The House Of The Devil

The House Of The Devil United States
Cert. 18 - 95 Minutes
DVD Release March 29th
Director – Ti West
Featuring – Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonon, Mary Woronov

If you're a central character in a horror film, what you don't know will usually hurt you. If you're watching such a film, the same rule often applies. Smart writers and directors use reveals methodically, for the sake of suspense and tension building. There is, however, a fine line between giving your audience a sense of muted anticipation, and just plain confusing them.

Samantha (Donahue), a perky college student, is in desperate need of money. She notices an advert on the campus notice board for a babysitter job. While the employer, Mr Ulman (Noonon) seems a little odd; she opts to take the post. When she arrives, she discovers that the situation is indeed left field: she's asked to look after Ulman's reclusive mother-in-law. With an offer of more money than she could have imagined, Samantha decides to stay. While Ulman is gone, things in the house start to get creepy. Samantha hasn't seen Ulman's mother-in-law, and there's no telling what could be behind that door. It could even be…

The House Of The Devil The film makes a great first impression. We're anchored nicely in the cult horror world, with retro 1980's fittings. The music (from Jeff Grace) backs this up well. The film throws up curb balls, 'Final Destination' style, daring us to guess what's going to happen. While this is a fun distraction, eventually it wears thin. I was left feeling that I didn't know what was going on, and this lasted for about half the film. It all made sense in retrospect, but at the time of viewing, it was tough. When the mysterious room's contents are finally revealed, they're perplexing. Following sequences are quite far removed from the style and pace up to this point. Not too far (to my eye), but they walk the line.

The final revelation seemed silly to me. I walked away, considering it a miss-step. Later, while cross-referencing information, I found this lengthy page of errors. I couldn't help but wonder how many were intentional. I'm now not sure whether this film is merely modelled on trashy 1980's horror, or is a pastiche on it. This uncertainty I rather like.

About the Disc: There is a short documentary consisting of footage from the shoot accompanied by some eerie sounds. While this offers a fly-on-the-wall look at some neat effect work, there is no explanation given, except a brief word from the film's script supervisor. There are also two deleted scenes (which don't seem to add anything), the theatrical trailer, and a choice of two commentary tracks. The overall effect is minimal.

The Verdict: 'The House Of The Devil' sees Samantha, a college student in need of money, duped into watching over an old lady, who is shut away. In the spooky house, things take a turn for the weird. The film is modelled on 1980's cult horror, and while quite confusing, it has a great sense of style. It has the potential to either enthral or madden the retro horror junkie.

Jues Garnett Jules is a writer and Filmmaker of international infamy who lives in London. He has a BA in Digital Filmmaking, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Audio-Visual Production.

He has written reviews for Raindance and the Cambridge Film Festival, as well as a number of pieces on a freelance basis.

His hair can be seen from over a mile away.

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