House at the End of the Street
Relativity Media | Release Date: September 21, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
31
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
8
Negative:
10
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Village VoiceNick PinkertonSep 21, 2012
Working from a story by all-around genre specialist Jonathan Mostow, director Mark Tonderai steers the story cleanly around its queasy hairpin turns, perversely toying with one of pop cinema's most cherished clichés: the audience's inculcated desire to side with the underdog. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasSep 21, 2012
Working from a solid template is only half the battle; the other half is filling in the details, and it's here that The House At The End Of The Street goes flat and generic, substituting jump-scares and visual twitchiness for the psychological complexity that might have sold the horror. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartSep 21, 2012
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 Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySep 21, 2012
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
50
Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondSep 21, 2012
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 Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenSep 20, 2012
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
40
EmpireKim NewmanSep 22, 2012
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
Total FilmNeil SmithSep 22, 2012
Sadly, any hopes Mark Tonderai's US follow-up to 2008's "Hush" could have some "Cabin In The Woods"-style surprises up its sleeve are swiftly dashed as its talented lead is reduced to being just another scantily clad babe getting stalked by a psycho. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSep 21, 2012
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 PostMark JenkinsSep 21, 2012
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
30
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenSep 21, 2012
Lawrence's natural, disarming screen presence is ill-suited to something as mannered and labored as House at the End of the Street, and at moments it's as if she freezes up, unable to simply throw on a scared-face for no good reason. Read full review
30
VarietyGeoff BerkshireSep 21, 2012
Exploiting Lawrence's newfound fame is the only hope this ill-conceived, poorly executed venture has of connecting with audiences before poisonous word of mouth sends potential buyers in search of a more attractive address. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisSep 22, 2012
This is a terrible little movie even by the standards of the genre. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineChris CabinSep 21, 2012
The film is essentially toothless, but it never stoops to humorless torture-porn theatrics. Read full review
20
Time OutA. A. DowdSep 25, 2012
Utterly incompetent psychological thriller. Read full review
20
The New York TimesStephen HoldenSep 22, 2012
At a certain point this would-be shocker suddenly jerks into high gear and becomes a blatant, incompetent rip-off of "Psycho." Read full review
16
The PlaylistDrew TaylorSep 21, 2012
We assure you, it's not worth taking a trip to down to the House at the End of the Street. Something horrible might have happened there, but it can't be worse than this movie. Read full review
16
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanSep 21, 2012
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
11
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovSep 26, 2012
Shue, to her credit, looks like she's trying to crawl out of her skin, but hey, anything to get away from this hell house, right? Right. Read full review
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