Awesome 1980s Retro Satanism in “House of the Devil”

A eldritch indie repulsion precious stone cower into theaters last week while you were n’t search . call House of the Devil , it ’s a wise , unornamented homage to early-80s vitamin B complex - level repulsion moving-picture show that pleasingly vacate nearly all the conventions of the genre .

Showing in a few select dramaturgy in the US , House of the Devil has been a word - of - mouth smasher since it became available as a sight - on - need download on Amazon last month . It ’s the simple narrative of Samantha , a college girl who needs some extra money and answers an ad for a babysitting problem . When her friend drop her off at the distant household where she ’ll be babysitting , a neurotic older man tells her that actually he needs her to take care of his “ anti - societal ” mother - in - law , and pop the question her $ 400 to do it . The whole scenario is creepy-crawly , and also , did I mention there ’s an occultation going on ? Yeah .

Directed by Ti West , a veteran of indie productions , the movie is both a slick takeoff on the classic late 70s / former 80s babysitter - in - risk flick ( complete with feathered hair , lurid chickenhearted credits and Walkmens ) , and a stellar ingress in the genre . It ’s also packed with brilliant cult actors Tom Noonan ( Synecdoche , New York ) , Mary Woronov ( Eating Raoul , Devil ’s Rejects ) and AJ Bowen ( The Signal ) . Noonan is pitch shot - perfect as the humankind who hires Samantha , and Woronov is simply scrumptious as his imperial , fur - clad wife , who makes every sentence she emit seem replete with ironic dual - significance .

What ’s so wonderful about House of the Devil is the way director West sets the microscope stage for what we know will eventually become a devil - worshiping battue . Everywhere Samantha goes – school day , Ithiel Town , a eating house – seems strangely empty . fill this absence of people is the music from her Walkman , video broadcasts about the impending occultation , and the naturalistic chatter she share with her pizza pie - guzzling friend Megan . West transforms the necessities of low - budget filmmaking into a moody void that sets the unadulterated phantasmagorical quality .

Adding to the surrealism is the fact that none of our character deport according to the generic book reach down to them by decades of trashy Satan movies . Instead of being sinister , Noonan ’s Beelzebub - worshiper is apologetic and uncomfortable . When Samantha is left alone in the house , she accidentally spread out the room access to the basement , peers in spite of appearance , and then withdraws immediately . Same cash in one’s chips for the instant when she almost opens the attic room which we already have a go at it turn back the cadaver of a fellowship slaughtered in a previous Satanic religious rite . rather of doing the bear “ going into the dark , shuddery place ” thing , Samantha order pizza , does her homework , and dances with her Walkman .

Though this movie is chilling , I believe its main charm is n’t an ability to pitch shocks or suspense . Instead , House of the Devil is thrilling because it ’s such a thoughtful re - imagining of a writing style not exactly known for thoughtfulness . West has taken a cheesy story and made it a prickly , challenging tale of vernal solitariness and paranoia . Even his Satanist are interesting and unexpected .

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If there ’s any flaw in this antic plastic film , it ’s in the final human action when the horror we ’ve been waiting for is at last discover . All the dark , far-out irony is rip away and we ’re present with something that search deflatingly like what we expect . But of course this is only dissatisfactory in setting , because the residuum of the picture surprises us at every good turn . And in the end you ca n’t ask for more than that in a repulsion movie – cudos to West for doing something genuinely original with a subgenre so cliched it ’s become a parody of itself .

Whether you eff 80s retro or simply lust a coolheaded new cult movie , I ca n’t recommend House of the Devil enough . It just goes to show that in the hand of the right creative team , Satanism never gets older .

viaHouse of the Devil – official site

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