Writer/director Ti West has been a household name in the horror genre for a long time, recently directing the stylish and impressive trilogy of “X,” “Pearl,” and “MaXXXine.” But 15 years ago this month, West rocketed onto the scene with “The House of the Devil,” which was technically his third feature but unquestionably became his breakout calling card. I remember there being tremendous excitement about the film at the time in the blogosphere — this was long before I worked for /Film, but as an avid reader of the site, I recall multiple articles singing its praises, with this one being perhaps the most detailed and effusive. I didn’t dabble too much in horror back then, but I clocked the enthusiasm in the community and tucked it away in the back of my mind.
It took 15 years, but I finally got around to seeing the movie (I’m far more open to horror now), and I understand why it was such an object of fascination at the time: “The House of the Devil” still holds up as an excellent, slow burn horror story with a terrific setup and top-tier execution from everyone involved. If you’re looking for something unnerving to watch as we hurtle toward Halloween, this might be right up your alley.
The House of the Devil makes for excellent spooky season viewing
The pitch: A college student who’s strapped for cash accepts a high-paying babysitting gig at an isolated mansion on the night of an eclipse, but when she gets there, she discovers the job isn’t quite as straightforward as her employer made it seem over the phone. Most of the movie consists of West slowly cranking up the tension as the babysitter wanders around this largely empty house. We know someone else is present, but the occupant is lurking off screen for so long that the suspense eventually becomes almost unbearable; every time the babysitter turns a corner, you get the feeling someone (or something) could jump out and make this uneasy gig into the worst night of her life.
West set the movie in the 1980s, and unlike other movies that garishly approximate that decade’s most obnoxious aesthetics, this one takes a more subtle approach. The casting of the then-basically-unknown Jocelin Donahue (who has some serious Karen Allen-as-Marion-Ravenwood or Margot Kidder-in-“Sisters” vibes) helps immerse the audience into this environment, along with visible film grain (it was shot on 16mm film), the feathered hairstyles of the female characters, and a couple of ’80s bangers on the soundtrack. The movie is less interested in gore and viscera — though there is some — than in putting you on edge as you watch the protagonist wander through dark, empty spaces. Obviously, she should have done the only reasonable thing possible: Sat silently with her back to the wall with her eyes constantly darting back and forth between the locked front door and locked windows until the time elapsed. (Okay, fine, that tactic ultimately wouldn’t have worked in this specific case, but you get what I mean!)
My colleague and I spoke a bit about this film (and several others) on today’s episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:
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