Writer-director Ti West’s affectionately bloody Eightiesploitation thriller The House of the Devil gets top-tier treatment from boutique label Second Sight Films.
The Production: 3.5/5
The House of the Devil bides its time. Anyone watching writer-director-editor Ti West’s 2009 breakout film for the first time expecting wall-to-wall gore will be mightily disappointed — mood, not mayhem, is the primary focus for a substantial chunk of Devil’s brisk, 95-minute running time. West is plainly fond of low-budget horror films from the 1980s, and that affection gives Devil a strong sense of déjà vu, even as it tells a harrowing tale all its own.
Devil’s set-up is simple: College student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) has signed a lease for a new apartment, but has just one problem — she needs quick cash for her first month’s rent. She happens to see a flyer seeking babysitting services, and it’s not long before she finds herself in the Ulman home, as the imposing Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) explains the truth — it’s his mother who needs looking after, not any children.
The vibes are decidedly off, and Samantha’s friend Megan (Greta Gerwig, in what amounts to an extended cameo) urges her to reconsider spending the evening at the Ulman home, which looks like some kind of grand, Gothic abode plunked down in the middle of suburbia. Samantha waves her off, takes a cash advance from Mr. Ulman, and settles in for the longest night of her life. Apart from a shocking burst of violence around the 45-minute mark, West takes his time, and lets the eerie atmosphere build, until the final 10 minutes or so, when he uncorks a visceral Satanic bloodbath.
Samantha — and indeed, just about every character who appears on screen — is more of an archetype than a fleshed-out person, which can make The House of the Devil feel a bit antiseptic. While the lovingly recreated pastiche of 1980s suburbia — rotary-dial phones, feathered bangs, and clunky television remotes — evokes pleasant nostalgia, Devil often threatens to be more style than substance. Even the unsettling, gore-splattered climax doesn’t land with as much force as it might, simply because the motivations of Samantha as well as the Ulmans are so vague as to be non-existent. That’s not to suggest the actors are phoning it in: Donahue and Noonan, along with Gerwig and Mary Woronov, lock onto the project’s particular wavelength and play their respective roles to the hilt.
Still, The House of the Devil is a fun exercise in mood and presentation — filmed on 16mm to ape the low-res style of the early 1980s shockers, with plenty of grain abounding — and serves as a warm-up to West’s Maxine Minx trilogy of films, which dive head-on into very specific times and places, evoking the 1970s, the 1920s and the 1980s with skill. More unsettling than disturbing, The House of the Devil finds its delights in jangling your nerves.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The House of the Devil is presented by Second Sight Films in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer in 1080p resolution. Although the film itself is only 16 years old, the presentation is meant to evoke something even further back in film history. Captured with 16mm cameras, Devil looks smooth and ever-so-slightly washed out throughout, with heavy grain apparent — particularly during the many sequences shrouded in darkness. There are fleeting moments of crisp, clear images (mainly during the daytime-set scenes), but otherwise, detail is a bit fuzzy — again, as intended by the filmmakers. The splashes of blood, however, definitely pop in vibrant shades of crimson.
Audio: 5/5
While there are moments where the soundtrack springs to full-bodied life — one kicky sequence finds Samantha blissfully dancing around the deserted Ulman house to the strains of the Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” — the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is more often subdued, and relegated to spreading across the front channels, with the odd bit of surround activity in outdoor settings. Dialogue is heard clearly, free from any distortion or drop-out, and the climactic chaos is nicely detailed, with plenty of satisfying low end and immersive touches. Optional English subtitles are also presented.
Special Features: 5/5
The London-based Second Sight Films, founded in 1994, has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading boutique Blu-ray labels on the strength of its limited editions, and this lavish release of The House of the Devil is no exception to its high standards. (It should be noted this particular release is locked to Region B, so those interested outside the UK can will need a region-free disc player.)
This release of Devil marks the third time the film has been issued on Blu-ray, following a 2010 disc from MPI and a 2024 disc from Australia’s Umbrella Entertainment. Second Sight’s disc contains a pair of commentary tracks: One featuring West and Donahue, and the other featuring West, producers Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok and sound designer Graham Reznick.
Eight new interview featurettes are included: West (19:00; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); Donahue (17:17; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); AJ Bowen (25:40; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); Phok (23:44; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); Fessenden (27.48; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); director of photography Eliot Rockett (13:32; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen); composer Jeff Grace (15:35; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen) and Reznick (24:42; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen).
Additionally, the featurettes “This Night Changes Everything: The Making of The House of the Devil” (24:16; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen) and “In the House of the Devil” (20:23; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen) are here, alongside three deleted scenes (6:41 in aggregate; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.33:1 fullscreen) and the film’s trailer (2:07; Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo; 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen), which completes the disc.
The disc, housed in a rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Nick Charge, is accompanied by a 70-page, softcover book with essays from writers Martyn Conterio, Ariel Powers-Schaub, Jerome Reuter and Julieann Stipidis, alongside a behind-the-scenes gallery, and six collector’s art cards. (There is also a standard, Region B Blu-ray edition of The House of the Devil being released concurrently.)
Overall: 4/5
The House of the Devil bides its time. Anyone watching writer-director-editor Ti West’s 2009 breakout film for the first time expecting wall-to-wall gore will be mightily disappointed — mood, not mayhem, is the primary focus for a substantial chunk of Devil’s brisk, 95-minute running time. West is plainly fond of low-budget horror films from the 1980s, and that affection gives Devil a strong sense of déjà vu, even as it tells a harrowing tale all its own.
Still, The House of the Devil is a fun exercise in mood and presentation — filmed on 16mm to ape the low-res style of the early 1980s shockers, with plenty of grain abounding — and serves as a warm-up to West’s Maxine Minx trilogy of films, which dive head-on into very specific times and places, evoking the 1970s, the 1920s and the 1980s with skill. More unsettling than disturbing, The House of the Devil finds its delights in jangling your nerves.
The London-based Second Sight Films, founded in 1994, has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading boutique Blu-ray labels on the strength of its limited editions, and this beautifully presented release of The Coffee Table is no exception to its high standards. Fans of the film should seek out this Region B-locked set, while those curious might do well to check out the standard edition. Recommended.
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