Set in ’80s New England, Ti West’s The House of the Devil is an old-school horror flick that dares to say no to pop-up scares.
Jocelin Donahue plays Sam, a collegiate innocent so low on cash that she responds to an ad reading, “BABY $ITTER NEEDED.” Her patrons are the Ulmans, who act cryptically after disclosing that there’s no baby at their tucked-away Victorian manse — just an old, locked-away woman. Leaving her free to roam with her synth-filled walkman, West then ritualizes Sam’s coming of agony, masterfully calibrating the atmospheric dread before the helter-skelter last act.
Check out the 29-year-old director’s thoughts on the current state of horror, become a fan of the film on Facebook, and read an interview with West, Tom Noonan, and Greta Gerwig.
