One of the great American horror films of the decade, Ti West’s The House of the Devil is a gripping, frightening and fun throwback to the spooky movies of the 1980s. Jocelin Donahue is Samantha, a college girl with a dorm-mate from hell. Wandering the small town with her best friend Megan (Greta Gerwig) and a bulky, gray walkman, Samantha finds the apartment of her dreams. She doesn’t have enough money to pay for it though and only has a few days to find the money. Luckily, well, more unluckily, Samantha learns of a babysitting gig outside of town. Lots of cash for only a few hours of work and even Megan will tag along. What could go wrong?
Initially, not a lot does in The House of the Devil. Samantha gets weirded out by the would-be employers (Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov) who inform her that she is watching over an elderly woman, not a child. They also offer to pay far more than initially stated. Megan bolts but Samantha stays.
Those in the mood for massive murderous scares need not enter. However, if you are the type of viewer who enjoys getting immersed in an atmosphere of unease, West’s movie is for you. From the bitterly cold outdoors, where the wind cuts across a character’s face like razor blades, to the creaky, mundane house Samantha spends the majority the of the movie in, The House of the Devil is smothered in silent dread. A barely there score leaves one alone with Samantha. The only detours elsewhere are disorienting and violent, amping up the tension more. West’s movie never winks at the audience. It is an old-fashioned horror movie and is content to be nothing more.
The film excels in no small part due to its small but impressive cast. Donahue is excellent as the innocent victim-to-be. She is quiet but not naive. Her Samantha is shy indeed, however, she also is willing to push to get what she wants. As Noonan (superb as a frail man with a wispy beard) frets over Samantha’s possible departure, our heroine ups the ante. He offers to pay $200 and she mentions maybe pushing that number $300, sealing her doom in that fraction of greed. Woronov is also worth noting as Mrs. Ulman. With volcanic rock eyes that appear to have no pupils, she has only a few minutes screen-time, though she makes the most of each. Her presence is delicately menacing, a dark cloud of evil that slinks up beside you until she is ready to leave.
The House of the Devil is now playing at Landmark’s Varsity Theatre.
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