8. House at the End of the Street

House at the End of the Street Trailer

Mother (Elisabeth Shue) and daughter Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) move to an idyllic house surrounded by gorgeous nature and uppity neighborfolk. Elissa, a guitar-playing, broody teen is not too thrilled with the small-town mentality of their new environment. Much to her mother’s dismay, she befriends outcast Ryan (Max Thieriot), whose family was murdered by his disturbed sister, Carrie-Anne. Rumors about town claim that Carrie-Anne may or may not have run away to live in the forest. On the surface, House at the End of the Street (directed by Mark Tonderai, 2012) is a teen flick. Romance, bullies, rejection, popular kids (and adults) vs. the newcomers, the usual. This sets it apart from the rest of this list. But in fact, it is also a chilling lesson to families of all walks of life to stand united. Protect one another. Respect one another. Fight the bad fight together. The ‘possession’ in this case is a lot less otherworldly but nonetheless involves the act of invading the wellbeing of characters, under duress. Though this makes it very different from The Conjuring, the two movies also do share certain elements. The tangible fright is present. The creepy characters hidden behind superficially ‘normal’ people. The overprotective mother figure. Where parents are distant in many of the other films listed, the Ryan character is forced to deal with emotions pent up from years being left to his own devices, much like the siblings in Oculus, seen later in this list.

Elissa seeks a closer relationship with a parent who is often absent. She spends a lot of time on her own, which is the perfect trap to fall for the boy down the street who also lacks a strong parental presence. Ryan is calm, sweet and caring on the outside. Below the surface is the result of childhood trauma, which manifests in secret. He has not only survivors’ guilt, but also a kind of grief he seems to have never addressed to pull through it. His parents were not there for him. He misses his sister. He lives alone in the large house where the tragedy took place. But perhaps for the first time, he finds a friend in Elissa. Sometimes all a lonely guy needs is the semblance of a support system.

Psychoanalysis aside, House may not use the home invasion or demon trope but instead focuses on – again – the strength of the family unit, as in The Conjuring, when it is under siege. Like Oculus as well, siblings want to stick together, and desperately try to protect one another. Strong female leads are featured in all three films. Jennifer Lawrence is no dumb high school scream queen. She’s a tough cookie. Kudos to the lead casting director (John Papsidera) – the roles of Elissa and Ryan are well played. The latter can become such a believable menace that he might put to shame those demons from the Otherworld. Stay tuned right to the end for an extra twist to the twist!