Rent The House of the Devil (2009)

Retro Satanic Panic - The House of the Devil review by griggs

House of the Devil is the kind of film that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled across a forgotten VHS in your local video shop circa 1983. From the grainy cinematography to the brilliant production design and period-perfect editing, Ti West nails the ‘80s aesthetic—it’s lived-in, not just styled.

It’s also surprisingly tense. There’s a real Hitchcock-style suspense at play, with a creeping, slow-burn horror vibe that calls to mind classics like The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Changeling. You can tell where it’s all heading, but the “how” and “why” keep you firmly in its grip.

That said, I did find myself wondering if it’s more style than substance. Is it a clever tribute, or is it borrowing too heavily from the past? Either way, it’s a fun and faithful throwback with an authentic atmosphere—even if it never becomes its own thing. Still, it’s well worth a watch.

Wake me up when something happens - The House of the Devil review by Abann

I've seen some slow, ponderous films in my time, but this one makes watching paint dry seem like a ride in a fighter jet by comparison. By the time something actually happened I was too bored to care anymore.

If you suffer from insomnia, give it a go. I guarantee you'll have the best sleep you've ever had.

Ponderous - spoilers. - The House of the Devil review by NP

This 2009 production is set in the 1980s and as such, gives a pretty accurate depiction of those times, minus many of the peroxide and fashionable extremes. Even perennial musical entrepreneur Thomas Dolby’s magnificent ‘One of our Submarines’ can be heard at one stage.

This Ti West scripted/directed film features the appealing Jocelin Donahue as Samantha, whose search for employment leads her into some increasingly dark directions. Baby-sitting a non-existent child doesn’t fill anyone with optimism about her current job, but she perseveres.

A fairly pedestrian storyline isn’t helped by the unevenly slow pacing of events. There are some gory moments, and some effectively staged set-pieces, but these are infrequent, and far too much time is spent setting things up that never seem to come to anything. This changes in the last act, when Samantha’s plight becomes more than slow-burning teasers, and something manifestly evil. Herein, the more traditional moments of horror are welcome after a long time waiting.