The House Of The Devil review

I have been hearing a lot of buzz lately about Ti West. People have been hailing him as the greatest thing to happen to horror in decades. Being the horror fanatic that I am, I had to check this out for myself. I had heard much praise for his House Of The Devil so I decided to check it out for myself.

The setup is nothing new on the surface. Samantha is a college student desperately trying to move out of her dorm into a new house. The house is perfect, but it's way out of her range. To make some money, Samantha decides to respond to a flier on campus for a couple seeking a babysitter. Upon meeting the couple, something seems odd right off the rip. The man of the house is played brilliantly by genre vet Tom Noonan and let me tell you, this man does not miss a beat. He has a certain charm about him, coupled with a vague air of menace. As the night wanes on strange things start happening: creaks in the house, someone moving around and a potential intruder are just the beginning. In addition, we find out that there is no child. Noonan is actually seeking someone to care for his wife's mother for the evening. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however. Without spoiling anything major, let's just say that satanism plays a part in the plot....

The acting was superb all around. Jocelin Donahue is spot on as Samantha, the reluctant babysitter. She nails her role, playing vulnerable with a will to survive in equal doses. Tom Noonan is wonderfully creepy as Mr. Ulman, ranking right up there amongst his best performances. A.J. Bowen is also great as Victor Ulman, putting on a kind exterior with a murderous core. In addition, there's a nice little cameo from Dee Wallace, who many of you may know from Rob Zombie's Halloween as well as the original Hills Have Eyes.

The direction and execution of the film really was great. I have to give credit where credit is due, and Ti West definately earns some respect here. He really does a great job of developing Samantha, making her someone we care about and worry for her safety. Also, setting the movie in the eighties was a stroke of genius, as there was a lot of speculation about cults in that time. The clothing, music, cars, etc are perfectly placed for the time period. West also pulls duty as editor and writer and wears these hats well.

Onto the effects. There really aren't many to be had here. This film relies more on mood, atmosphere and our own immagination rather than gore. The effects required are all well executed. The prosthetics required for one character (whom I won't spoil) are well done and pretty damn creepy. While this film won't necessarily have you screaming in your seat, you will definately be weary when visiting a strangers house or babysitting for a new family.....

Highlight Scene: The scene in which Samantha is being chased by Victor, Ms. Ulman and Mr. Ulman is really suspenseful and will have you on the edge of your seat. Coupled with the showdown at the end, we have a really tight scene in which you really feel for our heroine.