The Movie
The more I think about The House of the Devil, the more I realize what a remarkably clever movie it is. The story is set in the early 1980s, when a great many Americans were apparently disturbed by the proliferation of Satanic cults supposedly running rampant across the country. Taking his passion for classic horror a step further, writer/director/editor Ti West has painstakingly infused his film (is it an homage? a period piece?) with many nostalgic nuances including his use of freeze-frame, choice of music, and some great genre faces of the era.
Purportedly based upon "true unexplained events," House is the tale of a pretty young college student (Levi's model Jocelin Donahue) who, desperate for cash, accepts a babysitting job from a creepy old stranger (the always-wonderful Tom Noonan). Something's not quite right, about him, his family, his house, but we don't know exactly what's going on until the very end. The dialogue is a little clunky, and the plot takes a while to really get going, but I guess that only adds to the suspense.
The Picture
I'll just say it: At times, The House of the Devil looks like Hell. Presented here at an HDTV screen-filling 1.78:1, the movie was shot on 16mm film and completed in 35mm, and yet despite a respectable bitrate that's often in the high 20's/low 30's (megabits-per-second), the image is extremely noisy, with a visible grain structure that can noticeably twitch. This problem is particularly acute in dark scenes, and there are many. Harsh blacks can also engulf much of the frame, but to be fair, this one was apparently produced on-the-cheap, like many a breakthrough horror flick, so I'll cut it some slack.
The Sound
I experienced a moment of panic when the Setup menu indicated that the default audio was "DTS," but it in actuality it is DTS-HD Master Audio. I noted a real immediacy to the audio, as dialogue can be especially strong front and center. Hard surrounds are minimal but there's an enjoyable spread of music across the 5.1 channels, with atmospheric fill and intriguing, sometimes aggressive subwoofer usage. Relative to the video quality at least, the sound is heavenly. An excellent Linear PCM stereo track is also provided.
The Extras
Ti West joins his star for a semi-serious audio commentary, then returns for a more irreverent track with producers Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok and sound designer Graham Reznick. Three deleted scenes are presented in high definition, totaling about seven minutes. "In The House of the Devil" is really just a lot of production footage edited together with no narration, 13-and-a-half minutes, in standard def. "Behind The House of the Devil" (five minutes, HD) is a more focused look behind the scenes, compiling interviews with the cast and director.
Final Thoughts
One detail that happily does not build suspense: waiting for the disc to start, as my PS3 took me to the Main Menu within just a few seconds. The movie itself offers a handful of jolts and a terrific (or terrifying?) twist, while the extras should satisfy brave fans who want to know how and why West & Co. visited The House of the Devil.
Product Details
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