I can't tell you how much of a relief it'll be to get this night behind us.
When it comes to the horror genre, there are some films that have to be seen in a theater for maximum effectiveness. Ti West's '80s throwback/homage The House of the Devil, which received an extremely limited release last fall, is just such a film, but under the right conditions (after dark, lights out, complete quiet, minimal use of the pause button) it's the little horror film that can still scare the pants off you -- and it's one that I predict will be doing just that to many people for many years to come.
Written, directed and edited by West, The House of the Devil establishes its period setting right off the bat with a pitch-perfect synth/guitar theme (by Jeff Grace, whose work on the film cannot be overvalued) and opening titles that freeze the picture on each new credit, just like they often did in the early '80s. Characters use pay phones and rotary phones, leave messages on answering machines instead of voice mail, and listen to Greg Kihn and Thomas Dolby on the radio and the Fixx on a Walkman (hey, I had one of those!), but there's more to the film than mere mimicry. Unlike the glut of horror remakes/updates that have been dominating the market in recent years, this is one that actually looks, sounds and feels like it was made in 1982 or 1983. That's no small feat for a filmmaker who was but a toddler at the time.
I don't want to give away too much of the plot because the way West reveals it piece by piece is quite ingenious, but the basic setup should be fair game. Financially strapped college student Jocelin Donahue wants to get away from her inconsiderate slob of a roommate and move off-campus, but lacks the money for a deposit on a one-bedroom. Enter creepy couple Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov (genre vets both) in desperate need of a babysitter who offer to grossly overpay her for one night's work. Donahue's best bud (and, since she doesn't have a car of her own, ride) Greta Gerwig tries to talk her out of it, but the money is too much of temptation for her to pass up and she takes the job. And did I mention this all takes place on the night of a full lunar eclipse? Well, if you don't think that's significant, then you obviously haven't seen enough horror movies.
For his part, West clearly has seen plenty of horror movies, and from them he's learned how to milk a situation for all the suspense he can without resorting to winking at the audience. And in addition to casting Noonan and Woronov, he also gives Dee Wallace (star of The Howling and the original version of The Hills Have Eyes, among others) a plum role as Donahue's would-be landlady. Of course, even before I knew what was going to happen, I figured she would be waiting a long time for that deposit.