I was confused at first. Very often when someone slaps the label 'Thriller' on a film its because they didn't have the sack to go full force horror, or think that because they've read enough John Grisham novels in airport lounges they know how to keep an audience hanging on every moment. And, usually, they fall face first. Its spectacularly difficult to keep the average viewer's interest (especially mine, I'll admit it) all the way up until the conclusion – that's 3 acts and roughly 90 minutes of tension – no small feat.

And that is essentially what you'll find in The House Across the Street. I say essentially because there are moments of lassitude where the momentum ebbs, or the writing is a bit awkward and pulls you out, but it is otherwise a fully immersive experience, and by the final act you'll be unable to look away or even exactly understand what's going on until the end.

Its a remarkable combination, I think, that holds the viewer. Thoughtful shots, a bleak and hopeless mood, bizarre characters and a compelling lead (Jessica Sonneborn as Amy) together build a sense of unease, that nothing is OK, that this thin veneer of happiness in an idyllic and quiet neighborhood is hiding something horrifying, slick and slimy.

Ugh. Still makes my skin crawl a bit. Makes you look twice at that neighbor that always waves when he's throwing out the trash, or offers to mow your lawn – makes you second guess those split second appraisals we make of others. What is it that Mom always used to say?

"Don't judge a book by its cover." The House Across the Street brings new light to that sentiment, and breath to the idea that 'nothing is ever as it seems'. Do you really know whats going on around you? What happens behind closed doors? Do you even dare give life to the possible horror that other people are capable of?

TL;DR The House Across the Street taps directly into our primordial hive mind and distills the primitive juices of terror from our collective lizard brain, leaving the viewer agape, jaw planted thoroughly on the floor.

Original review at http://horriblyhooched.com/

Review: I really wasn't a fan of this movie because the storyline is really slow and the random events were a bit too sketchy. Its about a troubled woman who moves to a quiet town to try and escape her past. After witnessing a car accident outside her house, she starts to ask questions around the town, which upsets the police and some of the locals. She also sees strange visitors turning up to the house in front, so she puts her investigating hat on, to try and find out more about the strange goings on. Everywhere she turns, she hits a brick wall so she befriends a cop who is also intrigued about the house across the street. After a while, the story starts to make sense but it does take its time getting there. The woman seems to be walking around in a daze through most of the movie and her schizophrenic nature made her character look and feel a bit strange. Personally, I found her acting a bit dull and emotionless, especially when her ex-boyfriend helped her out and she kept on treating him like rubbish for no apparent reason. Anyway, I liked it when it all came together at the end but it was still a bad script and the poor acting didn't help. I also didn't like the way the film was filmed but that just me being picky. In all, it's a total waste of time and money and I can completely understand why the critics gave it the thumbs down. Awful!

Round-Up: The actress who plays the lead, Jessica Sonneborn, has starred in over 40 movies but they have all been low budget and unheard of. She wrote, directed and starred in Alice D, which I've never heard of and she also starred in Never Open The Door, A Lure: Teen Fight Club and Love Addict. She might be better in those movies but I didn't really rate her in this one. The director, Arthur Luhn, has only directed 6 movies but none of them turned out to be anything big. Anyway, Eric Roberts acts the same in all of his movies so I wasn't that surprised with his input but it's really the lead actress who let this film down. At the end of the day, I really didn't enjoy this film but the twist at the end wasn't bad.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their thrillers about a woman who moves to a strange town and starts to investigate weird episodes which occur in the house in across the street. 2/10

Okay folks...if you see Eric Roberts in the cast of any movie, consider this a RED FLAG. I have yet to see ANY movie with him in it to be any good. This movie that my wife and I watched wasn't very good but at the same time, I've seen worse. Maybe it's because Eric Roberts wasn't the lead in this movie. The plot was weak and I kept waiting for something to happen, not to mention...I originally thought this was a horror movie. I think my wife may have suckered me into watching one of her lifetime thriller movies. Kept expecting something haunted popping up from the house like a vengeful spirit or anything supernatural. Nope. My recommendation...if you see this review...please check into something else. You'll just regret wasting your time with this one. Peace.