The House of the Devil (2009)

One of my all time favorites.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

In 2009's The House of the Devil, Ti West invites the audience into what is possibly one of the most tension building labyrinths of terror. Centered around the Satanic cult craze of the 1980's, West inserts little details in the mise-en-scene to trap an everyday college student, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), in the dark, secluded house of the Ulman's, played by Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov. Shadows, window panes, door frames, you name it and West has utilized a certain quality of the architectural nature of the house to drag us into his dungeon of insanity. He unleashes the beast by building up the tension until the very last moment. Viewers will feel like there is something watching them at all times, whether that be true or not. His work is supported by a talented group of actors, who embody the soul of soullessness. Noonan and Woronov, though very unsuspecting, give off a vibe of unbalance in the little screen time they have. The briefness does not matter, as they are able to make the best of it. Donahue makes Samantha into an extremely relatable character for any young person. Her goal is simple, and yet she finds herself in a situation in which she did not expect. The movie brings up many social issues through underlying context, such as the exploitation and prostitution of the body, the falsehoods of faith, and the transformation of man into monster. Overall brilliance on all levels. Could not be any more satisfied with the end result.

House of the Devil utilizes tension through patience and sound to create an unsettling atmosphere many viewers underestimate in the horror genre today. This is not your normal thrill-seeking/gore-loving/violence loaded movie, rather Ti West creates a "breathe of fresh air" story driven masterpiece convincing the viewer that the events taking place in the film can be believed by anyone ultimately instilling fear to anyone who watches this. West is able to capture certain viewers for an experience they would not soon forget. House of the Devil was created in 2009 and takes place in the early 80s. It is put together beautifully to vividly imagine life in that time period and also to make it look like it was filmed in that time too. Sound plays a very significant role in the progression of the film. Throughout the earlier parts of the film the sound is soft with its diegetic and non-diegetic sound except for the music Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) plays through her Walkman Cassette player and music played in various other scenes. The louder music enables the audience to experience safety through these parts (and also wakeup calls for whoever may be yawning in this slow-paced film). I believe these moments are crucial because even though we may step away from the horror aspect of the film for a movement, we become vulnerable. When we become vulnerable with a false-sense of safety, it impacts the fear element to become even greater for the viewer. Not knowing the outcome of a situation creates interests, interests creates the viewer to engulf themselves into the atmosphere of the film, when we engulf ourselves this is where Ti West has the audience on the edge of their seat vulnerable. Vulnerability is a crucial element of the horror film which is underutilized and at many times not executed well. House of the Devil executes this feeling effectively to create a movie unlike most others, one not to be watched but to be experienced.

This film won me over. Though some say it's too slow or doesn't pay off at the end I believe it has all the right elements. Samantha, the main character, is very likable (not lovable) and give off a Margot Kidder-type vibe both with her looks and acting. What I love, and what I think a lot of newer movies lack, is the use of space. The space allows you to fill the void with your own mind and just like good music, makes the loud scary parts much louder and scarier by contrast. I hope to see more movies that emulate the greatest era of horror, in my opinion, the late 70's early 80's.

Spoiler alerts ahead, READ AT OWN DISCRETION! House of the Devil leaves the audience terrified and interested. While watching, one could predict when something would happen, even if it was uncertain of what would happen. The doorbell for the pizza delivery is meant to be unexpected, but to those paying attention to timing it was not. When Samantha knocked on the door and on the other side there were dead bodies, it was clear that the mother was not behind the door, but something else more sinister was. What made this movie so great was that even though predictions could be made that something would happen, the audience is still left completely petrified. The suspenseful aspect of the movie is how TI West kept everyone on the edge of their seats. During the pentagram scene while the physical act of rape was not done, it was very apparent that the ram's head on her stomach and the blood dripping down onto her was meant to impregnate her. The whole idea of the pentagram and the summoning of the devil is something that terrifies me to the core. The parallels of being raped in real life by a man and the movie I think is what terrifies so many women. Because in real life, when a woman is raped and is found to be pregnant, there are so many thoughts that run through her head. Does she keep it? Does she abort it? Will she be reminded of the demon when she looks at the baby? While being raped and impregnated by the devil is not necessarily a possibility in life, the ideology behind it is.