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The House of the Devil

The House of the Devil

2009
Suspense/Thriller, Horror
1h 35m
In the 1980s, college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret; they plan to use her in a satanic ritual. (imdb)
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The House of the Devil

2009
Suspense/Thriller, Horror
1h 35m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 51.71% from 1256 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1256)
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Rated 22 Oct 2009
88
87th
This is the first "80s horror throwback" that ACTUALLY made me feel like I was watching an 80s horror movie. The music, camera angles and movements, editing, clothing, hairstyles were all pitch perfect. I loved how the characters spoke and bevahed realistically. And my god, did this movie get intense. This redefines what it means to be a slow burn. By the time the payoff rolled around (and it was a great payoff), my knuckles were white. I wish more horror movies were this effective.
Rated 27 Jul 2019
78
85th
The House of the Devil makes Yacht of the Damned look like Satan's Shack. I thought the film was dreadful (meaning full of dread) but it should be noted that I saw the title of the film when I selected it to watch. Yes, we are waiting for things to go bad, title kinda implies that. You think there aren't flaming horses in Chariots of Fire?
Rated 05 Jan 2010
69
51st
During the first 70 minutes the movie really hit the right notes. The 80's style works wonders and despite a slow start it builds the tension in an awesome way. Unfortunately the emotional climax suddenly looks and feels like a cheap Masters of Horror episode and the goodwill it built quickly evaporates. Still, when it worked, it wórked.
Rated 04 Jan 2016
88
75th
Refreshingly restrained horror movie that takes its time building to an unforgettable climax. The '80s setting and aesthetic work like a charm.
Rated 15 May 2019
68
61st
Really? Seriously, how hard is it to just hire a house sitter for four hours? Like a nice, respectable one, who won't go snooping around through the house, rummaging through all your stuff, or go dancing around on top of your furniture, while then 'one-thing-leads-to-another' and break your fancy vase. It's just so hard for Satan to find good help these days.
Rated 03 Dec 2009
68
37th
I definitely dig the vintage style and the attempt to build suspense. The development is too slow, however, and the payoff isn't as satisfying as it should be.
Rated 26 Jan 2010
88
87th
Wonderful throwback to those '80s horror flicks where joie de vivre was brutally punished and the beauty of youth was juxtaposed with the violence inflicted upon it. Ti West effectively mimics the style without resorting to parody. Bonus: It's actually scary.
Rated 17 Jan 2011
88
77th
The House of the Devil is a great homage to a time when horror movies actually put you on edge. The entire build-up was beautifully directed and very suspenseful. Some people are knocking the finale, but I really enjoyed it. The action was very fast and crazed bringing a sort of realism. Definitely check this out if you like slow, suspenseful horror.
Rated 29 Oct 2012
4
70th
Nails the throwback aesthetic so well that it never feels like a wink-and-a-nod tribute but like the real thing. The super-grainy film stock, the use of slow-motion zooms and close-ups, the music, the mom jeans, Tom Noonan...it's flawless. The story isn't much to write about, and while the movie loses some steam towards the end when shit starts to hit the fan, it's still a fun ride through the end.
Rated 18 Apr 2010
2
16th
80's throwback? More like throwaway. Way too slow, not at all suspenseful and exceedingly uneventful. Nice idea though.
Rated 04 Nov 2013
65
51st
This slow burning retro horror flick gets an awful lot right. The music, the fashions, the cars, the film stock, etc...it all looks and sounds so authentic you could easily believe that it was actually made in 1982. It really revels in the gradual building of tension, and while the film is never boring, I found the ultimate payoff to be a little lackluster. With some more fake blood and goofy Satanic chanting, this could've been a minor classic. Still a pretty good effort.
Rated 12 Oct 2022
67
50th
I liked the style, setting and the slow build-up, and it kept me guessing. It really went up a notch in the final segment, perhaps slightly to its detriment, but overall I was pretty impressed by this. I’ve often been dismissive of modern horrors but I’m slowly coming round; they’re seldom classics but are often very entertaining. Worth seeing.
