Review of The House of the Devil (2009) by Ryan H — 10 Jul 2012

Oh my god. This movie was like a blast of terrifying fresh air to the face. I am so sick and tired of modern horror movies substituting tension and atmosphere for KNIVES, JUST A SHIT-TON OF KNIVES, DUDE.

While this film's story is incredibly thin, that's what I like about it. It doesn't need forced intrigue or an unrealistic storyline to make it interesting. A girl needs money so she takes a babysitting job at a creepy house.

That's it. That's the plot. The chills come when the owners of the house leave the babysitter alone and she walks about the house trying to entertain herself while they are gone. Ti West lays on gobs and gobs of intangible suspense.

There are no jump scares. No BOO moments. Just a permeating sense of dread and terror in every shot. I'll admit the payoff was a little weak, but the first half of the film more than makes up for it.

This is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen.