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The House of the Devil

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For the 1896 French silent film, see The House of the Devil (1896 film).

The House of the Devil
Theatrical release poster by Neil Kellerhouse
Directed byTi West
Written byTi West
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEliot Rockett
Edited byTi West
Music byJeff Grace
Production
companies
Distributed byMPI Media Group
Release dates
  • April 25, 2009 (2009-04-25) (Tribeca)
  • October 30, 2009 (2009-10-30) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$900,000[2]
Box office$101,215[3]

The House of the Devil is a 2009 American horror film written, directed, and edited by Ti West, starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, A. J. Bowen, and Dee Wallace.

The plot concerns a young college student who is hired as a babysitter at an isolated house and is soon caught up in bizarre and dangerous events as she fights for her life.

The film combines elements of both the slasher film and haunted house subgenres while using the "satanic panic" of the 1980s as a central plot element.[4] It pays homage to the style of horror films of the 1970s and 1980s by using filmmaking techniques and technology commonly employed at the time. The opening text claims that the film is based on true events,[4] a practice used in horror films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Amityville Horror (1979).

Plot

In the 1980s, Samantha Hughes, a cash-strapped college student, responds to an ad for a babysitting job for a Mr. Ulman. Her best friend Megan gives her a ride to the Ulmans' remote mansion. Mr. Ulman reveals he actually needs Samantha to tend to his wife's mother. Samantha reluctantly agrees to a fee of $400. On the way home, Megan is shot in the head by a stranger, later identified as Victor.

Samantha orders a pizza from a number Mr. Ulman recommended. After accidentally breaking a vase, she cleans up the mess and discovers a closet containing old family photographs. In one photograph, a family that is not the Ulmans stands next to the Volvo that she and Megan saw at the house. Later, three corpses are shown in one of the rooms, implying that they were the family in the photographs and the true residents of the house. Unnerved by the noises in the house and the arrival of the pizza, delivered by Victor, Samantha dials 911, but tells the operator it was an accidental call. Samantha then grabs a knife from the kitchen and goes upstairs to explore the creaking sounds. Drugs in the pizza cause her to pass out just as she sees movement behind a door on the third floor.

Samantha comes to during a lunar eclipse and finds herself bound in the center of a pentagram on the floor. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman, along with their son Victor, begin a ritual. "Mother" is revealed to be a grotesque, witch-like figure. She slices her arm and pours her blood into a goat skull. She then uses it to draw occult symbols on Samantha's belly and forehead, and forces Samantha to drink the blood. Samantha stabs Mother and escapes. After finding Megan's corpse in the kitchen, she kills Victor and Mrs. Ulman, but horrific images of Mother begin appearing in her mind. Mr. Ulman chases her into a nearby cemetery, telling her that she has been chosen and destined to accept "him". Samantha threatens to shoot Ulman, but he is resigned, telling her it is too late. Instead, Samantha shoots herself in the head.

The next day, TV news reports the strange lunar eclipse the night before, which confounded scientists with its abrupt ending. Samantha lies unconscious on a hospital bed having survived her suicide attempt. A nurse states that "both of them" will be fine, implying that she has been impregnated.

Cast

Additionally, Lena Dunham voices a 911 operator and writer-director Ti West appears as a teacher.

Production

The film was shot in Connecticut. Taking place in the 1980s, the film was shot on 16 mm film, giving it a retro stylistic look that matched the decade.[5] Similarly, some aspects of the culture of the 1980s—i.e. feathered hair, Samantha's 1980 Sony Walkman, the Fixx's 1983 song "One Thing Leads to Another", the Greg Kihn Band's 1981 song "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)", and the Volvo 240 sedan—are seen in the film as signifiers of the decade.[6] The cinematography of the film also reflects the methods used by directors of the time. For instance, West often has the camera zoom in on characters (rather than dolly in as is now common in film), a technique that was often used in horror films of the 1970s and continued to be used into the 1980s.[7] Other stylistic signifiers include opening credits (which became less common in films in the decades after the 1980s) in yellow font, accompanied by freeze-frames, and the closing credits being played over a still image of the final scene.

While filming, the crew stayed at Yankee Pedlar Inn[8] and some of the crew had strange experiences there.[9] The Inn staff believed the location to be haunted and this inspired West to write and direct his next film, The Innkeepers (2011).[9]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2009. It was made available through video on demand on October 1, 2009, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 30, 2009.[10][11] The DVD and Blu-ray of the film were released on February 2, 2010.[12][13] A promotional copy of the film was released on VHS in a clamshell box like the ones that many early VHS films of the 1980s came in.[14][15]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for The House of the Devil was released in November 2009 as a double feature with the score of I Can See You, both by composer Jeff Grace.[16]

  1. Opening – 1:10
  2. Family Photos – 2:24
  3. The View Upstairs – 1:45
  4. Original Inhabitants – 3:05
  5. Meeting Mr. Ulman – 1:12
  6. Keep the Change – 1:12
  7. Footsteps – 1:27
  8. Mother – 3:07
  9. Chalice – 0:51
  10. On the Run – 3:45
  11. Lights Out – 3:04
  12. He's Calling You – 1:50
  13. The House of the Devil – 5:49
  14. Mrs. Ulman – 2:04

