House at the End of the StreetMovie Reviews

Poster art for "The House at the End of the Street."

Avg. Critic Score: 31 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 13+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

50

New York Post | Sara Stewart
Yes, there are the requisite jump-in-your-seat scares, many of them false alarms, and it all plays out basically exactly like any other horror movie, but Lawrence does elevate the proceedings. Read full review
50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) | Rick Groen
I doubt that Lawrence is conscious of this process. Nevertheless, stuck in a dull commercial feature, a very good actor happens upon a new solution to an age-old problem: She improves the script by transcending it, and steals the picture by abandoning it. Read full review
50

Boxoffice Magazine | Pete Hammond
This PG-13 scare-fest is more psychological terror than blood and guts, and should satisfy-not repulse-young genre fans. Read full review
50

The Hollywood Reporter |
Despite an intriguing setup, sharply drawn central characters and a lead performance from the luminous Jennifer Lawrence that elevates the material a few notches, House at the End of the Street is a by-the-book horror thriller that's low on scares and suspense. Read full review
40

Empire | Kim Newman
A few old favourites – like the inconveniently wonky torch and the probably-not-quite-killed maniac – deliver the required jolts, but early promise dwindles to hokum. Read full review
40

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
We will simply be grateful she (Lawrence) is here, and thus able to turn generic junk into mildly interesting junk. Read full review
38

Washington Post |
Most of the comedy, however, is unintentional. House At The End of the Street may not draw much of an audience during its initial run, but the movie's preposterousness certifies it for future midnight screenings, where the story will get the jeering it deserves. Read full review
25

Slant Magazine |
The film is essentially toothless, but it never stoops to humorless torture-porn theatrics. Read full review
25

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
This is a terrible little movie even by the standards of the genre. Read full review
16

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
This is the rare horror film so bad that you almost wish it had turned into a good old connect-the-gory-dots slasher movie. The only mystery at work is how Lawrence's agent ever let her sign on to this. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for House at the End of the Street on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Dumb thriller will disappoint Hunger Games fans.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that House at the End of the Street is a thriller that many teens will want to see based on the fact that its star, Jennifer Lawrence, was in The Hunger Games. There's fighting, kidnapping, and killing, and dead bodies are shown, but very little blood and gore are on display. Language includes a few uses of words like "a--hole" and "bitch." Teen characters kiss and are clearly thinking about sex but are interrupted. Some characters drink too much, and "crack" (i.e. a lighter and some tin foil) is briefly shown in a flashback.

Families can talk about the romantic relationship between the teen characters. Does it seem realistic? How is sex a factor?
House at the End of the Street includes several murders without very much violence and gore. Does it still make its point? How does it compare to other thrillers and horror movies you've seen?
Is the movie scary? Why or why not?

The good stuff

Positive messages: A mother and daughter make an attempt to trust each other more and to try to communicate better, though this lesson is more or less buried in the scary story.
Positive role models: Elissa is a fairly strong teen female who, for the most part, seems resourceful and self-reliant -- though she makes poor decisions whenever the plot calls for it.

What to watch for

Violence: Very little blood, though several characters die, and dead bodies are shown. Characters are shot and stabbed, and necks and legs are broken. Several teens gang up on one young man, punching and kicking. There's a scary prologue in which a young girl stabs her mother and father (no blood shown). Women are kidnapped and locked up.
Sexy stuff: The teen heroine kisses a college-age boy, and they move to a more comfortable location, presumably to take things a step further. They kiss some more but are interrupted before anything else happens. The heroine and her mother also wear tight white tank tops in many scenes. At a party, a teen boy tries to seduce a teen girl, saying he's "horny"; she tells him "no" and pushes him away.
Language: Language is fairly infrequent but does include a few uses of words like "s--t," "a--hole," "d--k," "bitch," "damn," "slut," and "piss," as well as "oh my God" and "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation).
Consumerism: A Campbell's soup can is shown, and the soup is opened and prepared. A Lay's chip bag is quickly shown, and Coca-Cola and Sears signs are briefly seen.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: In a flashback, a mother smokes what appears to be crack, using a lighter and tin foil. One scene takes place at a teen party, and though drinking isn't shown, one girl is shown to be drunk, passed out on a bed, and then throwing up in a bathroom. The main character's mother drinks too much wine at dinner, resulting in awkwardness and fighting.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.