The House of the Devil (2009)

Using 16mm film, Ti West creates a movie that shoots us back to the 80's and reminds us of the slasher films of that time. The retro look is captured through West's way of zooming in on characters and inanimate objects, a style more typical in the 80's that would now be shot on a dolly. The topic of satanism is also something that many were introduced to in the 80s. However, what I most enjoyed about this film was the unique suspense created through a seemingly real-life scenario. We cared for the main character Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) and understood her struggle of being a broke college student and needing to make money fast. She has a roommate who is the typical "bad girl" while Samantha is the "good girl." Ironically enough, Samantha is the one that leads them to their misfortune. The bad signs start (literally) when she sees a babysitter-wanted flyer hanging on a bulletin board at school. The villains are then all introduced by being talked about first, but never actually seen. This style of having an unseen entity also makes one reminisce of iconic films such as Psycho. Once the villains in The House of Devil are introduced there is even bottom lighting that casts shadow so you can't really identify them at first and feel a sense of disconnect. West is able to create an underlying feeling of suspense from beginning to end. His use of long-shots specifically made it feel like anything could pop out of anywhere, at any time. The long-shots at time also made it feel like Samantha was being watched, but this was even more accomplished through West's use of fragmentation of the body. In some parts the characters weren't completely in frame as though the audience was hiding behind something watching them. In the end, even the characters of The House of the Devil knew they were getting into something they shouldn't. But, Samantha's pride makes her think it's all worth it until the very end where we are shocked and traumatized by the gore and the jarring editing they couldn't show us back in the 80s.

A review of The House of the Devil If you love slow building suspense and not knowing what is coming around the next corner, you will love this movie. However for myself, I found the movie to be rather boring. The film had a really slow build with not much build up for an epic finale that lasted about five minutes. This movie was the biggest tease of a horror movie I have seen. The artistry and techniques throughout the film were beautifully done, however the actual build up and story was rather bland. I was expecting the movie to be much more suspenseful than a girl wandering a house for 50 minutes. There were maybe two points throughout the entire movie where my heartrate increased, other than that I was just trying to stay focused. If you can get past the slow burn throughout the first 75 minutes of the movie then the ending is well worth it. I just had higher hopes for more stalker-ish, satanic ritual and a creepier house than were presented throughout the film. However, with plot and story set aside, this film is a work of art. The style in which it was made to replicate an 80s movie was beautifully done. It hardly felt like I was watching a film made in 2009. The costumes and soundtracks were brilliant, adding to the suspense and feel of an 80s horror flick. The low lighting effects as well as low and canted camera angles created incredible visual effects along with the 16mm film added a haunting effect.

*SPOILERS*By now, the conventions of 80's horror are well established within the genre. The final girl, panning shots, and incredibly tall hair. But what would an 80's film look like in a modernized world? That is the question House of the Devil seeks to answer. Director Ti West looks to shock viewers by broadcasting the nightmares experienced by Samantha, a babysitter just looking to make a quick buck. However, she ends up signing up for something much more sinister. Where House of the Devil succeeds is not only in it's accurate portrayal of the decade, but also the slow, gradual build to its climax. West takes makes the film feel as if it's a roller coaster slowly rising to it's descent, with low- angle shots of the gloomy house and a eerily-aching score. The backing music helps capture the magic of having a brilliant score, similar to the slasher flicks of decades before, such as John Carpenter's Halloween. But this film is far from being a generic slasher flick - it's quite the opposite. The House of the Devil is a smart, goosebumps- inducing film which tells the tale that not everything is what it appears to be on the surface. We find ourselves hoping for the pizza that Samantha ordered to just be a pizza, but we know better - and that's the best and worst part about this film. We, as the viewers, know that whatever is going to happen to this sweet babysitter (and trust me, what happens will surprise you more than you are ever expecting) is not going to be great, but we keep rooting for her to make it out alive. By the time we are finally able to get a close up shot of the madness (specifically the demonic creature that impregnates her), we're ready for Samantha to end this movie for once and all. The House of the Devil is just the answer to what a modern day 80's horror film should look like - one that invokes a sense of nostalgia, all the while being ready to be the cause of your nightmares.

From the moment we are brought into this film, it is obvious that Ti West's The House of the Devil is going to include a reemergence of the classic '80s stereotypes we have grown to know and love. Ti West does something extremely smart when placing the opening credits over freeze frames of our main character, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), because it allows us to automatically feel connected to her. It also reminds us of the films we have watched over and over. However, with this being a horror film, West also creates an atmosphere that makes the viewer slightly uncomfortable. The dulled sounds and grainy edits, something that we have become accustomed to when viewing films made 30 years ago, is somehow out of place when viewing a movie that came out in the last decade. The feeling of nostalgia that viewers experience is almost misplaced, and it begins the sensation of terror in their stomachs for the anticipation of what may come next. This feeling of dread compounds throughout the movie when little oddities begin to occur, such as Mr. Ulman's peculiar phone habits, strange appearance, "off" mannerisms, and unusual interactions with his own wife, whom Samantha engages with as well. Everything adds to this dreadful feeling. So, commence the white knuckles on every viewer, as Samantha is left alone in this Hitchcockian house. The suspense builds, and the mise-en-scène alone is enough to make a viewer go mad. Although there are moments of relief placed strategically throughout, the anticipation for the modern day, fast-paced gore we have grown used to is immense. The lull in the movie, which is preceded by the abrupt and gory death of Samantha's friend Megan, allows a viewer's imagination to run rampant. The yearning for questions to be answered grows exponentially with every passing scene as Samantha slowly explores the home. I commend Ti West's use of these elements that build suspense, similar to the ones that the great Alfred Hitchcock used thoroughly himself. When the film is over, the viewers are left with a feeling in the pit in their stomachs that is never quite resolved… much like Samantha.