The House of the Devil

The House of the Devil (2009)

  • 86% of critics liked it
    (86 reviews)

  • 56% of users liked it
    (50,920 ratings)

A coed struggling to pay her rent ends up taking the wrong part-time job in writer-director Ti West's old-school 1980s-set horror flick, The House of the Devil. Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is a sweet-natured and retiring young woman, unlike her rambunctious, loud, and self-assured best buddy, Megan… More

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R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By
Ti West
Written By
Ti West
Genres
Horror
In Theaters
Oct 30, 2009 Wide
On DVD
Feb 2, 2010
Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

    In keeping with his models, West is concerned with not suspense exactly but the ritual withholding and ultimate lavishing of bloody chaos.

  • Ty Burr, Boston Globe

    West, a rising young director of minor cult pleasures, comes clean here about his love for all things Bava (Mario) and Carpenter (John).

  • Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

    There's a payoff in The House of the Devil, if you have the patience. Some of the scenes seem draggy, but the characters are complex, and their motivations are explained.

  • Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

    Even the familiar tropes of The House of the Devil are familiar in the right way, like an old, bloodstained sweater.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    The film may provide an introduction for some audience members to the Hitchcockian definition of suspense: It's the anticipation, not the happening, that's the fun.

Read all 26 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Tsubaki S


    Not a bad effort, but it has it's ups and downs. Good atmosphere, avoids many of the traps of the genre, but it doesn't have enough ideas to fill the lenght. With some polishing Mr West might pull out a real horror classic in the future, he has the right eye and the right… More

  • Melvin W


    Samantha: Hi, I'm calling in regards to the babysitter flier posted outside my dorm room. "Talk on the phone. Finish your homework. Watch T.V. Die!" I have no problem saying that this is in my top 10 favorite horror films of all-time. Ti West does a nice little… More

  • Robert C


    A superbly made homage to 80's horror films. It's one of those films where 5 minutes in I had to double check the release date as it looks and feels completely of the era. It really is an admirable achievement that director Ti West was able to capture so completely all… More

  • Emily A


    Fascinating. This movie looks exactly like it was made in 1973, and that illusion is flawless. It recreates the whole Rosemary's Baby vibe, but unfortunately it also recreates all the bad things about that movie culture as well: the story really drags, the narrative really lacks… More

  • Adam M


    It's supposed to be a tribute to American horror movies of the late-70s-early-80s, but an above-average American horror movie in 1982 was not this good and not nearly as devoted to atmosphere and stretching the length of shots out until suspense hangs so heavy in the frame that… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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