Review of The House of the Devil (2009) by Ian B — 20 Nov 2011

I love it when movies surprise you out of nowhere like this. The House of the Devil literally feels like this lost gem of a horror movie from the early 80's that's recently been discovered. It's also one of the most suspenseful movies I've seen in the last 10+ years.

Writer/director Ti West knows it's not always about the payoff in this genre, but the anticipation. The pace, the atmosphere, the tension...this is a fantastic throwback horror/suspense film in the tradition of Hitchcock and Carpenter. For the first time since I was a kid I felt like I should have the remote on standby to turn the volume down when the tension became too unbearable. Of course in today's ADD generation some will call this movie slow and boring. Well, I feel sorry for people who need to see blood and guts every five minutes to hold their attention. These are probably the same people who choose to skip "boring" horror films from the 70's and 80's in favor of their garbage remakes.

It's safe to say that the majority of the best horror films were made in the 70's and 80's, and The House of the Devil reminds us why. Atmosphere, suspense, lighting, framing, music, the anticipation of waiting for something to make you jump ten feet in the air. These will always be the elements to classic horror...not a body count. And the fact that this literally looks like it was filmed in 1980 makes me love it that much more. Such great attention to detail (the grainy film, audio hiss, synth score, etc.). Of course once the shit hits the fan the film does lose a little of its "oomph", but only because the anticipation of getting there is so nerve-wracking. There's also not much in the way of character development, but all the actors are enjoyable in their roles. Besides, this is a movie about atmosphere, mood, tension...not a million silly plot twists.

While not quite perfect, The House of the Devil is easily one of the best and scariest horror films I've seen in a ridiculously long time. A fantastic throwback to the 70's/80's golden age of suspenseful, crazy, indie horror films. For those who love classic horror...I dare you to watch this alone in the middle of the night and not be seriously freaked out.