tymtres
House of the Devil utilizes tension through patience and sound to create an unsettling atmosphere many viewers underestimate in the horror genre today. This is not your normal thrill-seeking/gore-loving/violence loaded movie, rather Ti West creates a "breathe of fresh air" story driven masterpiece convincing the viewer that the events taking place in the film can be believed by anyone ultimately instilling fear to anyone who watches this. West is able to capture certain viewers for an experience they would not soon forget. House of the Devil was created in 2009 and takes place in the early 80s. It is put together beautifully to vividly imagine life in that time period and also to make it look like it was filmed in that time too. Sound plays a very significant role in the progression of the film. Throughout the earlier parts of the film the sound is soft with its diegetic and non-diegetic sound except for the music Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) plays through her Walkman Cassette player and music played in various other scenes. The louder music enables the audience to experience safety through these parts (and also wakeup calls for whoever may be yawning in this slow-paced film). I believe these moments are crucial because even though we may step away from the horror aspect of the film for a movement, we become vulnerable. When we become vulnerable with a false-sense of safety, it impacts the fear element to become even greater for the viewer. Not knowing the outcome of a situation creates interests, interests creates the viewer to engulf themselves into the atmosphere of the film, when we engulf ourselves this is where Ti West has the audience on the edge of their seat vulnerable. Vulnerability is a crucial element of the horror film which is underutilized and at many times not executed well. House of the Devil executes this feeling effectively to create a movie unlike most others, one not to be watched but to be experienced.
gabriellevasilevsk
House of the Devil is a love letter to classic 80s horror films that timidly hides among modern horror films. This film managed to capture the true essence of the 80s: the nostalgic hits, the grainy camera, and the prominent fashion marked by big hair and high-waist pants. However, House of the Devil really shines through its purposeful callbacks to 80s horror elements. Unlike modern horror films, this film does not spoil or desensitize the viewer to a marathon of gore and nudity right off the get-go. Instead, this film takes its time by building up the horror and suspense through elements of mis-en-scene such as the lightning, sound, and the reoccurring colors of white and red leaving the viewer submissive and vulnerable to the plot by sitting on the edge of their seat thinking, "when will this go bad?". Director Ti West manipulates our emotions with the sound as it creates an illusion for the viewer that a jump scare will happen soon, only to find out it was a false alarm. Ti West allows the audience to soak up the mis-en-scene in this film by placing the camera in a seemingly casual spot as if we are to watch something horrific unravel behind the curtains, or behind the couch that Sam is sitting on, yet we are actually examining the house and the environment, searching for clues just as Sam is doing herself. The reoccurring colors of white and red are evident through the placement of white and red lamps, as they are foreshadowing the splashing use of those colors later on. Low-key lighting is used to cast a shadow of the stair railings on Sam's face to indicate that she is trapped, also foreshadowing events to come. Ti West explicitly incorporates these techniques that may be familiar to 80s horror fans, as this film shares intertextuality with Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre and John Carpenter's Halloween as both films also utilized sound and lighting techniques to frighten its audience.
kylebbridston
This movie is extremely true to the eighties. Although I didn't live in that time, I have seen many of the movies from then and the editing is incredible. It is slow at the beggining, but the director and writer uses this to develop fear as the girl hears strange noises.
cndial
From the moment we are brought into this film, it is obvious that Ti West's The House of the Devil is going to include a reemergence of the classic '80s stereotypes we have grown to know and love. Ti West does something extremely smart when placing the opening credits over freeze frames of our main character, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), because it allows us to automatically feel connected to her. It also reminds us of the films we have watched over and over. However, with this being a horror film, West also creates an atmosphere that makes the viewer slightly uncomfortable. The dulled sounds and grainy edits, something that we have become accustomed to when viewing films made 30 years ago, is somehow out of place when viewing a movie that came out in the last decade. The feeling of nostalgia that viewers experience is almost misplaced, and it begins the sensation of terror in their stomachs for the anticipation of what may come next. This feeling of dread compounds throughout the movie when little oddities begin to occur, such as Mr. Ulman's peculiar phone habits, strange appearance, "off" mannerisms, and unusual interactions with his own wife, whom Samantha engages with as well. Everything adds to this dreadful feeling. So, commence the white knuckles on every viewer, as Samantha is left alone in this Hitchcockian house. The suspense builds, and the mise-en-scène alone is enough to make a viewer go mad. Although there are moments of relief placed strategically throughout, the anticipation for the modern day, fast-paced gore we have grown used to is immense. The lull in the movie, which is preceded by the abrupt and gory death of Samantha's friend Megan, allows a viewer's imagination to run rampant. The yearning for questions to be answered grows exponentially with every passing scene as Samantha slowly explores the home. I commend Ti West's use of these elements that build suspense, similar to the ones that the great Alfred Hitchcock used thoroughly himself. When the film is over, the viewers are left with a feeling in the pit in their stomachs that is never quite resolved
much like Samantha.
AD