Rated 19 Dec 2009
75
66th
Wow. This is a total pitch-perfect throwback to 1970s horror. The House of the Devil gets everything right-- from the purveying sense of dread to the terrifying payoff. The film plays it straight and ignores the satirical slant many modern horror films choose to revel in. This is true horror cinema for die-hard genre devotees. People looking for cheap scares or buckets of gore should look elsewhere.
Rated 11 Feb 2010
36
32nd
I have to respect this movie, because it uses classic horror techniques of good cinematography, sound design, and practical makeup effects to build tension, and it does it well, the problem is that the story really isn't frightening, has nowhere to go, and takes forever getting there. It's a step in the direction horror should be going in, but the weak screenplay undercuts a lot of it.
Rated 25 Oct 2011
81
62nd
It doesn't commit to the stylistic progression from 70s to 80s in the ending. I can sympathize with offering a defense of 70s atmospheric horror in the light of the slash and burn that's replaced it, but pointing a finger at its nihilism and then folding your arms is neither a defense nor productive. That being said, the attention to detail in recreating that 70s style is wonderful, and a lot of fun.
Rated 28 Feb 2013
2
6th
Almost gave it a "good" rating, but there was far too much wrong with this movie. Dear directory: and incredibly slow and boring first half doesn't equal suspense unless you actually make me care about the protagonist first. Pair that with a predictable ending and it made for a forgettable movie.
Rated 10 Oct 2016
83
82nd
A real slow burner of a movie which is a turn off for some horror people but it set up the whole 80's atmosphere very well. It's an incredibly well made homage/throwback film and doesn't have to resort to meta obsessive genre trope destruction like so many films of this sort fall victim to( especially those made by West's mumblecore peers). Tom Noonan is creepy as fuck. "You college kids love pizza" has to be one of the funniest lines delivered in a horror movie.
Rated 19 Oct 2009
68
19th
More style than substance, Ti West crafts an effective thriller in the vein of Dario Argento and his giallo horror contemporaries. Well acted, well shot, and, interestingly enough, very much a 1980s period piece. Worth seeing in the theater or via Amazon.com's rental service.
Rated 09 Feb 2010
81
68th
If you have fond memories of cruising the horror aisles of your favorite video store for some gory fun, this one's for you. Its reverence of all things 80s is undeniable (don't think I didn't appreciate the feathered hair and old fashioned walkman), but there's one huge difference between this and the typical drek of old: it actually generates suspense and it does so methodically and with precision. A little draggy with a humdrum ending, but this homage easily surpasses its source material.
Rated 15 Feb 2010
85
76th
A great movie, until the final act. The movie works its eighties angle to great effect. Jocelin Donahue is a likable protagonist, and Gerwig is good as her friend- the two really meshed well together. There are some very minor pacing issues during the first two acts but, overall, the slow pace is very effective- West does a great job of creating tension. The only problem is that all of the tension evaporates during an unsatisfying third act that does not do justification to what came before.
Rated 04 Apr 2010
60
35th
I enjoy movies that take their time to build up the suspense, but here it took way too long. I liked the whole 80's feeling of the movie a lot, though.
Rated 10 Apr 2010
80
52nd
A very cool retro-horror attempt that builds up excellent atmosphere and suspense. Unfortunately the reveal doesn't follow it as well as it should, and the film takes a little too long to reach the climax, with not much to support it along the way. Overall it's pretty good and worth a watch.
Rated 25 Apr 2010
70
65th
Good cast. Great invocation of the 80s. For the first hour, nothing much happens and it never gets truly scary. However, I nevertheless appreciated the attempt. Solid.
Rated 06 May 2010
90
86th
A fiercely dedicated homage to 80's horror that builds in Hitchcockian tension at an excruciating pace and fully delivers it's gut wrenching climax. However, it differs from an 80's movie in that it has some of the finest performances I've ever seen in the genre. Great job Tom Noonan, Greta Gerwig, and Ti West.
