Horror Challenge #44: "Silent House"

Ok, so when this movie came out, I really really really wanted to see it because I love movies where there's something spooky in the house and people don't realize it until it's too late.  The movie make me uncomfortable, because they get under my skin and whenever there's a strange noise in my house, I convince myself that it's a ghost or monster or killer or something.  The characters in these movies hear noises in the house, and like we do they brush it off and figure it's all imagination, until they find out THERE REALLY IS SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE OMG!  That scenario never ceases to scare me.  So this movie, which happens in real time with no cuts to the next morning where you're safe (no, you're trapped in the DARK CREEPY NIGHT FOR THE WHOLE MOVIE) .  these movies get to me, is hat I'm saying.  So I wanted to see this movie, but friends of mine saw it and said it was less than stellar, so that kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm, so I waited awhile before I watched this one, but I'm really glad I did, because I LOVED it.

So the premise of this movie is that a young woman named Sarah is helping her uncle and her dad fix up their old abandoned house so they can sell it.  Once in the house, things begin to unravel and Sarah keeps hearing noises and getting scared.  To be honest, for awhile this premise was getting old, because I felt like she spent the entire movie running around the house with that look on her face that's in the poster, and nothing seemed to be happening, but once things start to happen, the movie goes pretty quickly and I felt dazed and confused and scared, really identifying with Sarah as she rushes around scared of her own shadow because she's not sure what's going on but she knows some evil is going to happen.

I totally understand why some people wouldn't like this movie.  Like I said, it spends an inordinate amount of time showing Elizabeth Olson running around looking scared, and while I LOVE the ending, I can see why it would annoy some people.  Mostly it's Elizabeth Olson who pulls it off for me.  I really like her as an actress, she manages to look distress without looking weak or helpless, which encites empathy from me instead of pity.  I wanted her to be ok.  Caring what happened to the character is what kept me engaged with this movie, and I liked it enough to buy it.