Tracks from 15 to 26 comprise the soundtrack for I Can See You.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 101 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critic consensus reads, "Though its underlying themes are familiar, House of the Devil effectively sheds the loud and gory cliches of contemporary horror to deliver a tense, slowly building throwback to the fright flicks of decades past."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18]

Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, complimenting its use of subtlety and tension as being "an introduction for some audience members to the Hitchcockian definition of suspense."[19] Oliver Smith of 7films similarly compared it to staples of the genre, praising that "as the great horror films of past days, such as The Omen or Rosemary's Baby, The House of the Devil is a slow-burning horror film".[20] Kevin Sommerfield from Slasher Studios gave the film four out of four stars, commenting that the film is "not just a nostalgia piece for director Ti West, one of the best horror directors working today", but that it also reflected "how horror movies should be made".[21]

Film critic Joe Bob Briggs praised the film as "just a superb slowburn extremely well-crafted movie."[22]

In a review for Salon, Stephanie Zacharek indicated that she liked the movie, declaring it "clever" and "somewhat a novelty". Zacharek perceived it as "obviously made with love", though conceding that the film is likely "not going to change the face or direction of horror filmmaking in any drastic way".[23]

Some critics were less kind, critiquing the pacing or originality of the film. Kirk Honeycutt from The Hollywood Reporter judged the film to be derivative, rather than flatteringly imitative, calling the film and its genre "banal".[24]

Accolades

Award Year Category Recipient Result
Birmingham Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival 2009 Best Feature Film The House of the Devil Won
Chicago International Film Festival After Dark Competition Nominated
Screamfest Horror Film Festival[25] Best Actress Jocelin Donahue Won
Best Musical Score Jeff Grace Won
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2010 Best of Puchon Ti West Nominated
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Supporting Actor Tom Noonan Nominated
Best Score Jeff Grace Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards Producers Award Larry Fessenden (also for I Sell the Dead) Nominated
Saturn Awards Best DVD Release The House of the Devil Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ Longworth, Karina (April 20, 2009). "Ti West Interview, The House of the Devil, Tribeca 2009". SpoutBlog. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009.
  2. ^ Brown, Philip (January 30, 2012). "Director Ti West on The Innkeepers and the Current State of the Horror Genre". The Morton Report. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "The House of the Devil (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Dawson, Nick (October 30, 2009). "Ti West, The House Of The Devil". Filmmaker. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Zimmerman, Sam (October 28, 2009). "Terrifyingly Gnarly #18 – HOUSE OF THE DEVIL's A.J. BOWEN". Fangoria. Archived from the original on October 31, 2009.
  6. ^ Barton, Steve (January 13, 2010). "New Viral Ad: The House of the Devil – Looking for a Babysitter". Dread Central. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012.
  7. ^ Tobias, Scott (February 25, 2010). "The House Of The Devil". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Presnell, Riley (August 28, 2023). "Ti West Believed 'The House of the Devil' Set Was Haunted, So He Made a Movie About It". Collider. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Smith, Nigel M. (February 2, 2012). "Ti West On the Real Haunting That Inspired 'The Innkeepers'". IndieWire. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Miska, Brad (October 8, 2009). "Video: Take a Trip Through 'The House of the Devil'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  11. ^ Miska, Brad (October 21, 2009). "Video Interview: 'House of the Devil' Director Ti West and Star Jocelin Donahue". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  12. ^ Barton, Steve (December 2, 2009). "DVD and Blu-ray Art and Specs for Ti West's The House of the Devil". Dread Central. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  13. ^ Miska, Brad (January 6, 2010). "Updated 'House of the Devil' DVD/Blu-ray Specs". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  14. ^ Miska, Brad (January 7, 2010). "The Coolest Promo Ever? 'The House of the Devil' on VHS!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  15. ^ Barton, Steve (January 7, 2010). "Badass House of the Devil Collectible VHS". Dread Central. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  16. ^ Barton, Steve (November 14, 2009). "New Double-Feature Soundtrack Coming: The House of the Devil / I Can See You". Dread Central. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  17. ^ "The House of the Devil". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  18. ^ "The House of the Devil". Metacritic. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  19. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 11, 2009). "Babysitter working overtime". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  20. ^ Smith, Oliver (October 1, 2011). "7 Disquietingly Moody Horror Films | Scary Dreams". 7films. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011.
  21. ^ Sommerfield, Kevin (March 13, 2011). "The Best 80's Horror Movie Made In 2009: "House of the Devil" Review". Slasher Studios. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  22. ^ Wardlaw, Matt (October 3, 2019). "Joe Bob Briggs, Who Speaks on Wednesday at the Capitol Theatre, Talks About His 'Outlaw' Approach to Writing About Film". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019.
  23. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (October 30, 2009). ""The House of the Devil": Creepy, stylish fun". Salon. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  24. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (October 26, 2009). "The House of the Devil – Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  25. ^ Carpenter, Thomas. "The House of The Devil Movie Review and Screamfest Awards". MoreHorror.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
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