Day 30. Released in 2009, but looks and feels like it was made in the 80′s, I watched “The House Of The Devil”. Director Ti West has completely redeemed himself, in my eyes, after the disastrous “Cabin Fever 2″. This movie is a great throwback to that decade. I definitely wasn’t ready to enjoy it as much as I did.
Ti West wrote, directed, and edited this film. Jocelin Donahue portrays the lead character ‘Samantha’. 80′s horror film staples Tom Noonan, and Mary Woronov play ‘Mr. and Mrs. Ulman’. Greta Gerwig stars as ‘Megan’, also in the film is AJ Bowen as Victor Ulman. Dee Wallace makes a cameo as the landlord of a property ‘Samantha’ is looking at.
Set in the 80′s, Samantha Hughes is looking for a new place to live, and being shown around a property by her hopefully future landlady. Dee Wallace (Stone) whom audiences will recognize as ‘Elliot’s’ mother in “E.T.”, as well as a ton of other movies from the 80′s, plays the landlady. This is noteworthy because “The House Of The Devil” is filmed in a style reminiscent of the horror movies of that decade. From the fashion, soundtrack, and the way the title sequence plays, it’s visible this is director Ti West’s love letter to that period in cinema history. With “Cabin Fever 2″, executives, and producers decided to stir the pot, resulting in a disjointed movie. Sometimes the studios have to just let the artists do their thing without any interference or input. Coming back home to her apartment, Samantha hears her roommate having sex. Frustrated she leaves, goes for a walk, happens across a board with flyers, one specifically looking to hire a babysitter. Strapped for cash, Samantha calls the number from a pay phone. She leaves a message on the answering machine and hangs up. Immediately after the phone starts to ring. Samantha curiously answers it and makes a plan to meet up about the job. The thing that creeped me out, was during those times there were no cell phones, caller id, or star 69. So it was strange that the person was able to call back a random pay phone.
Samantha returns back to her apartment. The type of camera angles and push-ins that were used, are techniques filmmakers utilized years ago. Not only having the wardrobe, and music from that period, but what we are seeing onscreen should immediately take the audience back to that time. Her apartment is dark and a complete mess. Later while listening to a walkman Samantha waits at the meeting place. Her future employer never shows up. So she decides to hit up the pizzeria and get a slice with her friend Megan. That evening Samantha finds that she received a call from the man and contacts him. Offering her the money that would cover her move in costs, Samantha accepts. Megan drives Sam to her job. On the radio a broadcast is talking about an eclipse which is happening that night. Worried about her friend, Megan proposes she stay with Samantha.
When the pair arrives, they meet the peculiar Mr. Ulman. He mentions the eclipse, and talks to Sam alone convincing her to get Megan to leave. He also admits to having her watch his wife’s mother instead of a child. If it were me, I would have been gone by then. I guess the allure of getting a quick buck is too much for some people to pass up. She agrees, they arrange a pick up time, and Megan storms off angrily. The next scenes following Megan are what kicks off the terror. This character meets a shocking demise, which is raw and extremely bloody. Back to Samantha and Mr. Ulman as he gives her the final details, and Mrs. Ulman is introduced, the couple then leave. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman were both spooky and eccentric. Deciding to order pizza, Sam makes a call. After doing a bit of exploring and making an unsettling discovery, the familiar looking delivery boy arrives. Samantha eats some of the pizza and eventually passes out. After awakening she finds the Ulmans aren’t who they seemed and Samantha must get the hell outta dodge.
I recommend “The House Of The Devil”. There is a good amount of suspense. Although about 3/4 of the film is a slow burn, the ending sequences throw that out of the window, get hardcore, and things become rather gory. It’s refreshing to see director’s now a days trying new things. Even if that means reaching back a couple of decades and implementing those filmmaking techniques. The freeze frame over the ending credits, and throwing in the random dance sequence over “The Fixx’s” 1983 hit song “One Thing Leads To Another” were great touches. “The House Of The Devil” is a lot more focused than “Cabin Fever 2″, and has an overall frightening atmosphere.
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