Fantastic Fest 2009

Ti West's House of the Devil is an occult shocker that is not only set in the 1980s but invokes horror films from that era. Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is ready to move out of her college dorm and away from her partying roommate. She finds the perfect apartment near school. The landlady (Dee Wallace) is willing to let her have the place if she can come up with a month's rent by the following Monday. With the help of her friend Megan (Greta Gerwig), Samantha lands a temporary babysitter job with the Mr. and Mrs. Ulman (Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov). Once Samantha arrives at the Ulman's big creaky house in the middle of nowhere, she is told that the job is slightly different than the one that was advertised. Samantha takes the job anyway, but after the Ulmans leave for the evening, she comes to regret her decision to stay.

 

House of the Devil nails the time period, including the clothes, the feathered haircuts and the pop and rock tunes. It also embraces a style of film-making that was more often seen in the 1980s. Current horror films tend to get by with a lot of fast cuts, quick jolts, and loud music. In contrast, West dials back the speed and places an emphasis on suspense. House of the Devil follows a well-defined arch that unfolds at a deliberate pace over the length of its running time. The film uses wide shots, long takes, slow zooms and slow cutting to squeeze as much tension as possible from the scenario. By holding back for so long, the film's explosive third act has that much more impact. House of the Devil weaves together elements of old-school horror in a way that is both familiar and fresh. (Rodney Perkins)