The House of the Devil
Directed By: Ti West
Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig
Rated: R
1 hrs. 33 min.
Co-Ed Samantha, in need of money to pay her rent on a new apartment, takes a baby-sitting job that is more than she bargained for.
The House of the Devil is obviously meant as an homage to horror flicks of the 70s and 80s; unfortunately, it unwittingly comes off as a spoof. The opening sequence creates a good knowing laugh for fans in the know, but every throwback after just seems like a joke.
Ti West certainly enjoys a slow burn rather than constant chills and thrills, and slow burns are truly effective in creating unease and tension in a viewer. In this case, the slow burn just sort of fizzles out. It seems as if the entire film drags on for incredibly too long. True, in Samantha's situation, one would snoop around the house of a brand new baby-sitting employer, but as a sequence it just does not work to pull tension. The ending also lacks the punch expected after the rest of the drawn out scenes.
Despite the lack-luster story, the acting is brilliant by leading lady Jocelin Donahue. No matter how frankly boring the scenes can be, she still keeps you in your seat just to see her performance as Samantha. Another actor that steals every scene in which she appears is Gwen Gerwig as Samantha's best friend Megan. Gerwig plays the role so believably, she reminds you of that one outstandingly sarcastic and witty person in your own circle of friends.
No matter how stellar the acting within it, The House of the Devil is unable to stir the fear one hopes for from a horror film.
Grade: D
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