TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

kaylarada What are you willing to do for $400? In this film Samantha has to make this decision, she has to decide whether or not an uncomfortable situation is worth the down payment for her new house. Samantha is not your typical final girl and House of the Devil is not your typical devil worship film. The cinematography done by Ti West really makes you feel like the film was made during the 1980s. The mise-en-scene is what really emphasizes the time period, for example the lack of cell phones and the costumes. The suspense in this film is slow but definitely worth the wait. Ti West has the audience on their seats for the entire duration that Samantha is inside the house. We are invested in Samantha's safety and wellbeing that we are consumed by the fear of losing her. Instead of constant jump scares Ti West builds the anticipation while Samantha continues to snoop around the large victorian house. The use of low key lighting creates a lot of shadows and forces the audience to anticipate something lurking within every shadow. The slow build up was great but the climax of the film was a bit of a let down. The style of the film almost flips completely throwing the audience off and removes you from the experience. This sudden change and disconnect from the narrative discredits the ending even though the rest of the film was beautifully executed. However, the film was a good break from typical horror films that desensitize you with every gory kill. The extended suspense allows for you to actually feel fearful when Samantha is in danger.

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.

bustosedna Being a college student on a campus causes you to read the bulletin board postings and wonder who are the people that post them. Now that I've watched The House of the Devil, I am 100% not trusting bulletin board postings even if they are for walking dogs- must watch movie to understand! Overall, the movie provides a relatable feeling to what Samantha is going through that being with finding a new apartment, economic hardships, and emotionally drained perhaps psychological as well. As the movie goes on, Samantha's character starts to buildup and we sympathize for her as if we were close to her and just want the best for her. The actress who plays Samantha has such a naturalistic acting that gives off the vibe of an innocent sweet girl and towards the end we see her defend herself like nobody's business, is such a great transition and character buildup to see. The film provides great acting with a nice, and somewhat slow, buildup of the climax where it all comes down with surprises and twists. It's not your usual gore flick, but the amount of blood used is reasonable and so is the violence that keeps the suspense going and creates jump scares at the end. We see the director, Ti West, use lighting and sound techniques to set the emotion and mood of the film such like, bottom lighting to create the dominant and frightful look as well as side lighting to create a vulnerable feel. We see a lot of low-key lighting to give us that mysterious vibe and have us guess what's behind that mysterious door. West uses such great orchestra music to build up that suspenseful feeling to keep us at the edge and give us that great scare that every great horror film should have. In entirety, The House of the Devil gives hope and a fresh sense to the typical belief horror films and adds a nice cliffhanger to it that keeps you wondering even after the movie is long over with.

blackhawk-74525 A babysitting job takes a turn for the worse, beginning from an advertisement placed on a college job board to a hung up phone call; things are not quite right from the get-go. A movie that crescendos, never releasing its tension, and finally hits an apex that leaves one questioning what has just been witnessed. There are moments that lead you to believe the movie is going in a certain direction, only to veer in another. Subtle hints of skulls and bright hues of red portray what it already known to be a movie somehow involving the devil. The movie shifts from brief moments of a teenager having fun babysitting in a house and exploring to the house becoming an inescapable hell. There is an large amount of character progression to be found within the main character. She transforms from a shy, almost naive girl to a women fighting for her life. Movies such as, The Omen, compare to how tension is built up and how there is a sort of mystery to be solved. As a viewer, there is a need to try to put the pieces together of this "puzzle" and reach a conclusion before it is revealed to you. The movie has its points where the action occurring seems monotonous, but in retrospect, that helps to add more to the film and makes the ending that much better. This movie pays homage to the 1970s/80s horror movies, in that it is filmed in that time period with camera quality that was around at that time as well. Hold onto your seat and pay attention this movie will take you on a ride.