Before the X trilogy put him on the map and made him a household name in horror, Ti West directed several low-budget indie horror films that established him as a strong voice in the genre. None of these films is more successful than 2009’s The House of the Devil, a searing slow-burn that references the '80s genre classics that inspired it.
The opening credits feature a statistic about satanic panic in the 1980s, the often misconstrued idea of satanism and its prevalence in America. The pre-title card lets viewers know that what's to come will be dark, devilish, and involve the occult. It cant, however, prepare audiences for the experience of watching the film.
The story centers around Sam (played by unknown Jocelin Donahue), a college student fed up with her dorm life who is about to rent her first apartment. To make her downpayment to her landlady (scream queen icon Dee Wallace) Sam just needs a little more cash, so she responds to an ad flier asking for a babysitter.
Against the advice of her friend Megan (an early appearance of future-autuer director Greta Gerwig) Sam takes the babysitting job and they head to the rural outskirts of town that night, which is also the night of a full lunar eclipse.
When Sam and Megan arrive, the man from the phone (Tom Noonan) informs them there are no children to watch in the home. Instead, Sam is to stay with a reclusive old woman who she will likely not see. Megan tries to convince Sam to leave with her, but the man doubles his offer and Sam can’t resist. The fateful choice is made, and the night begins.
Instead of the usual babysitter vs killer plot we’ve seen in films like Halloween and When a Stranger Calls, West pits our final girl Sam against a family that are practicing members of satanic cult. On the night of the lunar eclipse, Sam must fight against the family and the dark power that’s on their side.
The tension building is slow, steady, and effective throughout the film. By the time the story climaxes, audiences are ready for it to pay off, and boy does it. The last twenty minutes are a living nightmare, as the slow burn explodes into a blood-soaked, terrifying last act that is relentless and haunting. To say the least, the conclusion goes above and beyond in paying off the slow pace of the first hour.
Shot on 16 mm for a budget of $900,000, The house of the devil is a simple story of a young babysitter in an unfamiliar house on a creepy night—but it’s so much more than a classic trope. From its use of analog film to its performances, setting, and general mood building, the film unsettles viewers slowly as the evening of "babysitting" unfolds.
Though Sam does make it out alive at the end of the story, she will clearly never be the same, and has not escaped the sinister plan the cult had for her. If you’re looking for an underrated satanic horror film that pays homage to the 1980s and delivers on a terrifying finale, look no further.