THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (2009)
So I had been putting off watching The House Of The Devil, initially I was pretty pumped for it but then I kept hearing it was a bore and nothing happened. Those words really stuck with me, and I was just so hesitant to actually watch it. I really should stop letting opinions like that turn me away from watching things, because I dug the hell outta this film!
Writer/director Ti West set out to make a film that could have been lifted right out of the late 70’s or early 80’s, and he succeeded. The horror genre has been a strange one of the past few years and I can’t blame someone for wanting to go back to a time where it was so strong and solid. Not to that it isn’t strong and solid now, it is just more all over the place. I don’t think this film is ground breaking or absolute genius but it is a smart one.
Up until I actually pressed play I was under the impression this was a haunted house film, I guess that is the vibe I got from the poster and word of mouth. I realised I hadn’t actually watched a single trailer or heard any type of spoilers. It is a nice way to go into a film actually, and as it unraveled I was surprised. I’ll try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. The basic plot is that a college student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is looking to rent a house, and to make some quick cash she accepts a babysitting job for Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan). It is on the night of a lunar eclipse, and strange things begin to happen, but Samantha is in for a lot more than she could have ever imagined.
The plot is simple, it sets the events up really well, and once she gets to the house and a few things are revealed the tension for something bad to happen is high. I was on the edge of my seat just waiting, and the slow build up really worked. Slow burn does not necessarily equal boring, but it does come down to personal tastes. Over the years I have really indulged and enjoyed films that take their time to build up instead of revealing everything up front. Ti West did this perfectly, he has a great understanding of building up tension, suspense and not revealing too much too quickly. By the time things started to go down, I was so nervous and excited for it that it was a great pay off. I couldn’t have imagined what was going to happen, and it took me by surprise.
Jocelin Donahue carried the film well; she actually resembled a young Brooke Adams (intentional?). She was a likeable character, and easy to stick with throughout the film. The girl embodied the character well, and she really understood exactly what was needed of her. Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov were both creepy as anything, and they worked so well. Tom Noonan especially was fantastic, as he is with everything he does. AJ Bowen was decent as well, although he looked far more creepy here than he did in A Horrible Way To Die and he was a known serial killer in that.
Ti West really succeeded with what he intended, the film feels authentic. He shot the film using the methods they did back in the day, and you know despite how far things have come nothing seems to beat that old school feel. I loved the way it was shot, I loved the way it looked, I loved the atmosphere that was created and I really loved the sound design. It was subtle but effective, there is no doubt that Ti West knows his stuff and he is a talented guy. All the elements with this film came together, I had a great time and I think a lot of filmmakers should be taking cues from this. Your film does not need to be filled with balls to the wall insanity to be scary and effective.
Rating:
The Super Network 