Film Review: The House of the Devil
The House of the Devil (2009)
Studio: Magnet Releasing
Theatrical Release Date: October 30, 2009
Directed By: Ti West
Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig, Tom Noonan
Review By: Dustin Hall
My lack of cable television sometimes leaves me feeling deprived. I certainly don’t miss the reality TV, or the abominations that VH1 and MTV have become. And thanks to online viewing, I don’t have to miss my favorite shows of the Comedy or Sci-fi genre. Jon Stewart streams directly into my home. But one thing I do miss, is the random late-night creature-feature. I grant you, those aren’t the same as they once were, with hosts like Elvira and Joe Bob Briggs now seeking other venues and sources of income; still, there was little joy greater than flipping on the tube at 2 AM, with junk-food aplenty, and finding a new horror gem being broadcast into your face.
And believe me, at this point in my movie-watching career, finding something new and cool is not just difficult. It’s a God-send. So when I saw the trailer for House of the Devil, I knew what to do: 2 AM, a homemade pizza and a bag of Jalapeno chips at the ready, coupled with a Super Big-Gulp of Dr. Pepper, I challenged Ti West to scare the shit out of me.
What makes House of the Devil stand out right away, and this is the same kind of love and affection that Quentin Tarantino shows his work as well, is the intentionally retro-styling. The House of the Devil takes all of the best parts of horror from the late 70′s, early 80′s, and smashes it together into a neat package. The film is just a little grittier than it could be, and the synthesizer score hearkens back to Halloween and Suspiria and their garage-craft, electronic beats. Of course, the film is set in the 80′s as well, so the clothes and sets all feel a little aged and worn as well.
All of this not only establishes the genre and time-period of the film, but it also has the effect of making it a bit creepier. The 70′s and 80′s were the last great time of the grind-house studios, and its from these that our legendary horror films come; Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Exorcist, Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead. Invoking not the name, but rather the style, of these terrifying icons makes House of the Devil all the more creepy and intense. There’s a moment of chuckles at the beginning, as we become attuned to old editing styles and the 80′s ‘dos, and then after that we’re reminded of a time when Horror movies weren’t just date fodder, but visceral films meant to scare you.
The story here is pretty straightforward. Sam (Jocelin Donahue) is a young girl in need of some extra rent money, and so she takes up a babysitting job in the countryside to make the scratch. The couple that hires her is decidedly strange, and soon reveals that the ‘baby’ Sam is sitting is actually an elderly woman. Sam accepts the job anyway, though her friend Megan (the adorable Greta Gerwig) cruises in the area in case things get out of hand. As the night progresses, it becomes more and more apparent to Sam that something foul is afoot. With the eclipse looming in the night sky, a mystical malice begins to fill the air.
Overall, House of the Devil is a remarkably well-put together film, especially for the little indie crew. Ti West has done a great job wearing the three hats of Writer, Director, and Editor. The foley is a little overboard (I had no idea eating pizza was so epic and audible, but I can hear every atom of Megan’s teeth grinding through her crust), but aside from minor nit-picks, this movie is well-performed, well shot, and never drops a beat. It keeps its 80′s feel throughout every moment, funny when it means to be, and scary the rest of the time. Tom Noonan is particularly impressive as the giant Mr. Ulman, at once both creepy and suave, he has a cool, cooing voice that sounds rational, but has a vague eeriness hanging from every word.
The one thing that might lose favor with viewers is the pacing. House of the Devil copies the style of an 80′s horror in this aspect too, meaning that it feels slow. Terribly slow. New horror has redefined the pace. In modern movies, it assumes we already know what the characters will be like, what monsters are, and that we’re really here for the guts, and so it simply by passes all the trimmings and just rushes through the movie in a torrent of blood and slashes, for better or worse. The House of the Devil takes its time, slowly building the tension. In a 90-minute film, the first 30 are spent establishing the simple story and characters, the second 30 cooking the tension to a boil, and the last 30 finally allowing you to indulge in sloppy, gooey bloodshed. Its a classic 3-act structure, but you do have to appreciate watching an hour of a girl getting weirded out over a babysitting job before you get to the meat an’ potatoes.
Having heard enough complaints about other horror classics of yore from those bred on modern horror, I know there will be those who don’t find the movie tense or scary at all. It depends then, on whether you prefer atmosphere or a body-count in your horror. Body count isn’t something The House of the Devil has, with only 4 real kills, 3 of them off-screen. But the atmosphere is excellently structured, so when those kills do come they’re positively explosive. It’s a lot of wait, but well worth your patience.
At the end of the night, stuffed with chips and Dr. Pepper, I can’t say I was terribly frightened by Mr. West’s work. But then, I’m an old veteran of horror. It takes a lot. I was hearkened back to my High School days when there was always some new, hidden gem of the genre to find, in the time when movies could still truly be scary. I was still given a vastly entertaining time watching a cast of virtual unknowns deliver the best damn movie they could, and do a pretty knockout job of it. Not perfect, but worth checking out, to be sure.
House of the Devil makes its debut in theaters this Halloween, and is an excellent late-night drive-in feature for the holiday. The even numbered Saw films suck anyway. Catch this instead.
Brutal as Hell rating: 4 out of 5
