User reviews

Okay, I'm no part Venezuelan.

It's a good film. American audiences, take it for what it is, a low budget film from a small film industry. Yes, it has weakpoints, but also strengths.

Pros: innovative plot twists, well filmed. Cons: Slow starter, overdramatizing music gives away some surprises, a few connections are contrived. Overall: A good twist on a psychological pensive ghost story.

Who might like this? It's a little old school, like Gaslight, with some of the Spanish style, like Del Toro's Devil's Backbone. A touch of The Others, not as polished, but if you like those films, and are looking for something else, this would be a good one to watch.

ps.

To reviewers & commenters : Don't knock countries. Americans love European & Mexican movies. We're not latinophobes. Key? Subtlety. It's much more powerful if a twist happens and we almost miss it, and then wham, it's there. Just like some day noticing "oh, huh, they're from Venezuela."

This needed saying because of the number of comments on the topic comments and reviews. I know funding is hard to come by for major projects in Venezuela, so kudos, keep it up. I look forward to future results.

The House At The End Of Time is touted as being the first feature length horror-thriller from Venezuela...and it is that country's highest grossing film of all time.

It tells the story of a woman named Dulce, based on the experiences she has after moving into a house with a dark history.

Basically, the house had sat abandoned for years, only to see the government seize it and offer to a family in need.

Enter Dulce and her family.

They move into the house, only to start experiencing eerie phenomenon.

Then, one night, they are attacked by ghosts: an old man carrying a knife, and a young boy, at least.

We follow from the perspective of Dulce, who wakes up bleeding on the ground...only to find her husband stabbed...and watch her son be seized away into the darkness.

For this, she is arrested. Because there is no evidence that anyone else was ever in the house...and she can't explain the dead body and missing boy.

Fast forward 30 years later, and Dulce (now an elderly woman) has been released from prison and returned to her home.

She is under protective custody, but is adamant that she wants to find her child. So she illicits the help of the local priest.

He is able to offer her moral and psychological support, but the police won't let him hang around long enough to help otherwise. So, she is left to deal with things on her own.

And this is where it starts to get trippy.

She begins to experience the events from that fateful day in her past again...but from the other side.

Effectively making her the ghost that has been haunting her past self.

And as the story continues, you slowly start to realize...that her and her family have become lost souls...trapped in time...living out their torment cyclically, forever.

Which might seem horrific, if there wasn't a couple of light-hearted- and extremely clever- twists at the end.

This film is expertly constructed in a circular fashion. And the second half acts as a mirror image of the first (in reverse).

In this sense, it works a lot like Oculus. In that it is an engaging puzzler, whose direction shifts drastically, as you get deeper into the film and are provided with more context.

And that is what makes this film so damn enjoyable.

It's not too complex either. It's really easy to follow, which leaves it accessible to more mainstream audiences.

This is a great film that you should definitely check out.

Not only does it scare you...it establishes Hidalgo as a master manipulator.

Definitely see this...and don't wait for the remake.

7.5 out of 10.

This should not be placed in the genre of "Horror." This is a science fiction thriller mystery. While hard sci-fi is based on believable technology, soft sci-fi is based on mysterious elements which focus on other things. Think "2001: A Space Odyssey" vs. "The Time Traveler's Wife." This isn't a good movie "considering it is a product of Venezuela." It is a great watch because it is a well directed, realistically performed entertaining sci-fi short story with no plot holes or loose ends. If you feel there is one, watch it again.

Do not go into it expecting a horror film. It's better than that. It's about the mystery of what happens in this house at a time of marital trouble and childhood tragedies. What is it? Why is it there? How is it there? Find out.

This movie was quite surprising. Surprisingly good, as I would not have thought of such refreshing ideas in a horror movie, for this has become a true rarity in this genre. And it offers some really good and surprising twists, another rarity in the horror genre. There are some plotholes, sure, (who will cast the first stone?) but all in all this is a good and effective horror movie that focuses more on the characters than on jump scares and has a (most of the time) well-thought-out story. Its spirit positively reminded me of "El orfanato" and "El espinazo del diablo".

