The Silent House - La casa muda [2010]
A horror film based on true events, the Uruguayan director Gustavo Hernández has brought the mysterious events of the 1940s to the screen in a style that makes your toes tingle and your hand rise to your eyes. What makes the film interesting is that the entire 78 minutes are shot in a single take, handheld. The technique brings a certain sense of authenticity and a slight anxiety to the viewer, as there are no breaks and the story continues to unfold ‘live’.
In the middle of the forest is an abandoned house where Laura (Florencia Colucci) arrives with her father as night falls; the owner of the house, Nestor, a long-time friend of her father's, has given them the task of cleaning up this quiet house for sale.
The quiet house is not as quiet as one might imagine. Having decided to start work first thing in the morning, Laura and her father retire to the living room downstairs for a night's sleep, but Laura is soon awakened by the sounds coming from upstairs. From these voices begins a journey that sometimes manages to raise the hairs on the back of the neck of even the most unseeing viewer. Laura's journey through the deserted house is addictive to watch. The darkness of the old house creates a situation where the camera moves only by the light of torches and portable lanterns, the corners loom ominously dark and Laura's pale face captures emotions that feel very real, I don't know who would remain calm in this situation.
The story unfolds mysteriously until the end and the denouement is not the most traditional, the story continues through the end credits which creates a certain continuity and a slight sense of silliness in the mind of the viewer, because after spending over an hour in a dark house shoulders tense, it's a relief to bring the torment to an end.
The film has been compared to Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, but it differs from these in its subtle style and the constant movement of the camera, not iin the hands of the people filming the events but alongside them, not creating a documentary-like atmosphere, which is undeniably an effective tool but often makes one feel sick with motion sickness. The power of the film lies not in the gore and ghastly creatures that fly, but in the darkness.
The Silent House is a slightly different kind of chilling mood piece for horror lovers who are assured that it is true, the ending of the story at least makes you think that stranger things have happened in the world. Blasting around in the dark with a Polaroid camera has never been creepier.