Rated 23 Mar 2012
54
22nd
Admirable is its use of the slow burn and freedom from irony, but I often wondered why a tribute to 80s horror films? (Not the best decade for the genre). It also couldn't entirely shake that feeling of modernity, but there was some reasonable suspense going into the third act. And then the reveal happened - and wow that was terrible. It's been a while since I saw a film so squander its potential, although I still wonder if said potential was laudable in the first place.
Rated 28 May 2012
83
75th
Very slow and very little happens for the first hour, but it does a fantastic job of building suspense. The ending was kind of meh, but ultimately very good and very stylish.
Rated 17 Aug 2012
77
79th
A very nice and atmospheric throwback to the horror days of old, which it replicates perfectly (more so than any of the recent Grindhouse's), even down to the bullshit "based on true events". Ti West clearly knows his shit. The films main strengths are its reliance on tension instead of cheap scares, and Jocelin Donahue, who turns in the best female horror performance I've seen in years and who also happens to be adorable, and also very friendly in real life! (I made her blush ;])
Rated 03 Oct 2012
75
48th
A nice vintage feeling film (complete with typical 80's dancing in an empty house) that takes its sweet time building up to an explosive ending. Would definitely watch a sequel, but I doubt that will happen.
Rated 09 Dec 2012
81
48th
A well-paced, atmospheric supernatural thriller that builds suspense slowly and satisfies with an action-filled and terrifying conclusion. Tom Noon is very creepy, and Greta Gerwig does a good job as the loyal best friend.
Rated 03 Jun 2013
75
80th
West knows how to play by the rules, and we are aware of it too, but his Rosemary-esque homage to 1980 teen horror films still feels effective through its 75 minutes of nothing-happens-but-evil-stuff-is-about-to-burst-anytime and its last 20 of rushed, covered-in-blood handheld shots. The finale with the girl in the hospital -- yep, alive and pregnant -- sounded lame, but this is mostly about the director's gift to frame (oh, those zoom-ins) a bored youth that is waiting for something to happen.
Rated 19 Oct 2013
80
46th
Well made and evokes what it's trying to but not terribly special either and is overall pretty by the numbers.
Rated 12 Oct 2014
41
37th
As much as i like Tom Noonan and Greta Gerwig, i have to admit that i'm probably just not the right demographic for this, who would appear to be aficionados of the '70s and '80s horror films this so faithfully (one might say slavishly) pays tribute to. As a meticulous pastiche it's on some level very impressive, and certainly preferable to a condescending meta-parody thing, but i'm not sure i really see the reason for it to exist. Also, like the films it lovingly imitates, it's kind of boring.
Rated 19 Jan 2015
60
43rd
It does a really good job of capturing that era of horror. I was hoping it would be better than it was, though. Almost nothing happens for the first 75 minutes. Now, I'm all for slow beginnings & building suspense, & I guess it achieved that well enough. But for me, the payoff simply wasn't good enough to be worth the wait. I mean, it was good & a bit scary, but yeah - not good enough.
Rated 01 Feb 2015
25
33rd
The House of the Devil starts out as a slow build-up of suspense, but then it becomes just plain slow. Nothing happens for a good part of the film, and the pay-off is not worth it. It does a good job capturing the early 80s feel, but that's not enough to ever make me want to revisit it. (2.5/5)
Rated 12 Feb 2015
3
59th
This made me feel like a child again, watching horror films on my parents' bed. Such a warm feeling.
Rated 21 Sep 2015
59
36th
Just like the decades past movies its emulating. Except things happened in those movies! I enjoyed the stillness and the slow creep until about an hour in when i started demanding! that something happened...and it was still another fifteen minutes until it did...leaving all of ten minutes to the film. Would have been an amazing short film. Worth one viewing for genre fans but i can't say more than that.
Rated 29 Jul 2017
75
51st
Though perhaps some viewers will find its payoff disappointing, The House of the Devil's slow-building tension is remarkably effective.
Rated 02 Aug 2017
79
55th
The first 30 minutes of this is impressive w/ the filmmaker recreating an 80's horror vibe while masterfully manipulating a viewer's expectations in a way that progressively increases the dread. Then the film extends this dread for far too long & it feels like this was a short film that was extended into a feature. The climax is as quick & frenzied as everything that came before was measured, but despite some creepy visuals it's taken so long to get there it kind of doesn't feel worth the wait.
