On The House of the Devil - A Review

The House of the Devil, made in 2009, claims to be a throwback to the slasher flicks of the 1980s, yet it succeeds in style and appearance, and little else. This is a confused movie that tries to combine several sub-genres and ideas without fully developing any. As an homage to better films, it is quite adept, but the movie never lifts itself above that.

To be fair, House of the Devil is very original in intent, but the approach is muddled. Devices from literally every sub-genre are literally crammed into the 93-minute running-time, and though they are effectively used, it is a clusterfuck of concepts that leaves the dedicated horror movie fan dizzy. House of the Devil is true to its title, a Devil flick, but draws on everything from mystery to suspense/psychological thrillers to the slasher to tell a story that would have better been served by the Supernatural formula.

A slow-building mystery formula -- which is present in the first half of the film -- gives way to one cinematic trick after another in an attempt to showcase the director's capabilities. Granted, Ti West's got chops, but he also has an impressive list of genre flicks to his name. While House of the Devil may help his career, the film itself would have been better served by a more direct route.

A good film, especially for fans of the 1980's movies, but it misses the mark as an Occult/Devil flick. The build and pacing of the first part is pretty solid, but the "mystery" is a foregone conclusion, which detracts from the product. The Reveal feels forced, as do other parts of the movie where West is obviously showing his take on different tropes of the overall genre, but House of the Devil is well-crafted and enjoyable.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010