GamerTab That was an excellent one.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Tweetienator A nice little flick with great care for detail (brings back the 80s in music and "style" like) and good acting (Jocelin Donahue playing Samantha remembers me a little of Jessica Harper playing Suzy Bannion, the heroine of the classic Suspiria). The transition to the gory end and the resolution are a little blunt and not well paced for my taste and well, I was never really scared, surprised or shocked or anything like that. But anyway, not a bad flick but certainly no must-watch or must-collect for the lover of the art of horrors.

alec_pace The House of the Devil is a methodically structured film that highlights the monstrosities of the human psyche. Although the film's slow-paced narrative may seem daunting to a viewer's attention span, the director's elaborate storytelling and the strikingly visual ending makes the viewing worthwhile. From the beginning, we are put into Ti West's homage to the 1980s as Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) walks back to her dorm room while listening to her Walkman. This was not the film's only relationships to the 1980s as it was shot on 16mm film, which gave it a very similar grainy look as many past films did in that era. These retro elements of the film present feelings of nostalgia and intertextuality to films such as Halloween (1978), especially in relation to voyeurism. From the beginning, it seems that Samantha is being violated when Mr. Ulman stands her up at the school and lies to her about the details of the babysitting job. By this point in the film, Samantha is already the victim, before even confronting the demons of the house. As Samantha's stay in the house continues, she is forced deeper into a dark pattern by uncovering insightful clues on who the owners of the house really are. Half-way through the film, Samantha is already helpless since every time she comes closer to the truth of why she's there, there is already someone one step ahead of her. That person is Victor Ulman (A.J. Bowen), who we share the perspective from as we see Samantha sitting on the couch through the window in one particular scene. Not only does this first-person shot share elements to the opening scene of Halloween (1978), but it also puts the audience in the shoes of the violator. The Ulman family and the audience share the bond of knowing that Samantha is in danger, which presents the use of irony in the film. As we watch Samantha wander around the house throughout the film, we become the violators of the film and by the end during the satanic ritual, we have become participants. This is a feature that Ti West and his crew are able to create which increases the tension as the film reaches its climatic end. What makes this horror film a unique and innovative experience is how it is able to make ordinary horror elements and amplify their effect on the audience. Not only does the use of low-key lighting present an ominous tone in the film, but it also draws reference to the fading shadow of the moon from the lunar eclipse. And most importantly, the sharp high tone soundtrack amplifies the intensity to the already appalling moments in the film. Ti West does not recreate the pallet for making horror films, but merely polishes it to construct a pleasing experience for viewers.

jfort-88334 In 2009's The House of the Devil, Ti West invites the audience into what is possibly one of the most tension building labyrinths of terror. Centered around the Satanic cult craze of the 1980's, West inserts little details in the mise-en-scene to trap an everyday college student, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), in the dark, secluded house of the Ulman's, played by Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov. Shadows, window panes, door frames, you name it and West has utilized a certain quality of the architectural nature of the house to drag us into his dungeon of insanity. He unleashes the beast by building up the tension until the very last moment. Viewers will feel like there is something watching them at all times, whether that be true or not. His work is supported by a talented group of actors, who embody the soul of soullessness. Noonan and Woronov, though very unsuspecting, give off a vibe of unbalance in the little screen time they have. The briefness does not matter, as they are able to make the best of it. Donahue makes Samantha into an extremely relatable character for any young person. Her goal is simple, and yet she finds herself in a situation in which she did not expect. The movie brings up many social issues through underlying context, such as the exploitation and prostitution of the body, the falsehoods of faith, and the transformation of man into monster. Overall brilliance on all levels. Could not be any more satisfied with the end result.

Jordan Shanahan House of the Devil is a film that delves the audience into an atmosphere of a classical slasher film. The scenery and style of the misc-en-scene throughout the film heavily mirrors that of the ideal 80s slasher such as Halloween. The scenery in the film is one of its defining characteristics that help this movie stand out from other modern day horror films that rely heavily on special effects.The overall best aspect of this film is its growing suspense. This is not a movie for those who love gore and constant assault on the senses. For the grand majority of the movie the audience held down by so much expectation it becomes almost unbearable. The audience grows attached to the very attractive main character (Jocelin Donahue) who despite her and her friend's best efforts to be sensible throughout the film falls victim to classic horror movie stereotypes. This attraction and connection to the main character as the suspense continues to build at a grueling pace make this part of the film truly great. The excellent use of growing suspense throughout the film is also its biggest downfall as the audience is filled to the brim with expectation only to have that feeling shattered by a very rushed ending. The ending assaults your senses too fast and is too unbelievable. The audience becomes disconnected as the realistic suspense of the majority of the film at this grueling pace is replaced by an unrealistic ending that happens all too fast. Another positive aspect of this film that should be mentioned is the comic relief of the best friend (Greta Gerwig) delivering excellent amount of fun in the face of this growing suspense. Overall the majority of this film has all the aspects of a classical slasher of growing suspense. However, the pacing at the end and the disconnect from this suspenseful first half of the film served as a large disappointment.