House of the Devil 2009 Review

This movie revolves around teenage babysitter Samantha and is set in a dark mansion, who discovers she has been carefully selected by an occult sect, to serve their evil purposes.

After reading the above, I am sure many of you are thinking “been there, done that; nothing new”, and you would be right. House of the Devil, is another movie set in a dark and eerie environment, like all you horror fans must have seen lots of times before, and that is precisely what director Ti West, wants; an audience that knows what is going on, what to expect and what is coming.

For this reason, he could make a movie without showing much of anything, leaving room for other aspects of the movie. First of all, lack of effects allows for a larger budget for the actors, and this shows. Tom Noonan, sets down a believable “harmless” old man, and Jocelin Donahue, is a teenager in every way, setting up the movie realistically. Watching it you can’t shake the feeling that the events you are watching to unfold, is something that could be happening for real, unlike the many slice and dice movies, like Friday the 13^th part 666, where an indestructible killer kills off anything in sight. No, House of the Devil plays on real fears, added to an occult aspect, that can go both ways.

Where special effects are absent, acting and good camera work, must make up for it, and in that department Ti West hired a decent cameraman who knows how to shoot a scene, and understands the importance of camera angles, in order to get the right effect from a scene. This works very well combined with the dark atmosphere of the immense house. Samantha, as she explores the mansion, slowly starts to find out something is not right, up to the point when maters start to unfold and she finds herself at the hands of a Satanic sect, and the supernatural horror sets in.

The events leading up to this climax are well crafted, and House of the Devil has turned out to be a decent movie in the style of the suspense flicks of the seventies, with eye for detail and realism.

It is refreshing to see a skilled director at work, using this style in an age where CGI effects in horror dominates the market, and today’s horror audience is hungry for effects. Slow, strange but intelligent movies has become the MO of To West, who has made this his trademark, and I have to admit that he is an expert at setting up the mood to ultimately deliver the horror.

Those expecting to see a movie with lots of blood, gore and mayhem, will be disappointed by House of the Devil, but those that enjoy a good thriller, that is running on suspense and atmosphere, in the style of the seventies chiller movies, House of the Devil is definitely one to watch.

House of the Devil is a daring release in a time were special effects rule the horror scene, but it appears Ti West, with House of the Devil pulled it off.

Crypt of Gore highly recommends this great horror movie! Film rating 8/10