Get ready to hear about a film that set box office records in Venezuela and became the all-time highest grossing thriller in that country, owing to notable creativity that has since been admired worldwide. Few in the U.S. have heard of the horror mystery "The House at the End of Time" (NR, 1:41). There are good reasons for that, but there are equally good reasons to hear about it now. The film, titled "La casa del fin de los tiempos" in Spanish, first premiered at the Venezuelan Film Festival in June of 2013, followed by a nationwide release in that country. In 2014, the film made its way through film festivals and both limited and nationwide releases across Europe and South America as well as in the U.S., where it received the top award at two different festivals. The movie has since appeared at other festivals, including as the closing presentation at Houston's Venezuelan Film Festival (August 11-15, 2015). Given the government controls on the media in the film's country of origin and the unique nature of the film's storytelling, seeing this movie on a big screen in the U.S. is a special treat.

The film opens with a woman lying consciousness on the floor in her home. She is just beginning to stir. Her face has been slashed and she is lying amongst pieces of a broken mirror. She picks up and looks into one of the larger pieces to examine the wounds on her face. Then that jagged chunk of mirror becomes a dagger as she cautiously but anxiously searches the rest of the dark house for her family. In the basement, she finds her husband lying dead in a pool of blood. She then sees her son standing near a doorway across the room. He appears unhurt. She calls to him and he tentatively takes a couple small steps towards her, but is then suddenly and inexplicably swept backwards through the doorway. The door slams shut and the boy is gone. The woman, whose name is Dulce (Ruddy Rodriguez), is promptly arrested, tried and sentenced for the murder of her husband, Juan José (Gonzalo Cubero) and the presumed murder of her son, Leopoldo (Rosmel Bustamante), who is still missing and is presumed dead.

30 years later, an elderly Dulce is released from prison to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest back in the same spooky old house where her husband was murdered and her boy disappeared. There are two police officers (Alexander Da Silva and William Lodoño) guarding the house's front gate and the only person allowed to visit the old woman is a priest (Guillermo Garcia) and only at certain prearranged times. Dulce treats the young priest with barely concealed contempt, having lost her faith in God long ago, and still bitter over losing three decades of her life because of a crime she says she did not commit. Despite all this, Dulce begins to tell the incredulous priest her side of the story.

Through flashbacks, we get a picture of what life was like in that house before tragedy struck. Dulce is in a loveless marriage with Juan José, a man she no longer respects due to his ongoing unemployment and repeated empty promises to find a job. The couple has two sons, Leopoldo, and the younger Rodrigo (Hector Mercado), who are typical boys and get along as well as a typical brothers do, which is to say… sometimes. Life isn't particularly happy in this house, but it isn't particularly unusual, until strange things start happening to the family. Unexplained noises are heard and apparitions appear, most notably, an old woman who warns the family of a tragic future which lies ahead. As Dulce tells the priest her story and he does some research on the unusual history of that house, it becomes clear that everything that happened to Dulce and her family is tied together and has something to do with their family home.

"The House at the End of Time" is original and appropriately creepy, but is a bit too ambitious for its own good. Although the unraveling of the mystery reminds me of one particular horror movie (which I'll refrain from naming in order to avoid a possible spoiler), writer-director Alejandro Hidalgo takes the concept much farther than I've ever seen similar ideas taken before. Unfortunately, in doing so, the plot and its resolution become very complicated and leave crucial questions unanswered. This film was made for a very small budget, which doesn't really hurt the film's quality, but doesn't excuse the distractingly frequent typos in the English subtitles. This film shows that a good idea is the most important ingredient for a successful movie, but filmmakers also need to be sure their reach doesn't exceed their grasp. "B"

This movie surpassed my expectations in every possible way. Even though it it doesn't have the best special effects or the highest budget, it is still one of the best suspense/horror movies I've ever watched. Why? Because the plot is sincerely excellent! It's original and you just cannot guess what's going to happen. It was carefully thought and every single detail of the movie fits perfectly, like a puzzle. The performing of the actors was really good as well, and the movie didn't feel cheap or fake! I wish this movie would get more attention.

You should definitely give this movie a try, because you will not regret it.

I see all the other reviews and feel like I should talk about how awesome this movie is but the fact is that the trailer sold the movie as a horror, convinced me to buy on that premise, and let me down. So, this review will be based on my expectations of a horror. It did have a good story, which I feel didn't really make sense in the end, but a good story none the less. I think they started revealing the secrets way too early because I had already pieced the whole thing together about 2/3 of the way through and the last 3rd, which is suppose to be the most suspenseful, turned out to be very predictable. To summarize my thoughts, this movie had a lot of potential and I think a better directory could have done a whole lot more with it.

Terrible things happen in Dulce's house in 1981; such terrible things that she has been in prison ever since. In 2011, now an old woman, Dulce is the beneficiary of a boon from the Venezuelan government - she is allowed to leave the prison, but she must remain on house arrest (complete with armed guards outside 24/7), in the very house where those terrible events occurred. And now it seems that they are about to occur again, and again, and again....

I don't want to say much at all about this film because its power comes from its unexpected twists and turns and things we, the audience, never saw coming. I don't like scary movies much because, well, I don't like being scared - and this one definitely scared me, there were at least half a dozen times when I jumped in my seat (and perhaps screamed a little)! But I ended up really loving this film, in part because of the way it unfolds and in part because of the very fine acting, by Ruddy Rodriguez as Dolce especially, but also including Gonzalo Cubero as her husband Juan Jose, Rosmel Bustamente as her son Leo and (the very handsome) Hector Mercado as the local priest. My only quibble has to do with the fact that all the rooms in the house are always kept locked, whether family members are in them or not; I didn't quite understand that. But if you're looking for a very classy "supernatural thriller," you wouldn't go wrong by choosing to search this one out; truly excellent!

For a while, I found this movie to be boring and not interesting. Then things started to get interesting, but also confusing. So the first two thirds or so of this movie I would have given just a few stars as my rating. It was not before the last parts things became interesting. The revelation of the twist reminded me of "Matrix" in the way that everything that previously was completely meaningless and absurd in the beginning suddenly became understandable.

I have read a couple of reviews that claims that there are plot holes in this story. I HATE plot holes and I HATE badly executed twists, and I find them to more or less ruin a movie. But I could not find any, and none of those who claims that there are plot holes in this movie have stated what those plot holes are supposed to be as far as I have seen! So I wonder if those who claim that there are plot holes in this movie just have not understood the twist and the explanations for events before the revelation of the twist???

All in all I found this movie to be a pleasant surprise even if the mother at times showed a terrible and unthankful personality, making her unsympathetic. But I guess that was a necessity to make the husband trigger and act as he did, and thereby make the story possible even if the triggering probably could have been done in a better way.

"La Casa Del Fin De Los Tiempos" is a surprisingly well made thriller which have great performances, especially by Ruddy Rodríguez who really takes you into this story. Good screenplays, good editing and an excellent location also come with it.

There is a plenty of scenes that make you jump with a good storyline that catch your attention, really great sound editing and an excellent atmosphere bring this thriller alive. The progress of the movie goes in a good motion, not too fast not too slow and when it probably could be a little predictable still is a great experience to watch.

If you're a thriller fan, this movie will be enough for you.

Returning to her home thirty years after the horrible event that resulted in her imprisonment, Dulce (Ruddy Rodriguez) recounts what really took place. Dulce is helped by a priest (Guillermo Garcia) to unlock the incredible mystery of THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME.

This wonderful, Argentinian film is a treat for both lovers of the paranormal and science fiction. Bathed in otherworldly atmosphere, the unique story unfolds -almost- like a horror movie, until its secrets are finally revealed. Ms. Rodriguez carries most of the movie, with a truly great performance! If you're tired of the cookie-cutter thrillers of our day, then try this spooky, mind-bending gem...

A mysterious 2015 Venezuelan film with a good dose of suspense. All the mystery house movie clichés have been used successfully. Also, the drama is not bad.

In the movie, there is a family with 2 small boys and a financial problem. This family lives in a house that was given to them cheaply by the government. But they are not alone at home. There are people whose existence is unnatural. The movie is watched with interest and the events are well connected. There are no nude scenes. I recommend it to fans of the genre.

I read on the forum that the reviews for this film are suspiciously alike and might even come from the same source close to the production. So, I'm here to tell you that doesn't really matter, because the movie is good and it is very much worth watching.

I went into it completely unarmed. The only thing I knew was the title and the fact that they spoke Spanish. The genre hit me on the head pretty much off the bat and I was happy with it. (Films from Spanish spoken countries have a good tradition in that respect.) I strapped in for the ride and boy was it a thrilling one! I found the movie to be refreshingly good. Not wanting to give away anything (I wish everyone the experience I had), I'll just say that for me it was the engrossing story and the flawless direction that did it. I was completely sucked into the narrative, but as usual I thought I had it all figured out pretty early on. And then I was forced to piece together a new explanation basically every 10 minutes. Which was in itself awesome. Looking back I now see they had me right where they wanted me all the way through the film and right until the very end, hit every cue, killed every mark.