Rated 06 Sep 2017
75
59th
Ti West thrives on his ability to show restraint, even when things get crazy. This is best on display in The House of the Devil, where the bulk of the film is a slow build that is excellent in execution. The attention to detail from the house, the score, and the lighting are perfect to craft a wonderfully tense film.
Rated 09 Oct 2017
65
42nd
If you were to compare this with pizza it would be the pepperoni pizza of the horror genre. It's an homage to a very standard setting in horror. You already know what to expect from the start and the story just runs. It's done fairly well and possesses its own stylistic charm although Ti West went a little overboard with the opening credits. The suspense is laid on nicely but the scares are pretty tame. The end is laughable but that's typical for the horror genre too.
Rated 16 Jan 2020
4
74th
A genre novelty and aesthetic exercise, executed to near-perfection. All I need, really. It's easy to imagine this being derivative and trashy, but commitment to sincerity and tasteful scare tactics elevate it. This film's reverence of its forebears is so spot-on and spirited that it's as much fun as it is frightening.
Rated 09 Nov 2009
20
8th
An old fashion thriller that has a restraint and some finesse in craft. For 75 minutes you won't be delivered anything else than cruising around with goosebumps tracks and faux jumper moments, for 15 you'll get the most mediocre turn of events possible. So easily forgettable that I don't remember much 5 minutes after.
Rated 28 Nov 2009
71
60th
Retro horror homage set in the 1980s. Refreshingly free of the sadistic torture that mars so many modern horror flicks, relying instead on good old-fashioned suspense. Genuinely scary stuff, understanding that it's not what you see, but what you don't see.
Rated 25 Jan 2010
75
71st
Moody build-up and lots of scares in the payoff. Worth a watch if you're into psychologial horror movies.
Rated 04 Feb 2010
65
35th
As has been said by many: the style, atmosphere, and tension in this film are all pretty top-notch. I really liked where they were going with the little oddities (wish a few were less obvious and that there were more), and I digged the Lovecraftian tinge to the build-up. However the pay off is simply waaaay too underwhelming. With the big reveal, I was audibly surprised at how blandly stereotypical it started out. Veers a BIT off the beaten path again by the dénouement, but not by much.
Rated 26 Feb 2010
40
19th
Passes the time.
Rated 28 Feb 2010
70
50th
The '80s fashion and accouterments were very nicely and tastefully done (is there some warehouse where you can order those old pizza parlor Coke cups?), but the film itself is of little direct consequence. That said, this seems to serve a greater purpose -- much like "Drag Me To Hell" -- of tuning in the thinking members of its mainstream audience to the pacing and thematic elements of a largely bygone era of horror. I'm really glad this movie was made.
Rated 02 Mar 2010
44
24th
This movie has striking similarities to the original "When a Stranger Calls". Tension is created not from action, but instead by the feeling of oncoming doom for the heroine as she wanders throughout an eerie house. The 80's throwback thing is quite nifty and executed quite well, but when everything comes out in the wash, "House of the Devil" is STILL a B-movie.
Rated 20 Mar 2010
72
81st
Good Movie
Rated 28 Mar 2010
85
76th
West's loving homage to the horror films of the late seventies and early eighties is an expert exercise in cinematic patience. At times it feels as if the film is all build-up, the exact opposite of the current trend of launching straight into headlong action. Even when West gets around to the mayhem, he presents it in a wild rush, as it would actually transpire. It's an inspired conceit and a tremendous piece of directing. Donahue is bland, but Noonan and Gerwig are great in supporting roles.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
1
5th
Crap. This film really takes its time setting up the grand finale. Out of its 90 min runtime, other than a 10 sec scene of senseless violence, absolutely nothing happens, no tense suspenseful buildup to nothing. Then around the 73 min mark, things begin to perk up only to reveal the dumbest, most sorry ass satanists I've ever seen either on screen or off it. I mean you really can't help feel pity for the poor bastards. Bad movie. Not recommended.
