GORE IN THE STORE
REVIEWS BY FANS FOR FANS
5 STAR FAB - 1 STAR RUBBISH

The Hole
Outcast
Outcast
(Second Opinion)
Choose
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Mirrors 2
Puppet Master - Axis of Evil
Deadly Crossing
Death Race 2
The Last Exorcism
The Last Exorcism
(Second Opinion)
The Expendables
The Chatroom
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Splice
Peeping Tom - Re-issue
A Town Called Panic
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
Night of the Demons
Lawnmower Man (Blu-ray)
Siege of the Dead
Psych 9
Big Tits Zombie
Exquisite Corpse
The Collector
The Collector
(Second Opinion)
The Tortured
Zombies of Mass Destruction
Tears For Sale
Higanjima: Escape From
Vampire Island
I Spit On YOur Grave (1978)
Twelve (XII)
Dead Cert
[REC] 2
Mother
Killer Pad
Rin – Daughters of Mnemosyne
Death Tube
Death Tube
(Second Opinion)
7 Days
Death Note
Beyond The Rave
Hunter Prey
7th Dimension
Army of the Dead
Splintered
Basement
Meat Grinder
14 Blades
Manson Girl
The Blackout
The Torment
The Torment
(Second Opinion)
Hierro
Psycho - Blu-Ray
Pet Shop of Horrors
Kaiji:
The Ultimate Gambler
Shelter
Fullmetal Alchemist:
Brotherhood Part 1
The Final
Bubba Ho Tep - Blu-Ray
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Vampire
The Dead
Resurrecting
The Street Walker
The Haunting Of
Molly Hartley
Soul Eater: Part One
Rozen Maiden:
Traumend Vol. One
Bikini Girls On Ice
Diary of a Bad Lad
Satan's Baby Doll
Feast 111
Phobia
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
Valhalla Rising
City of the Living Dead
Dorothy
Daybreakers
Daybreakers
(Second Opinion)
Harpoon: The Reykjavik Whale
Watching Massacre
Harpoon:The Reykjavik Whale
Watching Massacre
(Second Opinion)
Feast 3:The Happy Finnish
Raging Phoenix
His Name Was Jason
Left Bank
Ju-On: White Ghost/White Ghost
Spiral
Ghost Machine
Stag Night
Bitch Slap
The Descent 2
The Descent 2-Second opinion
Dance of The Dead
Henry Lee Lucas: Serial Killer
House Of The Devil
The Twilight Saga
New Moon
Salvage
Salvage-Second opinion
Dread
The Haunted World of
El Superbeasto
Saw VI
The Horseman
Triangle-Second opinion
Triangle
Cabin Fever 2-Third opinion
Cabin Fever 2-Second opinion
Cabin Fever 2
Stan Helsing
Pandorum
Pandorum-Second opinion
Open Graves
Paranormal Activity
Growth
Growth-Second opinion
Train
Antichrist
Wrong Turn 3
Coffin Rock
Orphan
Sorority Row
Drag Me to Hell
Staunton Hill
Summer Moon
Driftwood
Messengers 2

 

Directed by Ti West. Starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Dee Wallace. Horror. USA 91 mins.

DVD / Blu-Ray Release Date : March 29th 2010. RRP: DVD £10.99. Blu-ray £14.99. BUY NOW

Ti West, working within the consistently reliable production stable of Larry Fessenden, here fulfils the promise he displayed with his B movie pastiche THE ROOST. West’s passion is making contemporary horror movies that resurrect the best qualities of specific genre flicks from the 70’s and 80’s : a passion apparent throughout the recent CABIN FEVER 2, a troubled yet vastly underrated Lionsgate release he has rigorously disowned. (That movie couldn’t be more different in tone to this and THE ROOST but is just as indebted to great genre movies we grew up with).

It’s immediately apparent from the title alone that THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL belongs in the 70’s - the moniker echoes the genuinely chilling RACE WITH THE DEVIL, a nifty flick with one of the scariest closing moments of the modern American horror movie. The occultist subject matter is a pleasing throwback to the most lucrative horror cycle of this period, a cycle instigated by Polanski’s ROSEMARY’S BABY (another key influence, and explicitly referenced in this film’s coda). Meanwhile, the near-subliminal flashes of a demonic face and the recurring juxtaposition of loud moments with silence are powerful elements familiar from THE EXORCIST.

Perfect casting is one reason this loving homage works as well as it does. Jocelin Donahue is terrific as one of the most sympathetic and naturalistic horror heroines of recent genre vintage. She’s a financially struggling student who responds to an advert on campus requesting a babysitter and ends up agreeing to a cool $400 for one night’s work to “babysit” the ailing mom of peculiar Mary Woronov and her husband (Tom Noonan) at their remote country house. They have particular business to attend to on this particular night, which involves an imminent total lunar eclipse. The nature of that business becomes all too clear to Donahue over the course of one long, terrifying evening.

The movie’s style, opening title / end credits design, pacing and music are specifically in the 70’s genre mould, though the unspecified setting (authentically, not distractingly, conveyed via the clothes, haircuts and walkmans) would appear to be the early 80’s. The leading lady certainly looks like she just stepped out of a horror movie from this era, while the presence of iconic past genre figures Noonan (whose faux horror host book ended THE ROOST), Woronov and Dee Wallace (as Donahue’s landlady) reinforces the retro feel.

The homage factor may, for fans at least, give off the warm vibe of fond cinematic memories but, crucially, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a tour-de-force in its escalation of tension and innate creepiness. Its fashionable “based on unexplained true events” opening tag neatly echoes - especially in regards to its backdrop - the Satanic panic prevalent throughout the 80’s in the USA.

West refreshingly avoids the easy route of clichéd jump-scares and cheap shocks, which heightens the impact of the two or three overt jolts he has up his sleeve. The first hour or so of Donahue gradually getting creeped out in the sinister house is beautifully handled. Restrained camerawork, Jeff Grace’s low-key but chilly music, static long shots and uncomfortably lengthy takes all serve as potent reminders of how to craft an ambience of almost unbearable menace and tension. When the cat’s out of the bag in the final stages, both the editing and musical styles adapt to accommodate the shift in pace and escalation of danger.

Best of all, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL has the courage of its convictions to avoid self-conscious post modern gags or mood-killing campiness. This is reflected by two key performances : subtly costumed to hint at their devilish true natures, Woronov and Noonan underplay evil to delicious effect.

EXTRAS : Metrodome’s UK Blu-Ray / DVD release comes adorned with two commentaries - a breezy one with West & Donahue and an informative group one with West, a jokey Fessenden and sound designer Graham Reznick (who, ironically, sounds like he’s talking from inside a closed cupboard). West points out influences as diverse as Polanski and THE CHANGELING while enthusing about his efforts to create an old fashioned “TV Movie Vibe”. He also notes the many subtle period details - easily missed vintage candy bars and coke cups - that almost subliminally enhance the retro feel. Also on the disc are three disposable deleted scenes (the movie is a model of economy), a trailer (which BEGS for an old-school 80’s voiceover) and a 13 minute featurette with assorted behind the scenes footage.

Steven West

© London FrightFest Ltd. 2000-2010
__________________________________________________________