Look at My Face

The House at the End of Time Review

The House at the End of Time

There are plenty of haunted house films out there filling up the horror genre. From The House on Haunted Hill to The Conjuring, all good filmmakers dealing with this sub-genre manage to bring something unique and original to the table, in order to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. Perhaps, none have done so more than Venezuelan director, Alejandro Hidalgo, with his festival award-winning film, La casa del fin de los tiempos.

Dulce (Ruddy Rodriguez) is accused of murdering her husband, Juan Jose (Gonzalo Cubero), and her son, Leopoldo (Rosmel Bustamante). After 30 years of incarceration, she is finally free, but sentenced to spend the rest of her days in the very house where the original crime took place. Can she finally learn the truth of what happened to her family, after all of these years?

The House at the End of Time is a supernatural thriller told through scenes from the past and the present. As Dulce returns to her home, 30 years after being convicted of murdering her family, she begins to experience the same eerie occurrences from many years prior. We are taken back and forth, learning more as we go, on exactly what happened 30 years ago with Leopoldo, Rodrigo, Juan Jose, and Dulce.

At first, I was kind of confused; I wasn’t able to really follow why we were being shown certain things and why they even pertained to the bigger picture. It isn’t until the third act of the film that we finally start seeing the true connection between everything. It is at this point where Hidalgo’s writing and directing truly begin to shine. Everything makes perfect sense and fit perfectly, showing that horror films don’t always have to be about jump scares or blood and guts.

Haunted house stories always have twists and turns, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one that presented so much thought. Alejandro Hidalgo is a storyteller like no other and as his first feature film, I am very impressed. I can’t get into too much detail about the plot of the film, as I do not want to ruin it for all of you. I can say, however, that the film is beautiful in many ways. There is good character and relationship development between Dulce and her children, giving this film even more of an edge over its genre counterparts. The acting is superb with the cast’s standout member of course being Ruddy Rodriguez as the mother, Dulce, and the cinematography is well done.

It does take some time for The House at the End of Time to really pick up, but once you learn of its true nature, you won’t take your eyes off of the screen. If you are in the mood for a good horror mystery film, look no further than this bad boy. Out now from Dark Sky Films, be sure to pick up a copy on DVD today.

I give this film 3.5 little moons out of 5.

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