Rated 01 May 2010
88
87th
A pleasant surprise. I'd heard the tension wasn't rewarded in the payoff, and maybe hearing this lowered my expectations, but I was more than content with the movie's final act. I would recommend this one to any horror fan. Does a great job of capturing the 80s nostalgia.
Rated 20 May 2010
66
61st
Enjoyable, low key and oldschool horror. The fact that it's nothing revolutionary or particularly enthralling is overshadowed by how strong it looks next to pretty much any other new horror film that springs to mind.
Rated 14 Jun 2010
76
66th
This certainly begins as pitch-perfect '70s and '80s budget horror homage (with the benefit of unusually good performances), but the desolate atmosphere slowly dissipates until the climactic clusterfuck, which seems to forget the spare aesthetic and pacing it's adhered to until then. When the moon flashes red it's over; until then it definitely hits all the right notes. Too bad about the final act... at least the closing shot recovers somewhat. Still recommended to those who love the genre.
Rated 17 Jun 2010
60
32nd
??? Why do so many people love this movie. Ti West has a lackluster resume..people hype his movies and so far the results are not worthy of the praise...the pacing is very slow...really slow..and the finale is kinda predictable in a bad way...the thing I did like is the feel of the house..the music..it felt very 80 s should have had more killling or more suspense...too much nonsense
Rated 02 Jul 2010
75
91st
Way above average horror excellence. Don't!
Rated 07 Jul 2010
70
40th
The problem with doing a pretty good job of building tension is that at some point you will be expected to deliver on that build; modern horror fails to deliver most of the time, and this film is no exception (regardless of being set in the 80s). Once it comes time to deliver the rather predictable climax, the film stumbles and never really recovers. Thankfully, the film's 80s setting is subtle enough to keep it from turning into the type of gimmick a lot of the film's hype would suggest.
Rated 21 Oct 2010
30
78th
"Yet another of this year's homage-facsimiles, The House of the Devil forgoes campy self-awareness in favor of reverential faithfulness--and in doing so, implicitly critiques contemporary horror cinema." - Nick Schager
Rated 20 Nov 2010
80
91st
Nicely put-together and intimate 80's-style horror film concerned more with atmosphere and tension than blood and gore.
Rated 02 Dec 2010
65
52nd
Was pretty pumped for this one and loved the start, but it is a bit too slow and anti-climactic.
Rated 18 Dec 2010
5
45th
A decent call back to the 80s, but that's all it is.
Rated 21 Dec 2010
6
81st
It's nothing more than an 80s horror nostalgia piece, and it never becomes truly scary, but its well-shot, the build-up is handled quite well and Tom Noonan is one spooky motherfucker.
Rated 10 Jan 2011
70
52nd
Excellent little horror. Tom Noonan is great at creating an eerie atmosphere.
Rated 19 Jan 2011
70
44th
Solid homage to classic horror but the end of the movie was pretty bad.
Rated 20 Feb 2011
65
46th
Achieves what it sets out to do. As a viewer you feel like you're watching a movie made in the 80's. Nice little homage to old slasher movies. I'm sure if I would have used my imagination a little bit more the movie would have ranked higher for me but due to the pace of the film I just couldn't. If you're on the fence and not sure whether to see it my advice is to watch it, it's not terrible but youre not going to be walking away with a new favourite movie either.
Rated 28 Feb 2011
72
48th
71.500
Rated 29 Mar 2011
77
60th
Sounds like a cutesy conceit on paper, but filming this as though we were still in the 80s actually works to up the tension. Loved it.
Rated 28 May 2011
30
18th
Meee. Nice try, but the end sequence didn't fit the rest of the movie.
Rated 26 Jun 2011
92
87th
I can't remember any actual Horror/Thriller flick I ranked with a score this high, but "The House of the Devil" deserves nothing less. The misery lies in the air from the first few minutes. And the hole House part scared the shit out of me. So simple but absolutety intense and gripping.
