(2009)
Samantha is fed up with her living situation because her roommate is an inconsiderate slob who frequently locks her out of their dorm room so she can have noisy sex. Fortunately Samantha discovers an adorable nearby apartment for $300; the only problem is that she doesn’t have the scratch. Eager to move out, she impulsively responds to a flier posted on a campus bulletin board looking for a babysitter.
After an awkward phone conversation Samantha reluctantly agrees to meet her potential clients, the Ulmans, at their remote, sprawling home. Upon arrival she is greeted by silky voiced Mr. Ulman, a creepy tall man who walks with a cane. Mrs. Ulman is a sophisticated lady dressed to the nines for a night out. After learning some potentially deal-breaking information Samantha decides that she does not want the job. Mr. Ulman is quite adamant that she accept the offer and convinces her to stay by giving her $400 for a few hours work. Soon Samantha finds herself alone in the weird house. Before the night is over Samantha will realize that she has made a terrible mistake.
From what I can tell director Ti West discovered a wormhole to 1983 and decided to film his movie while visiting. Like Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez’s homage to the grindhouse genre or Rob Zombie’s ongoing love affair with 70s exploitation films, West painstakingly recreates the vibe of early 80s horror, even shooting in 16mm to achieve the proper “look”. The end result is so effective that I’m convinced House of the Devil is simply a movie I missed back in the day. I can envision it sandwiched between The House on Sorority Row and The Hunger in a fat clamshell case at Major Video.
Just how 80s is this? The film begins with Samantha walking down the street and in typical early 80s style the frame freezes as the title pops up. This happens during the end credits as well – I love this so much!
Later, Samantha mulls over her babysitting plan with a friend while sitting in a characteristic, nondescript pizza joint. Although the scene itself is insignificant, look at her friend and the subtle 80s details,
In one of my favorite moments, Samantha listens to her phonebook-sized Walkman while dancing to The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another”. Also, who can forget those orange headphones?
Even the film’s poster is intentionally retro,
To my knowledge this is the first contemporary horror movie set in the 80s. West wanted to create a film that mirrors early 80s horror and he gleefully succeeds. House of the Devil is an absolute treat and I enjoyed every second of it. Still not convinced? Check out the awesome trailer,
House of the Devil is a love letter to fans of 80’s horror.
8 comments:
I'm convinced.
“…doesn’t have the scratch”? “…dressed to the nines”? JPX have you been watching 40’s film noir movies again?
Sounds like this movie has it all – freeze frame titles, “Devil” in the name, creepy old man with a cane. What more does one really need? I wish you posted this sooner so I could have watched it in October, you bastard. I’ve gotta know though, is the Devil involved?
Devilish things happen...
I just read an article about this, this morning. The director is 29 years old, a huge fan of '80s horror, and apparently, bought most of the '80s props (orange headphones, cups with "COKE" written in huge letters) off of e-bay.
I saw yesterday that this one comes out on video in December - I didn't realize it was released theatrically as well. Can't wait!
I found a perfect copy of it online, which is where I grabbed some of my pictures.
Hey Johnny S, check this out. Looks like your brother posted about this flick back in August and you weren't paying attention. Mind you, he left out the title, so I had to search for "there is no baby." But the plot sounded so damn familiar I thought someone already reviewed it.
Love the 80's devotion going on here! Freeze frame title! I don't think I realized how dated that move is until I read this review. Very cool. Nicely done, JPX.
This review is one of a small handful this month that made me want to go get the movie instantly. I think you are spot on, JPX, in saying that this really is the first "retro 80s" horror movie to do it up in that style, with all of the dated nuances.
Much like Jordan spotting the new genre of 'found footage" movies, I think you may have found the first example of another new genre - Creatively Dated Horror.
Excellent review!
Yeah Octo I completely missed that. In my defense, JPX posts a helluva lotta stuff.
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