Elissa that Carrie-Anne fell from a swing when they were little; he was supposed to be watching her while their parents were getting high on drugs. The brain damage from the accident made her extremely aggressive, leading to their parents' murder. Ryan is revealed to be secretly taking care of a now-grown Carrie-Anne in a hidden room in the house. Carrie-Anne escapes and approaches a couple in a car while brandishing a kitchen knife. Ryan accidentally kills her while trying to hide her. Grieving, he goes to a diner, where he meets a kind waitress named Peggy Johns.
One night, a group of unruly high school boys pick a fight with him; he breaks one of their legs in self-defense and flees. Elissa drives to his house, finds tampons in the garbage, and discovers the secret room. She is attacked by Carrie-Anne, revealed to be Peggy. Ryan restrains "Carrie-Anne" as Elissa finds blue contact lenses and Peggy's wallet in the kitchen. Ryan has kidnapped Peggy and attempted to make her look like his sister. He knocks Elissa unconscious.
Elissa wakes tied to a chair. Ryan reveals that Carrie Anne didn't kill their parents. She had actually died during the accident on the swing set. It was Ryan who killed their parents after suffering years of abuse because they blamed him for his sister's death. The "Carrie Annes" he has been keeping in the basement were kidnapped women he made up to look just like his sister.
He decides to get rid of Peggy and make Elissa his new Carrie Anne. Officer Weaver arrives but Ryan stabs him to death. Elissa tries to escape in Ryan's car, but he knocks her out with chloroform and traps her in the car trunk with Peggy's body. Sarah arrives and is stabbed by Ryan. Elissa escapes and shoots Ryan with Weaver's gun. When he attempts to stab her, Sarah strikes him with a hammer.
Elissa and Sarah move out and Ryan is placed in a psychiatric ward. He begins to hear the voices of his deceased parents calling him Carrie-Anne. A flashback reveals a young Ryan about to blow out birthday candles while dressed in girl's clothing. His mother refers to him as Carrie Anne; he protests that he is Ryan. She violently slaps him across the face in response, insisting he is Carrie Anne.
Production
House at the End of the Street
The film was originally announced in 2003 with Jonathan Mostow directing and Richard Kelly writing. The film went through development hell for seven years until production was revived in 2010 with Mark Tonderai directing and David Loucka writing, instead.
Principal photography and filming mostly took place at Algonquin College located in Ottawa, Ontario, in Metcalfe, Ontario and Carp, Ontario from August 2, 2010, until September 3, 2010.
Release
House at the End of the Street
The film was originally scheduled to be released in February 2012, but was moved to a September 2012 release. The film had its theatrical premiere in the United States on September 21, 2012, and was released in Canada on the same date. The film was not released theatrically in Sweden or Spain and was released direct-to-video on January 30, 2013, in Sweden and on August 28, 2013, in Spain.
Novelization
A tie-in novelization of the film was released on August 12, 2012, to accompany the movie by Little, Brown and Company.
Home media
House at the End of the Street was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 8, 2013.
The unrated cut was also released on January 8, 2013. The extended edition increased the length of certain scenes in the final cut by a few seconds and the amount of violence, blood, and gore was increased by a small amount.
The extended cut also included an additional twist, in which Bill Weaver was actually a close family friend of the Jacobsons and was aware of Carrie-Anne's fate, and he also knew about Ryan's abuse but did nothing to help him. On the day of Carrie-Anne's accident, he supplied John and Mary Jacobson with drugs and actually could have prevented Carrie-Anne's death if he had not sold them the drugs, as they had prevented John and Mary from heeding the cries of their only son, and he was then disowned as a close friend by John Jacobson.
Reception
Box office
The film debuted at number one at the US box office on its opening Friday and Saturday nights. In what was one of the tightest races in years for first place at the box-office weekend, the film finished the weekend at number two with $12.3 million, just less than a million behind End of Watch, which included takings from Thursday night through Monday morning, where that movie finished at number one, with $13.1 million. The film went on to gross over $44 million worldwide, from a budget of $6.9-10 million.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 10% based on 68 reviews with an average rating of 3.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Poorly conceived, clumsily executed, and almost completely bereft of scares, House at the End of the Street strands its talented star in a film as bland as its title." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 31 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Awards
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Award</th><th>Category</th><th>Recipients</th><th>Result</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2012</td><td>Directors Guild of Canada</td><td>Best Sound Editing – Feature Film</td><td>Mark Gingras, John D. Smith, Katrijn Halliday, Tom Bjelic, James Robb, Dale Lennon</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>People's Choice Awards</td><td>Favorite Movie Actress (also for Silver Linings Playbook and The Hunger Games)</td><td>Jennifer Lawrence</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>MTV Movie Award</td><td>MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance</td><td>Jennifer Lawrence</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>ASCAP Awards</td><td>Film Award</td><td>Theo Green</td><td>Won</td></tr></tbody></table>