Review by Josh Felty
There's something inexplicably charming and nuanced about 1980's horror movies. I don't know if it's the au natural puffy-haired look of the ladies or the retro underlit look of the environs that make 80's fright flicks so appealing, but The House of the Devil has all that and much more broiling under the surface. In a year that has given us studio-driven, virally marketed scares it's refreshing to see a film that's got something more going for it than predictable boogieman spook outs or hyper-kinetic, gut-wrenching shakeycam.
This one starts with a young collegiate heroine, Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue), renting a house to seemingly get away from her roommate's constant partying and screwing. But before she can move in to her new digs, she's gotta make some money. Spying a flier for a babysitting job, Samantha takes a chance and answers the ad. Her friend Megan drives her to the house of the man on the phone, which happens to be miles out in the country. After an odd meeting with the old man Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan), Samantha finds she's been called all that way to watch Mrs. Ulman's elderly mother and also the humongous, Victorian mansion. The fact that the Ulman's are odd and that her friend won't heed her warnings, Megan leaves alone. Safe to say, she doesn't return.
Samantha soon starts discovering clues that something's rotten in Denmark. She eavesdrops on Mr. Ulman talking to his wife upstairs only to discover Mrs. Ulman (Mary Woronov) has actually been going through her fur coats in the basement. The couple leave after Mr. Ulman's insistence on their caretaker calling the pizza place listed on the fridge. Because college kids love pizza. While exploring the upstairs of the house dancing to The Fixx's "One Thing Leads to Another" on her Sony Walkman, Samantha breaks a vase and finds a coat closet full of lady's furs. She continues finding sinister little clues, adding to the impending doom lingering in every inch of this movie from the first frame.
I dare not give any more of this one away because it's seriously that remarkable of a production. Aside from the 80's slasher aesthetic and very talented cast, including The Signal's A.J. Bowen, this film truly demonstrates how effective Hitchcockian suspense really can be in the right hands. Director Ti West not only channels old John Carpenter or Hitchcock, but gives us an ending that is not only familiar and infectiously fresh, but legitimately frightening. It's as though modern horror filmmakers have forsaken the slow gradual build-up of suspense for Blair Witch Project seasickness. Thank you Ti West and crew for not giving into this modern fad, which in honesty needs to go the way of the dodo.
I was most impressed with the lead actress portraying Samantha. She reminds me of a young Jamie Lee Curtis or somebody, and not only that, but she gave a really remarkable performance. And she's in great company: the impeccable Tom Noonan of The Monster Squad and Manhunter fame, A.J. Bowen as mentioned before (whom some of us met in person during the Fright Night Film Fest last year), and the cult-goddess Mary Wornov who's been in almost everything including The Devil's Rejects. The beautiful Dee Wallace also makes an appearance as the landlady, another great I've had the pleasure of meeting in person on the local convention circuit.
The House of the Devil was shot on 16mm to give it that 80's horror look. And it pays off in spades. It seriously looks as though it were shot back in 1981 and is just now seeing a release. I even hear there's promotional copies floating around with the movie on VHS, another retro nod. I recommend you grab some popcorn, pull up a seat, and give this one a spin. Aside from its incredible look, The House of the Devil is a remarkable thriller complete with Satanic rituals, slasher film moments, and that always magnetic yarn about a young woman watching an old house out in the middle of nowhere...all by her lonesome.