The film director Alejandro Hidalgo, created in the country of the Bolivarian Revolution, in 2013 inexplicably reached the national box office. “The House at the End of Times” deserved critical reviews from critics, it is recommended for viewing because of an intriguing combination of genres. The dramatic narrative includes thriller elements and recognizable horror elements. According to movie experts, the tape is a fascinating mystical timeline. Project rating IMDb: 6.80. One of the main advantages of the tape can be considered that the director, while explicitly quoting Hollywood masterpieces, managed to maintain the national flavor of the poor, but very proud Venezuelan.
Short storyline
The plot of the film “The House at the End of Times” begins with an acquaintance with the main character Dulce, who, after serving thirty years in prison for the murder of her husband and son, is released. A mistakenly condemned middle-aged woman, convinced of innocence, returns to her home to restore, like a mosaic, the terrible events of the past. Her smell of damp and dilapidated housing still keeps the secret of the tragedy that has radically changed the previously carefree life of a Venezuelan housewife. Among the moldy, blackened walls, Dulce is looking for difficult answers: her first-born Leopoldo was drawn into the darkness by an incomprehensible “something”. A girl-medium and a local priest help her to clarify the circumstances of the incident. With the advent of people, the house seems to come to life, incomprehensible shadows flicker, floorboards creak, and the clock hands move in different directions.
Almost from the very beginning, the narrative of the film “The House at the End of Times” (2013) breaks up into flashbacks of the past, diluted with a demonstration of the events of the present.
Mystery with a human face
The authors in reviews of The House at the End of Times emphasize that the work of the Venezuelan director Alejandro Hidalgo at first seems to pretend to be a typical mystical horror about the intrigues of long-haired evil ghosts, but this is a film-changeling. Fans of the genre will feel gloomy alarming notes at the moment when flashbacks with the participation of children begin. Many authors compare this authorial trick with the research of Stephen Spielberg in "Alien". But only Hidalgo has a green man with a huge head, of course, not. After the narrative evokes associations with the works of M. Knight Shyamalan. And in the final third of the timing, the film becomes similar in spirit to the projects of the Spanish horror-makers, who have succeeded in turning horrors into touching, and sometimes sentimental, stories like "The Devil's Ridge." In consolation to the zealous fans of mystical horror, it can be noted that the picture “The House at the End of Times” is intriguing not by sentiments, but by riddles. Together with the characters, the viewer puts together a mosaic of events, unravels the secrets of a gloomy structure, and boo-moments will not let you get bored. At the end of the film, viewers, according to their reviews of the “House at the End of Times,” remain grateful to the authors for a pleasant atmosphere and moderately unpredictable ending.
Features
Among the shortcomings of the film, reviewers most often recall a format close to soap operas and the inherent sweetness of the Latin American film industry on the verge of cloying. Frightening moments in the story can also be counted on the fingers, and they do not differ in special originality. The director sacrifices the genre nuances of horror, focusing on the complexities of human relationships. Hidalgo turns out to be a skilled storyteller, so the story is intriguing until the very end credits. His brainchild is blamed for the infantile naivety of the plot, but it all depends on the personal perception of the beholder.
The actors of “Home at the End of Times” are little known to the general public, but this is not a drawback of the tape. Rather, on the contrary, their fresh, not familiar faces give the story a certain charm. Although the starring actress Ruddy Rodriguez is probably known to the viewer for her episodic role in Desperate Housewives and one of the series “Bond” under the heading “Sparks from the Eyes” with Timothy Dalton.
The opinion of critics
Domestic art critics in their assessments showed unprecedented restraint. In the reviews on “House at the End of Times”, they designated the project as the next horror of those that appear at the box office monthly. According to their authoritative opinion, the picture is able to surprise with the scene and the output - the sinister house in Venezuela and the evil, inextricably linked with the national Indian culture. Of all the characters, specialists, like their overseas colleagues, single out the three key characters: a medium girl, an elderly lady (the hostess of the house) and a priest. Many reviewers have expressed regret that clergymen do not attend horror screenings, as they received yet another confirmation of the fact that one must speak out against evil with the cross.
A columnist for Social News Daily, working on the compilation of "The 5 Best Horror Films," stated that the work of Alejandro Hidalgo is truly a worthy horror.
To be continued…
In general, "House at the End of Times" is a worthy representative of the Latin American film industry. The film was awarded several awards at film festivals, including Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre (BARS), the American FilmQuest Festival and the Screamfest Horror Film Festival.
In 2017, the South Korean version was released, called the “House Out of Time”. The picture is a remake of the Venezuelan tape, the story directed by Lim Dae-un is told almost unchanged.
More recently, rumors have leaked in the media that New Line Cinema is about to start shooting the American version.