Ti West’s throwback horror surpasses expectations for the sub-sub-genre by not only capturing the spirit of the era but being a refreshingly smart and atmospheric video nasty. The 80’s setting allows director/writer/editor Ti West to kick the retro into overdrive – incidentally this film was also released promotionally on VHS... I’m impressed. He starts with a classic story. The film opens telling us of peoples fear of satanic cults in the 1980’s and tells us it is based on true accounts, although I’m near certain that this is just the kinda tripe you’d get in a nasty 1980’s horror. Then we meet Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) who is a college gal looking to make some money to move out of her dorm accepts an ever increasingly odd baby sitting job on the night of a lunar eclipse.
Very shortly into the film the 1980’s feel gets going strong – including a short cameo from horror star Dee Wallace (The Howling (1981), Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007)) as the landlady of the house she pining for. This is followed by a super title sequence, that admittedly almost comes across as a 70’s cop show with it’s freeze-frames and cheesey music, but was certainly enjoyable with it’s ghastly yellow font, and when a title like “House of the Devil” comes up I’m already sold on a couple of levels.
I bought this film impulsively on a glowing review from my man Mark Kermode. The next thing I heard about the film however wasn’t as encouraging – people complained about the slow pacing. This was what I’d heard was so effective in the film, but some genre fans didn’t seem to be having it. I was a little concerned. It soon became obvious that it was a slow burn and I pondered that this may be due to the director also editing the film. However, in my humble opinion it is definitely the the smart crafting of the build up that makes this film work.
West builds up a sense of uneasiness long before we even get to the creepy house, before we find out that she’s not being asked to look after a child… but Mr. Ulman’s (Tom Noonan) mother. Once left alone in the house the film really shows us how it’s done. Although I was surprised at the length of time the film took before anything “happened” I was glued to the screen for the middle act of the film, as little dialogue played and skilled cinematography created a fantastic tone around the scarce jump scares luring you in as we start to realise that this is not going to end well. Without giving anything away when we do get to the nasty – it’s fucking nasty. I feel that it wouldn’t be so effective without the impressive pacing beforehand.
The masterful work in the build up (perhaps a good two thirds of the film) has been compared to the early work of Polanski (eg, Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Repulsion (1965)) and interestingly for a movie capturing the 80s mood so well it did feel a lot like these films in elements of its tonal quality. The dread we feel, as the film shifts gear continuously, is what you look for in the 70s/80s films but is rarely delivered and the grimy nastiness that ensues is straight out of the DPP list – if not truly disgusting it does the film a bloody slice of justice and compliments the rest of the film with a satisfying contrast. What’s more, the ending which at first seemed odd to myself is, after a few minutes late-night pondering, in fact perfect for a film of that era.
The film looks fantastic, reminiscent of a whole cannon of classic horror films, but hardly derivative to my mind. Jocelin Donehue looks perfect for an 80’s college girl as do her co-stars and Tom Noonan is the kind of shudder inducing character you’re sure you’ve seen before but can’t place, from the moment we hear his voice on the phone to his gangly and wrought presence in the house. However, look out for one character who, in my opinion, looks like Rocky Dennis from Mask (1985). Whereas films like House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and Grindhouse (2007) play on the more over-the-top elements of these exploitation-horror films, West’s throwback horror film is much more subtle in how it cranks up the terror. It stays strongly nostalgic whilst making a fresh horror, that has clearly impressed the crowds looking for a decent modern horror. It is rare to see this kind of film so well paced allowing genuinely effective and enjoyable scares – don’t you ever feel conned by cheap jump scares? Evidently, people expecting a video nasty throwback may be a bit disappointed by the fact that this is a well made, skilfully executed and masterfully paced film. This probably isn’t going to get the gore-hounds going but if you like proper horror films you need to see this. My bet is you’ll be impressed.
Very shortly into the film the 1980’s feel gets going strong – including a short cameo from horror star Dee Wallace (The Howling (1981), Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007)) as the landlady of the house she pining for. This is followed by a super title sequence, that admittedly almost comes across as a 70’s cop show with it’s freeze-frames and cheesey music, but was certainly enjoyable with it’s ghastly yellow font, and when a title like “House of the Devil” comes up I’m already sold on a couple of levels.
I bought this film impulsively on a glowing review from my man Mark Kermode. The next thing I heard about the film however wasn’t as encouraging – people complained about the slow pacing. This was what I’d heard was so effective in the film, but some genre fans didn’t seem to be having it. I was a little concerned. It soon became obvious that it was a slow burn and I pondered that this may be due to the director also editing the film. However, in my humble opinion it is definitely the the smart crafting of the build up that makes this film work.
West builds up a sense of uneasiness long before we even get to the creepy house, before we find out that she’s not being asked to look after a child… but Mr. Ulman’s (Tom Noonan) mother. Once left alone in the house the film really shows us how it’s done. Although I was surprised at the length of time the film took before anything “happened” I was glued to the screen for the middle act of the film, as little dialogue played and skilled cinematography created a fantastic tone around the scarce jump scares luring you in as we start to realise that this is not going to end well. Without giving anything away when we do get to the nasty – it’s fucking nasty. I feel that it wouldn’t be so effective without the impressive pacing beforehand.
The masterful work in the build up (perhaps a good two thirds of the film) has been compared to the early work of Polanski (eg, Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Repulsion (1965)) and interestingly for a movie capturing the 80s mood so well it did feel a lot like these films in elements of its tonal quality. The dread we feel, as the film shifts gear continuously, is what you look for in the 70s/80s films but is rarely delivered and the grimy nastiness that ensues is straight out of the DPP list – if not truly disgusting it does the film a bloody slice of justice and compliments the rest of the film with a satisfying contrast. What’s more, the ending which at first seemed odd to myself is, after a few minutes late-night pondering, in fact perfect for a film of that era.
The film looks fantastic, reminiscent of a whole cannon of classic horror films, but hardly derivative to my mind. Jocelin Donehue looks perfect for an 80’s college girl as do her co-stars and Tom Noonan is the kind of shudder inducing character you’re sure you’ve seen before but can’t place, from the moment we hear his voice on the phone to his gangly and wrought presence in the house. However, look out for one character who, in my opinion, looks like Rocky Dennis from Mask (1985). Whereas films like House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and Grindhouse (2007) play on the more over-the-top elements of these exploitation-horror films, West’s throwback horror film is much more subtle in how it cranks up the terror. It stays strongly nostalgic whilst making a fresh horror, that has clearly impressed the crowds looking for a decent modern horror. It is rare to see this kind of film so well paced allowing genuinely effective and enjoyable scares – don’t you ever feel conned by cheap jump scares? Evidently, people expecting a video nasty throwback may be a bit disappointed by the fact that this is a well made, skilfully executed and masterfully paced film. This probably isn’t going to get the gore-hounds going but if you like proper horror films you need to see this. My bet is you’ll be impressed.
Oh man, now you've gone and made me feel bad about selling the film! Great review my friend. Solid writing and good points all around. Tom Noonan is boss. If you haven't seen it, check out Manhunter for his masterfully unsettling performance as the tooth fairy.
ReplyDeletei was unaware he was in manhunter... i have been meaning to see that film for some time, so i will soon
ReplyDelete