Delayed Reaction: The House of the Devil

Premise: A babysitting job turns into something much more nefarious for a college student in the 80s.

There's something to be said about doing something familiar really, really well. The House of the Devil is an early 80s horror movie that just happened to be made in 2009. It's striking how perfectly Ti West mimics the beats and look of the era. Jocelin Donahue could just as easily be Jessica Harper in Suspria. The story of a satanic ritual during a lunar eclipse plays like it was written from an 80s horror mad libs. It's all familiar. Instead of playing against expectations, it leans right into them. And I loved it.

I really loved the patience of this movie. In the first hour of a 95-minute movie, the only actually frightening thing to happen is the demise of the best friend (Oh yeah: This movie has a super young Greta Gerwig), and even that comes pretty late in the hour. Before things finally escalate, it's all mood setting; tension building. The climax is then sufficiently scary, long, and exciting.

I'm going to need to track down the rest of Ti West's movies now.

Verdict: Strongly Recommend