The House of the Devil (BD)

The horror genre has been on a downhill slope for the past couple of years, mainly due to filmmakers’ propensity to use excessive sex, gore, CGI, and violence, while forgetting the use of the rudimentary horror elements that made horror movies, such as “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “The Descent” (2006), or “The Ring” (2002), stand out. More so, the horror genre has become a mishmash of other genres. However, all is not lost in the genre, and I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me in a recent, relatively unknown horror movie, Ti West’s “The House of the Devil” (2009). After having reviewed “Saw VI” earlier this week, it was interesting to compare the stylistic choices employed by the filmmakers of both films, and the choices differ greatly. Made with a relatively small budget, Ti West’s “The House of the Devil” reminds us of the old monster house movies of yesteryear.

A college sophomore, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), is desperate for quick cash to pay the rent on her new apartment. She takes up a baby-sitting job for one night at a desolate mansion. However, her friend Megan (Greta Gerwig) realizes that something is not quite right about the mansion owner, Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan). Megan leaves Samantha and heads back to her apartment. While at the mansion, Samantha orders a pizza that makes her dizzy. Soon, Samantha finds herself caught up in a deadly game to stay alive and escape a demonic ritual to be performed on her during the full moon.

Jocelin Donahue as Samantha is the heart and soul of the movie. She is in every frame, and seeing her act in this movie, it does not appear that she is performing in her debut role. The opening act shows her as a thoughtful person who is deeply concerned about paying the rent. Being a responsible adult, she starts looking for a job. By the middle act, her inquisitiveness, coupled with the creepy behavior of the house owner, drives her to inspect the desolate house. And by the end of the final act, she is caught in a desperate situation to fight for her life against satanic cult followers. Considering that a range of emotional acting variations is required for these situations, Donahue appropriately fills this role like a veteran actress. In fact, her role resembles a great deal to the ones portrayed by Catherine Deneuve in Polanksi’s “Repulsion” (1965) and Mia Farrow in “Rosemary Baby” (1968). In all these movies, it is the lead actress who is the fulcrum of the entire story.

“The House of the Devil” succeeds on a number of levels, where recent horror movies have failed miserably. First, it is the simplicity and minimal use of sets, actors, and special effects that make this movie stand out from other horror movies. In this film, you rarely see two actors in a single shot. You see Samantha and Megan in a couple of scenes together. After that, we have Samantha alone in the house for majority of the time and then at the climax with the house owner. Even so, the background is not cluttered with unnecessary objects. It appears that everything that is in the frame has a purpose. I don’t know if this was a compositional choice, but it definitely gives a realistic tone to the movie.

Eliot Rockett’s cinematography perfectly complements the creepy mood of the story. The door knobs, the dark basement, the shadows, and the closed room are well captured as Samantha is running away from the imminent danger awaiting her. In one instance, Samantha’s curiosity leads her to the basement, but before descending the stairs, she stops for a moment. Between the two dark walls and a dimly lit background, we see a vertical shot of Samantha having a second thought. The shot builds up the tension and suspense with its perfect camera work and perspective.

The movie also pays homage to horror movies from the 70’s and 80’s. After seeing this film, one can easily relate it to horror flicks like “The Amityville Horror” (1979) and “The Haunting” (1963). This movie could easily have been a disaster had the filmmakers utilized elaborate special effects, violence, and excessive gore. On the contrary, though, director Ti West exercises restraint in using these elements. The director juxtaposes the close-ups and long shots to create an extended and dramatic affect. However, in the process, the director never plays a cheap trick to scare its audience. We have no fake screams or guys sneaking up from behind or blood flowing through the kitchen water tap. All unrealistic types of scares are dropped from this movie. Instead, the focus stays on Samantha the entire duration, enabling us to see things from her perspective. Likewise, the gore is used minimally, and it is only in the climax that the director reminds us of Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell” (2009).

Perhaps the most interesting use of sound in this movie is its very absence. Mostly, we hear diegetic sounds coming from the real elements in the movie, such as footsteps, doors slamming, and dialogue, which not only elevates the tension but also forewarns the audience. Further, non-diegetic sounds such as the background score are rarely used in the movie.  We hear music only in the scenes where Samantha is actually listening to music on her Walkman and in Megan’s apartment and car. This choice of sound design provides an intense and spooky experience.

While paying homage to the old horror movies, “The House of the Devil” attempts to recreate the styles of the 70’s and 80’s as well. Specifically, the dresses worn by the actors are reminiscent of the fashions of the 80’s. The Sony Walkman used by Samantha brings nostalgic memories of how we listened to music on cassette tapes back then. There are no computers, cordless phones, or cell phones. The absence of current technology only adds to Samantha’s helplessness.

Despite all the positives, however, I felt the movie held off its scariest moments for too long. The buildup to the climax might not be satisfying to many viewers, and the climax is left open to multiple interpretations. In the end, though, the positives simply outweigh the negatives, and the final product is quite entertaining.

Video:
Dark Sky Films presents this movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded in an AVC format at a healthy bit rate. The movie was shot on 16 mm film and a limited budget, and considering this limitation, “The House of the Devil” looks remarkably good on this Blu-ray release. The opening scenes exhibit a fair amount of grain that is texturally present throughout. However, the grain is never intrusive to the overall experience. The skin tones are warm and lifelike, with more reddish tone to it. There is a perfect balance between the daylight and dark scenes, and black crush is rare. The contrast is good and consistent throughout. Most of the movie is shot indoors, but the image is sharp during the entire running time.

Audio:
The back cover only states Dolby Digital 5.1 as the audio option. However, if you go through all the audio options, you will see an option for DTS-HD Master Audio. Being a dialogue-driven movie, the surround channels are seldom utilized; however, they do kick in during the ritual scene. Apart from this, dialogue is clear and consistent. Overall, there is nothing to complain about this track. Also included is the option to view the movie with English or Spanish subtitles.

Extras:
First, we have two separate audio commentaries. The first commentary is with director Ti West and the lead actress, Jocelin Donahue. The second commentary involves the director, producers, and crew.

Up next we have a “Behind the scenes” featurette. This is a disappointing extra as we only see the crew shooting different scenes at the mansion (in Connecticut).

Following that is another featurette that is a series of interviews with the cast and crew. Here, Ti West sheds some light on creating an 80’s ambience in the movie. Various crew members talk about their favorite scenes from the film.

We also find three deleted scenes that are presented in a letterboxed mode, followed by the movie’s original theatrical trailer.

Parting Thoughts:
Ti West’s “The House of the Devil” gives new life to the dying horror genre. Smartly written and well acted, the movie packs plenty of scares with its minimalist approach. For some viewers, the pacing of the movie may be an issue because the director takes his time developing the characters and story. However, the horror is realistic without overloading the audience with unwanted gore and violence. Considering the risk factor involved in signing an unknown actress, Jocelin Donahue does not disappoint in her breakthrough performance. Fans of old school, indie-type horror movies should definitely check out this release from Dark Sky Films.