Rated 09 Jul 2011
55
58th
Loved the atmosphere and the stylish use of camera (it actually looked liked it was filmed in the 80's) but the last 20 minutes seems rushed and tacked on, as if the director just made it up on the spot, sans script.
Rated 15 Jul 2011
74
79th
Talk about slow burn. 3/4 of the movie was buildup to the 15 minute final scene which was kind of predictable, but decent nonetheless. Loved the 80s look. 'Twas spot on, right down to those awesome jeans.
Rated 17 Oct 2011
58
54th
i was sort of led to believe the calling card of this film was a glorious and suspenseful last act, but that couldn't have been more misguiding. after a gorgeous first 70 minutes - with a surprisingly excellent performance from jocelin donahue (looking good), it disintegrates into full on banality.
Rated 10 Nov 2011
40
14th
For three-fourths of this, I was viewing the sort of horror film that needs to be made, where the filmmaker realised that silence, and spare and slow pacing, is far more suspenseful and unnerving than telegraphing the scares. Unfortunately, when the build-up leads to the finale, it's a letdown. If Ti West kept to the style of the first three-fourths, which is brilliantly made, this would have been something special.
Rated 15 Nov 2011
86
94th
A pretty typical 70s/early 80s horror film about a college girl stumbling onto a satanist cult, with a slow, atmospheric build-up that runs completely counter to the slasher films that were just starting to take over the genre back then, not to mention the 30 years of parody, deconstruction and post-ironic gorefests the genre has gone through since... except the film was made in 2009. Excellent throwback that makes its style work for it.
Rated 19 Nov 2011
45
34th
Effective build-up and interesting stylistic and aesthetic choices marred somewhat by a rushed and slightly incoherent denouement (it seemed as though scenes may have been deleted during editing). In retrospect, the entire narrative made little sense. It is perhaps more difficult than the filmmakers thought to make satanic ritual seem anything other than silly (but for me, this was the lesson of ROSEMARY'S BABY). The likeable protagonist was well cast.
Rated 16 Dec 2011
91
91st
Jocelin Donahue...
Rated 06 Jan 2012
25
11th
As it turns out, the devil is not scary and boring
Rated 16 Apr 2012
8
80th
This is a great apartment/house horror throwback, similar in style to Halloween, Rosemary's Baby, Carrie, all of that good stuff. It's retro and a bit obvious but it's done really well. Now I want pizza and soda.
Rated 17 May 2012
63
60th
Much of this movie is just a girl tiptoeing around a creepy, dark house, fearfully opening every door. Turns out (well, the summary gives it away, doesn't it?) satanists are after her soul. Amazingly, West directs this cliche-fest well enough to make it gripping, tense and eventually quite terrifying. It's expertly designed, shot and edited, and an excellent soundtrack helps a great deal. The script is superbly paced and avoids extravagance, but still the weakest link because it's so derivative.
Rated 23 May 2012
71
50th
Satanist, Satanist ayin, Psikopat aile, Evde kim var, bebek bakicisi, tuzak, intihar, ay tutulmasi (bebek bakicisi is icin gittigi evde bir gariplik oldugunu fark eder.sp Satanist ayin yapilir. kiz bayiltilir ve ayin yapilir. Nihayetinde finalde kiz ayinden kacar. Sonra inrtihar eder. Finalde batirmis... Finale kadar gerilim cok iyi)
Rated 30 Jul 2012
2
14th
Most of the time when someone says: "Nothing happened in the movie," it's an exaggeration. In this case it is absolutely true! I'm an hour into this hour and thirty minute film and so far the lead hasn't even really spoken! She just walks around an empty house, eating pizza, picking at her teeth, and occasionally checking the drain!
Rated 20 Aug 2012
30
6th
Seems good. Okay. Alright. Now I'm waiting... Nothing. Then nothing. And then something happens. And you don't understand it at all. Followed by nothing. Then more nothing. And then something happens that is unrelated and kind of thrilling. Wow. What a waste of time.
Rated 21 Nov 2012
71
62nd
Really captured that late 70's horror movie atmosphere. The story was... ok.
