A few years back, after the Grindhouse craze was running rampant thanks to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s own GRINDHOUSE project, fanboys around the world were throwing out director’s names, filmmakers whom they thought could also achieve that style of the grindhouse flick that Tarantino, Rodriguez, and the handful of directors behind the faux trailers achieved. There is no question that, with THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, Ti West’s name is firmly in that camp, as, not only does he capture the retro look and feel of those ’80s, horror films, he has crafted a thriller whose style and substance match in an uncomfortable web of moody narrative and grainy environment. The film is a throwback, yes, but it also launches such a foreboding tone towards the audience that, once the film delves into out-and-out bloodbath, it feels somewhat of a letdown.
Set in the era of which it lifts its style, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL centers on Samantha, a college girl, played by Jocelin Donahue, who is just trying to make due amidst financial woes. She has found the perfect, one-bedroom apartment , but, with the first month’s rent due in only a matter of days, she is becoming desperate and frustrated. So, she certainly jumps at the chance when she finds an ad on campus of someone looking for a babysitter. Samantha takes the job, but, once she arrives at the house, she discovers that not everything is at it seems. The residents, played by Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov, admit they do not have children, but that Samantha will be watching their elderly mother. The odd couple leaves, and things become even stranger. Samantha begins to feel as if she is being watched, there are strange noises going on elsewhere in the house, and, for some strange reason, she is unable to get a hold of her best friend, played by indie up-and-comer Greta Gerwig, who dropped Samantha off at the house earlier in the night.
What makes THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL so effective is the film’s build. West does wonders with atmosphere, and, aside from a few instances of jump-out scares, including one whale of a shocker, much of the film’s first 2/3 is made up of creepy noises and slow ventures through the dark house. But, the film is never boring in any sense. Samantha is not an unintelligent girl. She arms herself with a kitchen knife, turns on all the lights downstairs, and, even when the pizza guy comes to deliver, she flings the money at him yelling for him to keep the change. This is a girl who has clearly seen the horror films of her era and knows the dos and don’ts of typical entries into the genre. Hell, she even does a RISKY BUSINESS-style dance through the house, not as a sign of rebelliousness, as Tom Cruise’s Joel Goodson performs, but surely more as a defense mechanism from the fright of what “might” be going on around her. Unfortunately for Samantha, writer and director West is not interested in anything typical, and you soon realize that strange and sinister things are about to befall Samantha regardless of how careful or armed she is.
This is all the more reason the film’s final 10-15 minutes are such a disjointed mess. For a large majority of the film, we have been watching a highly convincing and compelling work of moody horror, and, once the Satanic Bible hits the fan, it seems decorum and tone go right out the window. What they make way for is wall-to-wall gore and bodies piling up left and right. It’s unsettling, but not in the way most gory horror aims for. There is a discomfort in the mood swing the film goes through, and you begin to wonder where the atmosphere went. This isn’t to say there is any sort of narrative structure that calls for this level of violence, either. Granted, the film calls for some foul play, but this much is unneeded and distracting.
The film’s final act doesn’t offer much you might expect from the twists, either. Here is where I throw up a big SPOILER ALERT, but the film doesn’t swerve the audience in any way. What you believe is going on for 90% of the film is, in fact, precisely what is going on. A little more forethought into a game-changer of a twist would have been more effective and would have been much more appreciated. END SPOILER ALERT.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is highly commendable, as well, for the way West captures not only the look and feel of the ’80s, but also the styles in what people wear, the music they listen to, and the ginormous Walkman Samantha carries around with her through the entire movie. Everything feels vintage and genuine, and, aside from the contemporary actors being used, it wouldn’t be difficult to convince someone the film is actually from the era it calls on.
Speaking of those contemporary actors, West doesn’t skimp on the talent with his cast. Everyone in the film does an impeccable job, regardless of screen time or narrative importance. Donahue is great as the film’s heroine/would-be victim. It’s just unfortunate she doesn’t have much time during the climax to make much of a transformation from the latter to the former. Noonan is, as always, perfectly creepy and sincere. Gerwig plays the typical, plucky best friend with so much honesty that the character doesn’t even come off as annoying, something this type of character has certainly done in lesser skilled actor’s hands. Woronov and AJ Bowen give satisfactory performances, even though they aren’t given much to do, and Dee Wallace shows up in a fun cameo.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a film that works for the large majority that it allows itself to be scary and atmospheric. The final steps towards its outcome don’t ruin the picture, but they certainly don’t do it any favors, either. Had Ti West come up with a palatable ending to his otherwise engaging and, oftentimes, frightening film, he would have had one of the best horror films to come out in recent memory. As it is, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a near perfect throwback to ’80s horror that just falls short, as if a priest had given a resounding and moving prayer to the heavens only to cap it off with a cry of “Touchdown!”. There is much for horror fans to gain from THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, and, even though it has its failures, it is far better than most of what goes for horror these days.
