Writer and director Ti West has long been a well-known name in the horror genre; He recently directed the elegant and engaging trilogy “X,” “Pearl,” and “MaXXXine.” But 15 years ago this month, West burst onto the scene with “The House of the Devil,” which was technically his third feature film but arguably became his standout calling card. I remember there was great enthusiasm for the film in the blogosphere at the time; this was long before I worked for /film, but as an avid reader of the site, I remember many articles praising it and it was perhaps the most detailed and fiery. I wasn't too horrified at the time, but I put the social excitement to the back of my mind.
It took me 15 years, but I finally saw the movie (and now I'm pretty horrified) and I understand why it was fascinating material at the time: “The House of the Devil” is still a great horror story that unfolds slowly. If you're looking for something you don't want to see heading into Halloween, this might be right up your alley.
House of the Devil is a great horror season to watch
The proposal: A cash-strapped college student takes a high-paying babysitting job at an isolated mansion on the night of an eclipse, but when she gets there, she discovers the job isn't as easy as her boss told her. be. by phone. Much of the film consists of West slowly building tension as the babysitter wanders around this nearly empty house. We know there's someone else, but with the resident lurking off-screen for so long, the suspense eventually becomes almost unbearable; You get the feeling that every time the babysitter turns a corner, someone (or something) might jump out and make this awkward spectacle on the worst night of your life..
West sets the film in the 1980s and, unlike other films that tap into the uglier aesthetics of that decade, takes a more subtle approach. The performance by the then basically unknown Jocelyn Donahue (she has some serious Karen Allen vibes as Marian-Ravenwood or Margot Kidder in “Sisters”) has visible film grain (it was shot on 16mm film), the feathered female characters hairstyles and a couple of 80s that help immerse the audience in this atmosphere with hits. Sound recording. The film is less interested in the core and viscera (although there are some) than in making you nervous as you watch the protagonist wander through dark, empty spaces. Obviously, she must have done the only reasonable thing possible: sit quietly with her back against the wall, her eyes constantly moving back and forth between the closed front door and the closed windows until the end of time. (Okay, okay, that tactic may not have worked in the end in this particular case, but you get what I mean!)
My colleague and I talked a little about this film (and others) on today's episode of the /Film Daily Podcast, which you can listen to below:
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