(2009)
Samantha is fed up with her living situation because her roommate is an inconsiderate slob who frequently locks her out of their dorm room so she can have noisy sex. Fortunately Samantha discovers an adorable nearby apartment for $300; the only problem is that she doesn’t have the scratch. Eager to move out, she impulsively responds to a flier posted on a campus bulletin board looking for a babysitter.
After an awkward phone conversation Samantha reluctantly agrees to meet her potential clients, the Ulmans, at their remote, sprawling home. Upon arrival she is greeted by silky voiced Mr. Ulman, a creepy tall man who walks with a cane. Mrs. Ulman is a sophisticated lady dressed to the nines for a night out. After learning some potentially deal-breaking information Samantha decides that she does not want the job. Mr. Ulman is quite adamant that she accept the offer and convinces her to stay by giving her $400 for a few hours work. Soon Samantha finds herself alone in the weird house. Before the night is over Samantha will realize that she has made a terrible mistake.
From what I can tell director Ti West discovered a wormhole to 1983 and decided to film his movie while visiting. Like Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez’s homage to the grindhouse genre or Rob Zombie’s ongoing love affair with 70s exploitation films, West painstakingly recreates the vibe of early 80s horror, even shooting in 16mm to achieve the proper “look”. The end result is so effective that I’m convinced House of the Devil is simply a movie I missed back in the day. I can envision it sandwiched between The House on Sorority Row and The Hunger in a fat clamshell case at Major Video.
Just how 80s is this? The film begins with Samantha walking down the street and in typical early 80s style the frame freezes as the title pops up. This happens during the end credits as well – I love this so much!
Later, Samantha mulls over her babysitting plan with a friend while sitting in a characteristic, nondescript pizza joint. Although the scene itself is insignificant, look at her friend and the subtle 80s details,
In one of my favorite moments, Samantha listens to her phonebook-sized Walkman while dancing to The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another”. Also, who can forget those orange headphones?
Even the film’s poster is intentionally retro,
To my knowledge this is the first contemporary horror movie set in the 80s. West wanted to create a film that mirrors early 80s horror and he gleefully succeeds. House of the Devil is an absolute treat and I enjoyed every second of it. Still not convinced? Check out the awesome trailer,
House of the Devil is a love letter to fans of 80’s horror.
