[Blu-Ray] FILM REVIEW: The House of the Devil

The House of the Devil - Second Sight Limited Edition Blu Ray Release Review

Director: Ti West

Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, AJ Bowen, Greta Gerwig

Written by: Ti West

Produced by: Josh Braun, Larry Fessenden, Roger Kass, Peter Phok

Cinematography by: Eliot Rockett

Original Score by: Jeff Grace

Synopsis:

In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.

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Thoughts:

Before Ti West was making Mia Goth "a fucking star" in his latest Maxine Miller Trilogy and in turn putting himself out there as one of this generations most exciting genre voices, he was building his portfolio as an indie horror filmmaker whose love and nostalgia for the films he grew up with shone through in almost every frame. And the film that really and truly grabbed everyone's attention was his third feature 'The House of the Devil', a love letter to late 70s/early 80s devil worshipping films.

Jocelin Donahue stars as Samantha, a University student who is desperate to earn some much needed extra cash in order to put down a deposit on a lovely apartment that has caught her eye. She responds to a babysitting job advertisement and her friend Megan (Greta Gerwig) drives her out to the location; a mansion clearly owned by some rich couple. Shortly after arriving Samantha is told by the Ulmans that they don't actually have a child and that the job she has been hired for is to keep an eye on Mrs Ulman's elderly mother. Although this seems a bit strange at first there is an understanding between all parties. The Ulman's seem quite friendly, albeit a tad intense and they are eager to go out and attend an event celebrating the lunar eclipse that is happening later that evening.

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Samantha settles in for the night but she soon discovers that the Ulmans are keeping secrets and that by entering the house she has unwittingly put her own life on the line.

West is fuelled by nostalgia and clearly has a huge passion for genre cinema. He even borrows the title from one of the first horror films ever made. What he's able to achieve with this feature film is pretty astounding considering it's all done on a fairly tiny budget. The atmosphere and some of the technical attributes in the film are up there with and may even exceed some of the stuff you see in big budget horror films. Big fan of the freeze frame on the opening titles and West and cinematographer Eliot Rockett do their best to try to capture to look and feel and the joy of early 80s horror films.

It essentially starts out as a haunted house film. Shadows. Creaky doors. The uncertainty of a large unfamiliar house. Jocelin plays the part of an unsuspecting babysitter quite well and then some supernatural and religious cult elements are slowly ushered in. But the most shocking scene features Greta Gerwig's exploding head. A visceral punch to the gut that still remains one of the most surprisingly heinous deaths I've ever seen.

FOLLOW THE DISSECTION PODCAST

The Ulmans are compelling characters and as always Tom Noonan just has an aura and a presence that is almost unmatched. Before her grisly demise Greta Gerwig lights up the screen in the few scenes that she appears in. AJ Bowen, who you definitely saw in that horror film you watched a few months ago, rounds out the cast as the weird but obedient "caretaker" of the mansion, who is later revealed as Victor, the son of the Ulmans.

The transfer is good as usual. Second Sight rarely ever do any wrong. However I would argue that this is one film that perhaps doesn't benefit from the pristine clear image as it clearly is an homage to 70s and 80s genre films and part of it's charm is in it's retro presentation. Thankfully some of that still remains in this release. The Bonus Features are full of brand new interviews. I particularly enjoyed Eliot Rockett's participation. Eliot has worked with Ti many times but this was the first time the two created art together and it is beautiful. Director commentaries are always a huge plus too and that's no different here. Hearing Ti's insight while watching the film is deeply rewarding.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'The House of the Devil' Limited Edition BluRay & Standard Edition BluRay are released on April 28th. Available to PRE-ORDER now from Second Sight Films www.secondsightfilms.co.uk