The House of the Devil (2009)
77%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 6 nominations
Though its underlying themes are familiar, House of the Devil effectively sheds the loud and gory cliches of contemporary horror to deliver a tense, slowly building throwback to the fright flicks of decades past
The House of the Devil is a horror movie that takes us back to the good old days of suspense and tension. It’s like a time machine that transports us to the 80s, where horror movies were made with imagination and corn syrup instead of CGI and jump scares. The slow pace and grainy cinematography add to the retro vibe, but unfortunately, the homage to the classics doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Still, it’s a fun and stylish horror gem that reminds us of better times, and Satanism never gets old, right?
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Malpaso Productions,
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Lakeville, Connecticut, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some bloody violence
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 30, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2010
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen, Dee Wallace, directed by Ti West, written by Ti West, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jen Yamato, Perri Nemiroff, Nigel Andrews, Tom Seymour, Peter Bradshaw, David Jenkins, Kristy Strouse, David Harris, Eve Tushnet, Federico Furzan, Lauren Humphries-Brooks, R rating, babysitting, satanic ritual, lunar eclipse, Magnolia Pictures, Dolby Digital, Josh Braun, Roger Kass, Peter Phok, Larry Fessenden, college student, apartment, serial killings, suspense, tension, throwback, fright flicks, atmosphere, slowly building, old-fashioned, Wes Craven, Dario Argento, Rosemary’s Baby, The Amityville Horror, Virgin Witch, The Omen
Worldwide gross: $101,215
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $139,890
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,985
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 15,255
US/Canada gross: $101,215
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $139,890
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,605
US/Canada opening weekend: $25,195
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $34,822
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,327
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $900,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $1,243,900
Production budget ranking: 2,079
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $669,840
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,773,849
ROI to date (est.): -93%
ROI ranking: 1,972
Tom Noonan – Mr. Ulman
Mary Woronov – Mrs. Ulman
Greta Gerwig – Megan
AJ Bowen – Victor
Dee Wallace – The Landlady
Ti West – Director/Writer
Josh Braun – Producer
Roger Kass – Producer
Peter Phok – Producer
Larry Fessenden – Producer
Director(s)
Ti West
Writer(s)
Ti West
Producer(s)
Josh Braun, Roger Kass, Peter Phok, Larry Fessenden
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (102) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (87) | Rotten (15)
In this era of torture porn and slasher pics, House of the Devil is a shining example of how to build atmosphere and tension the old-fashioned way.
October 10, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Jen Yamato
Movies.com
TOP CRITIC
Recreates the feeling of 80s horror; less CGI, more imagination and a whole lot of corn syrup.
August 14, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Perri Nemiroff
CinemaBlend
TOP CRITIC
The pay-off is a little far-fetched, but by then we have had our emotional workout.
March 22, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
The power of this film lies in the approach to the inevitable final act, rather than the realisation of the act itself.
March 22, 2010
Tom Seymour
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Things quickly get silly and unscary.
March 19, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The film’s nostalgic design is subtle enough not to dampen the seriously sinister atmospherics.
March 19, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
David Jenkins
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
West really shows off his talent for filmmaking here, giving us a retro vibe that seamlessly blends the chills with the eventual, gory, thrills. The House of the Devil is a real horror gem.
October 14, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
The grainy cinematography, slow pace and rhythm make The House of the Devil feel as if it came out with those old Wes Craven and Dario Argento cheapies. Unfortunately, homage isn’t enough to add anything original to the proceedings.
August 5, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
The atmosphere was fun and the suspense was great-all the scenes where the babysitter is just wandering the house were incredibly tense. And then it all just dissipates when the action starts, because this movie has nothing really to say…
June 30, 2020
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
Stylish horror gem that reminds us of better times. [Full review in Spanish].
June 3, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Federico Furzan
Cinelipsis
there are times when 80s nostalgia produces something really unique, as is the case with Ti West’s The House of the Devil, a deliberate throwback to the decade that immerses its viewer in the chills and thrills of slow-burn violence.
October 11, 2018
Lauren Humphries-Brooks
Suddenly A Shot Rang Out
Satanism never gets old.
May 25, 2018
Annalee Newitz
io9.com…
Plot
In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Tom Noonan’s performance as Mr. Ulman is described as “muddled with over exaggeration, and in doing so, loses all subtly, becoming a caricature of a creepy home owner.”
Ti-West.jpg
