Horrorfest 2012: House of the Devil

HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a recent low budget horror flick sold as a throwback to classier horror flicks of the late 70s and early 80s. When I first heard these claims I was skeptical -- I've been tricked too many times by supposed homages and throwbacks that were anything but. So, I was glad when I finally watched HOUSE OF THE DEVIL to find that it is not only almost a pitch-perfect homage the golden age of slasher flicks, but also quite good on its own merits.

This is not the splatter movie the name seems to imply. It is a long, slow, suspenseful burn, that only really amps up the horror in the last few minutes. It's a simple enough tale, about a broke college student (Jocelin Donahue) who answers an ad to babysit for a couple during the night of a full lunar eclipse.

So, first of all, I hear the words "babysit" and I think -- oh, great. Here we go. A creepy kid. Let me guess, it's a sullen, pale kid who just sits there and stares all the time, and that's supposed to be scary. Then he turns out to be the antichrist. Right?

No! Turns out there's no kid at all! The creepy couple (Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov) who own the titular house in the isolated woods have lured our heroine there under false pretenses to watch the wife's elderly mother. Or, at least, sit in the house in case of an emergency -- chances are, we won't even see the mother if everything goes according to plan. Sounds easy enough, and after Donahue is offered some extra cash due to the weirdness of the whole thing, we enter the delicious middle part of the film in which we sit on the edge of our seats wondering what horrors await.

Now, I guess your appreciation of the film could hinge on whether or not you find the climax satisfying. I have to admit, I could have used a little more from the climax. I liked the fact that when the shit hit the fan, Donahue turned out to be way smarter and more capable than your average slasher flick heroine, but I didn't feel that the eventual mysteries that were exposed quite justified everything that had come before.

Still, I liked everything that came before. So, while I still like the movie overall, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone else said, "It was fine until the ending, and then the ending ruined it." I don't agree, necessarily, but I totally understand where that's coming from.

The movie was shot in 16mm which gives it a "real" look, as opposed to the too-slick digital camera work of other low budget horror flicks like EXIT HUMANITY from earlier this month. The filmmakers were wise to design the movie to look like an under-exaggerated version of the 80s -- instead of showcasing every cliche they can think of, they present a world that is clearly still in transition from the 70s. There's a killer soundtrack, as well.

Most of the movie rests on the shoulders of Donahue who spends most of her screen time alone. She turns in a very good performance, no matter what the movie throws at her. She's believable and sympathetic as a put-upon college student who can't even relax in her own room thanks to an unruly roommate. And, later, she's equally believable as someone who could rise up against her captors. I hope she has a great career ahead of her.