Dodgy screen caps, I'm the first to admit, but I felt the need to celebrate this winning little film (which I watched on demand rather than disc, hence my hovering, digital shaky-hand and the luminous fuzz it apprehended.)
With a clear love for early-80s mid-budget horror, House of the Devil gets high marks for blending that passion with a more modern, Haute Tension-style survival-horror method. The film pulls taut slowly, and with unexpected subtlety. The characters and cast are a wonder, with nonchalant killer AJ Bowen pretty much stealing the film (as he did with The Signal), surrounded by intense, meaningful performances from the always-unsettling Tom Noonan and the great Mary Woronov.
House of the Devil was made with obvious care by people who love old horror films (and vintage title sequences.) Though the action drags in a few spots, that's almost part of the fun, and the last 20 minutes are payoff galore!
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