Fear and wonder: The House of The Devil
In 2009, a film came out which actually did unsettle me; more than that it made me consider the direction of modern cinema and wonder back to the days of old when horror films were, for me, an intense fascination and something to marvel at. I wouldn’t say it scared the pants off me, but what I will say is this: if you’re the kind of person who rarely watches horror films, this will be one that proves why…
Imagine you reply to an advert for a babysitting job; you’re a student and this? It seems like what you’ve been waiting to find for ages, and it should just about save you from being late to make your rent. This is what you think it is, until you finally meet the person who placed the ad – after a strange series of events such as them not meeting you where they said they would and not answering their phone – and discover that it isn’t what you thought it was. You’re slightly anxious about this…not so much worried as a bit weirded out. But, despite your friend telling you this is too bizarre and begging you to leave with her, you go to the job: the house which is in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of the night…
Rather than going for cheap gags and shock value, it opts for a minimalist approach
What’s really fascinating about this film, other than the fact it looks almost identical to the B movies of the 1970s and 80s, is that it is such a slow burner. Much of the film is shrouded in mystery and questions: what is really going on? Why is nothing happening? Will anything ever happen?
At least, until things DO start to happen. It is at this point when things take a turn for the worst…and when the horror of what really lies inside the dreaded house is finally exposed…what has been lying in wait all along…
Like a tailor made suit website , the film is taught and well made. It is clean, precise, and realistic. Rather than going for cheap gags and shock value, it opts for a minimalist approach where, as stated before, large periods of time are spent showing us very little. In these respects you might think it a boring film, but this is, in fact, where it succeeds: by making plot points out of the mundane and immersing the viewer in normality which we can all associate with, we see things from the main character’s pint of view. It is this which is ultimately more frightening than an assortment of special effects and blood & guts.