Tribeca Review: ‘The House of the Devil’

From everyone I have talked to and from most of the reviews I have read elsewhere for this movie, I am definitely in the minority in not digging this film. Regardless of my dislike, I will acknowledge that this is certainly a well-crafted film and most horror fans should still check it out.

Despite there being hundreds of different sub-genres in horror, it really all comes down to two styles. There is slow creepy tension building atmospheric horror and then there is face paced hack n’ slash body count horror. All horror films fall into either of these categories or a combination of the two. While I can appreciate a good slow moving tale, I do need a decent amount of suspense and action to keep me going along for the ride. Go ahead and blame it on my ADD driven age of MTV/Michael Bay fast cutting youth.

‘The House of the Devil’ is in no way a Hack n’ Slash film, although the special effects are fantastic in the few scenes of intense violence. Those scenes equal maybe 6 minutes of the film, while the remaining 80 is all about atmosphere leading up to those 6 minutes. And there is plenty of atmosphere. The film is set in the 1980’s and is very much like the subtle horror films of the late 70’s/early 80’s. The film is full of little details that are gradually pieced together to spell out trouble for the lead. The opening credits sequence perfectly places the film in the 80’s and the film never does anything to make you think this is not a lost gem in a pristine print from 25 years ago.

On a side note, there is something about this film that made me very angry. This is not something in the film but instead something left out. I was told Ti West was barred from doing interviews at Tribeca after his great tell-all interview with Katrina Longworth, which you can and should check out right  HERE. In it, West talks about how the producers recut the film and removed 4 minutes to speed up the pace. (He also talks about why he is no longer associated with Cabin Fever 2) They made the cut with the fear that the youth of today are like me and prefer blood and guts to tension. Let me say, shame on the producer’s. In a film like this, 4 minutes makes no difference. The entire film is meant to be a buildup and it succeeds brilliantly at that. Why piss off your direct and change his vision for 4 minutes that will most likely please those who like the film and not make a difference to those who don’t?

It is really simple, fans of horror, especially old school occult movies should check this out. It is a well-made slice of horror nostalgia that just is not my cup of tea. Regardless, I appreciate what West has done and I hope to see HIS version of Cabin Fever 2 someday soon.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com