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Film News,

ON OUR RADAR - HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET OR HATES

Welcome to the first official post in THE ESTABLISHING SHOT HOT LIST 2012, this is the first entry in an ongoing series shining the spotlight on upcoming features that you should keep an eye out for. It is a tricky business recommending films that we haven't seen as history has shown us even the most talented creatives make missteps (Prometheus *cough*) and nothing is guaranteed in the business of show. Our first official entry into the THE ESTABLISHING SHOT HOT LIST  2012 is:

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT HOT LIST  2012 #8 - Mark Tonderai’s House at the End of the Street or HATES (as he calls it)
I have been waiting a while for Mark Tonderai’s House at the End of the Street for, roughly about three years, well since 2009 which was around the time I watched Hush, Mark Tonderai’s first feature film. Hush starts off as a run of the mill miserable small budget Brit film but pretty soon it transcends the boundaries and turns into an excellent and suspenseful human trafficking thriller/horror. A large part of my enjoyment of Hush was that I knew absolutely nothing about it and we got to watching it by mistake after a mix up with another film called Hush - but it was worth it as we were paid back in spades as it is an outstanding debut from a talented Director.

House at the End of the Street Poster

What would you do if you saw someone in trouble? Would you help, or turn the other way? In HUSH, a young couple, Zakes and Beth, are driving up a dark, rain-soaked M1, when they are abruptly cut off by a wildly-driven truck. For a brief moment, the back of the truck rolls open to reveal what looks like a distressed, half-naked woman, tied up and caged. Only half convinced of the reality of what he has seen, Zakes reports the incident to the police and then tries to put the whole thing out of his mind.

Shocked and angry at how unconcerned he is. Beth storms off when they pull in at a service station. When Zakes goes to look for her, she’s nowhere to be found... but a familiar looking truck, driven by a mysterious hooded figure, is pulling out of the car park. Knowing in his gut that the unthinkable has happened and Beth has been kidnapped, Zakes chases after the truck and so begins a brutal game of cat-and-mouse on the motorway.

A tense and taut thriller, Hush keeps you on the edge of your seat while asking the uncomfortable question how far would you go to save someone you love?

Hush is a genuinely excellent and suspenseful addition to the genre, belying its low budget it is incredibly well shot and allows the characters to develop enough to deliver engaging performances. I couldn’t believe that film fans weren't shouting about Hush, in a market flooded with mediocre and clichéd entries exploiting socio economic conditions here was an original and genuinely great little piece of escapism that draws you in and keeps you engaged throughout. Sure there are moments of weakness but it is an outstanding debut from a clearly talented Director going places.

Well I kept an ear out for Tonderai to see what he would be doing next and slowly amongst his personal musings updates about his new project started leaking from his Facebook page and Twitter account over at http://twitter.com/MarkTonderai - a visit to LA, meetings, updates on his blog chronicling his creative process and discoveries (search SCRIPTLAND over on his site http://www.shonafilms.co.uk/?s=SCRIPTLAND ) Variety breaking the story that Tonderai would be directing House at the End of the Street a tense psychological thriller written by Jonathan Mostow (sadly around this time a interview request got me put on the naughty Facebook list ), castings - Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Shue – shaping up nicely, shooting, distribution, test screenings and finally an official synopsis and media started being released.

House at the End of the Street First Look at Jennifer Lawrence as Elissa

House at the End of the Street
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) stars in THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET, a spine tingling thriller directed by Mark Tonderai (HUSH) and also starring Elizabeth Shue (Piranha 3D) and Max Thieriot (Chloe.)

Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence)and her mother (Elizabeth Shue) move to a new town only to find that they are living next door to a house where a young girl murdered her parents. Locals claim that the girl mysteriously vanished after the incident, but as Elissa becomes close to the girls brother (Max Thieriot), she learns that a dark and terrible secret still lurks within those walls and this sinister story of murder is far from over.

Allie MacDonald (Jillian) and Jennifer Lawrence (Elissa) in House at the End of the Street

Well it looks like Tonderai has making a bona fide big film with some top tier talent. I have been eagerly waiting House at the End of the Street hoping to see Tonderai take a fresh look at the “House” sub genre. I got to see the House at the End of the Street trailer on the big screen at The Momentum Showcase at Kapow! Comic Convention back in May and it seems that Tonderai has brought his visual skills to bear again as well as give his talented cast - SERIOUSLY! JENNIFER LAWRENCE - HUNGER GAMES, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, WINTER'S BONE and despite the travesty of Piranha 3D (what a waste of talent including Director Alexandre Aja), Elizabeth Shue is a talent to be reckoned with looking for a decent role - some serious script to get their heads into. Hopefully a rewarding challenge for both of them that will pay back in spades on screen.


House at the End of the Street will be in cinemas 21 September, 2012 and I’m holding thumbs that Tonderai pulls a rabbit out of the hat and transposes his magic to a big budget production to again rise above a sub genre jam packed with mediocre clutter.

Max Thieriot (Ryan) and Jennifer Lawrence (Elissa) in House at the End of the Street

You can follow Director Mark Tonderai over at http://twitter.com/MarkTonderai or
www.shonafilms.com.

House at the End of the Street
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) stars in THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET, a spine tingling thriller directed by Mark Tonderai (HUSH) and also starring Elizabeth Shue (Piranha 3D) and Max Thieriot (Chloe). Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence)and her mother (Elizabeth Shue) move to a new town only to find that they are living next door to a house where a young girl murdered her parents. Locals claim that the girl mysteriously vanished after the incident, but as Elissa becomes close to the girls brother (Max Thieriot), she learns that a dark and terrible secret still lurks within those walls and this sinister story of murder is far from over.

House at the End of the Street Jennifer Lawrence Elissa

House at the End of the Street releases 21st September, from Momentum.

House at the End of the Street UK Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/HATESmovie
House at the End of the Street UK Twitter Account
https://twitter.com/HATESMovie

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