Rated 23 Nov 2012
30
19th
Well-directed but didn't really do it for me otherwise. I'll definitely be watching Ti West's next films.
Rated 25 Dec 2012
79
78th
Ti Wests best. Ignore the ending.
Rated 11 Apr 2013
50
7th
I liked the throwback 1980's look and feel as well as the slow buildup of tension, the acting was pretty solid (ok, so Tom Noonan is more effective on the phone than in person, but whatever) and Ti West clearly has skills behind the camera and in the editing room, but the ending (really the last 20 minutes or so) of this movie is pretty terrible and really taints the whole experience.
Rated 31 May 2013
60
31st
The slow burn was nice, creating an effective atmopshere that feels lacking from a lot of modern horror that seems to feel it needs to ramp everything up constantly right from the beginning. Everything looks great, too; I'm not classic horror buff but there's something about the look (which this captures well) that just defines horror to me (probably due to The Exorcist). The downside is that nothing is particularly scary or surprising; it feels more like a remembered film than it should.
Rated 01 Dec 2013
65
53rd
the 80s trim is flawless, except maybe for a bit too sophisticated sound engineering. the nods toward certain 80s cult classics are countless but subtle and well placed. the tension builds perfectly, there's unease in everything. then, suddenly, there's that breaking point when it spirals wildly out of control and becomes pure ridiculousness, and i dare you to figure out if this is intended or what the hell everyone involved was thinking.
Rated 05 Jan 2014
57
19th
1980s? This was definitely more in the style of a 70s horror like Black Christmas
Rated 23 Mar 2014
25
14th
The one thing this movie has going for it is it's great classic horror feel. The acting is fair, story is meh with very little payoff in the end. Half the movie nothing happens and it's just trying to build suspense and not doing that great of a job either. Characters weren't terribly dumb for a horror movie but still kinda dumb.
Rated 04 Aug 2014
60
53rd
Had to check twice when ranking this to make sure it was the right film - so well done, it's hard to believe it was made in 2009.
Rated 09 Aug 2014
52
16th
Failed to keep my attention. Picks up steam towards the end, but then ends with something that seems old and overdone. It's definitely stylistic (it has that going for it), but overall I found the film kind of boring.
Rated 17 Nov 2014
76
58th
100% old school freaky.
Rated 21 Dec 2014
80
50th
Starring an intimate ensemble of character players and Mumblequeens, Ti West's hyper-nostalgic 16mm haunted house slasher truly, efficiently molts the garish, grisly banalities of modern horror to craft a cleverly suspenseful, slow-burning reversion to the fright flicks of the '70s/'80s. It's a rare treat for movie fans discerning enough to see the era being portrayed in its technique.
Rated 11 Mar 2015
20
57th
Never really scary but I still liked it?
Rated 25 Mar 2015
80
89th
I wish Jocelin Donahue would star in every movie ever, starting today. That being said, this is a great exercise in style and a well-made celebration of a decade when horror movies were often more charming than frightening. Sure, the last 20 minutes might be a bit clumsy and the Satanists are rather dumb, but this is actually not at all different from the bulk of movies it pays homage to. It manages to remain faithful to the genre all the way through.
Rated 30 Mar 2015
43
58th
. . .
Rated 25 May 2015
4
52nd
abysmal teen drama type setup, the creeping around the house was done really nicely, and the ending? well, i think if you're gonna try that, you need to really commit. came across a bit half-assed unfortunately.
Rated 26 Jul 2015
71
46th
Extremely slow start, and the "based on original events"-type opening text seems like a bit of a stretch, by the end. (And I've googled and found nothing to indicate any part of this as slightly real). However, if you're patient, the main setting ("babysitter" at the house alone) the suspense is masterfully done. The finale wasn't too bad either (but your socks will remain on your feet). Bonus for period-placement. sets/hair-do's/music very convincingly 80's!! Even filming/editing style.
Rated 10 Oct 2015
81
20th
Builds up a lot of tension and a really strong sense of horror, and then... kind of stops. It's a deliberate stylistic choice, just like the film's strong early 80s vibe, but it still feels like a movie with a missing third act.

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