The House at the End of Time

The House at the End of Time (La Casa Del Fin De Los Tiempos) (2013)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: Alejandro Hidalgo

Starring: Ruddy Rodriguez, Guillermo Garcia, Gonzalo Cubero, Rosmel Bustamante, Hector Mercado

From: Several different companies from Venezuela

Yes, this is a horror/thriller from Venezuela; I've had it in my Netflix Instant queue for awhile, and it was just today that I finally watched it... and I am glad I did. I explain why in my Letterboxd review below.

This is one of the many movies I've had in my Netflix Instant queue for a long while and today was finally the day where I watched it. This is said to be the first supernatural movie from Venezuela and as far as I know it's true.

The plot: It starts off in 1981 and you see a middle aged man in a hilariously creepy house (it has to be the spookiest in Caracas or wherever this was filmed) murdered-in media res is the term to use here, as the first frame is the middle of this chaotic night-and the mother of the house (known as Dulce) is blamed for the crime and the disappearance of her son but of course it was other forces that were actually responsible. She is let out of prison 30 years later and she returns to the old creepy joint, under house arrest; from there you go back and forth in time as the rest of the story is told, and a young priest helps her out in present time.

Back in the 80's, you see that the family is struggling to get by so there's a lot of tension. I won't reveal any more lest I spoil anything. I'll just say there are various twists and turns and surprises also... and I am not talking about how apparently in that country it's a thing to have water balloons only that they are filled with URINE. Don't worry, the rest of the film isn't like that scene in terms of tone or mood. I was definitely not expecting this movie to be what it was.

While there are some moments that made me go “Hey, wait a minute...” I ended up enjoying this more than I expected to. Various aspects of the plot reminded me of recent films but it's done here in a way that seems different. The performances are nice (especially from Ruddy Rodriguez as the lead), there are many creepy moments throughout, the house has a great atmosphere all its own, there's an awesome séance scene that I wish would have been longer, the cinematography is nice, and once you know what's going on it ends up being fun, due to how well put together this movie is. It's the sort of thing where you have to pay attention throughout; only half watching it will not work.

If you are a horror fan & you want to see genre fare that's not like the mostly lame entries from the Hollywood studios that have come out in recent years, it is well worth it to check out the movie on Instant and hopefully you'll be as pleasantly surprised by it as I was.