As mentioned, the directing is perfection. (Which means I am now very eager to see more from this Mr. Alejandro Hidalgo!) It's hard to avoid the cliché moves, once within the confines of the specific genre and we've all got pretty much desensitized to those ever-repeating scenes. Well, prepare to change your mind! This will make you see that, if done by a skilled hand, they have not lost their power at all. In fact they work better than ever...

The acting was good too. I especially liked the mother (Ruddy Rodríguez) and the children. There were some scenes where I found it to be a bit telenovela-ish (over the top) - mostly scenes involving the Priest -, but, to be fair, I am very prejudice in that respect.

So, to sum up - and not say anything at all - I enjoyed this movie very much and I highly recommend it. I also strongly recommend finding out why on your own - you'll be grateful for the gift!

Well, I am going to start by saying that I'm Venezuelan and I usually hate venezuelan movies, they are too violent and pointless and I refused to waste my time with those kinds of films. "La Casa del fin de los tiempos" is just amazing, it's a well made thriller with a pinch of horror, but the story is just awesome. The cast is one of the best you can find in the country but the story.. oh the story. It starts with a lot of "action" and you might assume it's just a regular horror movie but while the minutes go by you realize that not everything is what it seems to be. The only negative aspect would be in my opinion the make up but Rudy Rodriguez's performance makes you forget about it. I am proud of this film and I am glad I gave venezuelan movies another chance.

Excellent movie, first Thriller Horror and suspense of Venezuela, an excellent job by the production and direction of this film, I liked a lot, a very good story, leaving the conventional horror, and doing something different.

Ruddy Rodriguez doing an excellent job as "Dulce", the mother of the family is in the house. Proud of this Venezuelan film production. How has grown film production in my country, changing the issues that always spoke in the movies here. A big applause for this Venezuelan movie, it deserve it, great job.

This is the best movie i've ever seen in my country, congratulations.

What initially seems to be just an AMITYVILLE rip-off is in fact an excellent movie that has almost nothing to do with that film. Except the fact that it's about a house LA CASA DEL FIN DE LOS TIEMPOS has a totally different plot, and it's a very good and imaginative one in my perspective!

It's mostly a suspense thriller but it also has an intense dramatic tension in a very well built plot. Along the movie we watch what happened in two different periods, 1981 and 2011, and the ending is absolutely dramatic, but amazing! I appreciated the way this story was built, because it's like a slow burner, creating suspense, and then, in the end, it clarifies everything, in a convincing and remarkable final disclosure.

This movie surprised me a lot because I was expecting an average horror thriller, in the line of AMITYVILLE, as told, but it was a lot better than that, mixing horror, suspense and drama in a fabulous way!

I watched this Venezuelan suspense thriller (claimed to be the first one in this country! If is that so, I have to congratulate them!) in FANTASPORTO - a film festival from my hometown - and I easily score it 9/10! Excellent surprise!

It might seem like it and technically you'd be correct if you call this another haunted house. But that would be just looking on the outside. I'd invite you to get into the house (yes it doesn't seem to be the brightest idea, but wait for it)! Actually the movie has a lot of heart, even when you think it is about to go horribly wrong.

You could also argue, that it all makes sense (in the end). More or less that is. Another factor are the actors. The story twists are one thing (also very nicely timed), but what really helps elevate this besides the clever script are the actors. There are even moments where you might feel a certain sadness and a Deja Vu towards the end third of the movie, that is just amazing. Try to stay open minded. My first/initial reaction wasn't a good one either, but as the movie moved along, I started to see things and it won me over

Hello to all viewers

I'm not a fan of reviews, but in this case, I really like to recommend this movie to all fan of Guillermo Del Toro, Alejandro Amenábar....

this film is in the line of THE OTHERS, EL ESPINOZA DEL DIABLO...

But but with its own personality

I never see a Venezuelan movie, but I'm very happy to find this, because it's a wonderful, nice acting, beautiful location and a story you don't find the way because it's full of reversal situation...

I hope to see another movies like this, the Venezuelan, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, are the worthy successor of the European and especially the Italian movies of the 70's 80's....

I don't want to tell the story, but you should not miss this movie

Greeting of Switzerland