The House of the Devil

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The House of the Devil

R

Released Oct 30, 2009

1h 33m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

85%

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100 Reviews

63%

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50,000+ Ratings

Desperate to make some money so she can move into a new apartment, college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) takes a mysterious babysitting job. When she arrives at the house, Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) mentions a full lunar eclipse and explains there is no child, but that Samantha will be watching his mother instead. After exploring the sinister-seeming house, Samantha soon comes to realize that her employers are hiding a horrifying secret and have plans to use her, dead or alive.

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Critics Consensus

Though its underlying themes are familiar, House of the Devil effectively sheds the loud and gory cliches of contemporary horror to deliver a tense, slowly building throwback to the fright flicks of decades past.

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Jen Yamato

Movies.com

In this era of torture porn and slasher pics, House of the Devil is a shining example of how to build atmosphere and tension the old-fashioned way.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 10, 2012

Full Review

Perri Nemiroff

CinemaBlend

Recreates the feeling of 80s horror; less CGI, more imagination and a whole lot of corn syrup.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 14, 2010

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

The pay-off is a little far-fetched, but by then we have had our emotional workout.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 22, 2010

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Zofia Wijaszka

Nerdspin

This terrifying, culty horror film is a highly underrated gem and it masterfully evokes the 80s’ atmosphere through the storyline, costume, and set design.

Rated: A

Mar 15, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Ti West has a clear grasp of the guiding principle for many classic horror films – the anticipation can be just as satisfying as the payoff.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

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Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

West really shows off his talent for filmmaking here, giving us a retro vibe that seamlessly blends the chills with the eventual, gory, thrills. The House of the Devil is a real horror gem.

Oct 14, 2021

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Ian S

The build up was more effective than the reveal. Plenty of atmosphere. Not bad at all.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

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D J

The movie isn’t bad, but it feels more like it should be part of an anthology or some sort of short film. The film felt like they wanted to make a complete hour and a half movie out of what could’ve been a 25 short film. The final act was the only thing that saves the fairly boring opening and middle acts. I do appreciate the level of detail that went into making it feel like an 80s horror flick.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

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Gianni O

The movie was ok although I wouldn't watch it a second time, definitely a slow burner that's not for everyone.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

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Audience Member

What an insult to Satan. I’ll bet people that liked this also like the band Ghost. Lame.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/02/24

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Dallas H

I am angry they wasted so many delicious slices of East Coast style pizza for ungrateful characters who don't appreciate scrumptious-looking food. Beyond this major disappointment, I liked the movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

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Chris F

I enjoyed the build up in the first and second acts, but it does come short in the final bits.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/27/24

Full Review

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Ti West

Director

Jocelin Donahue

Sam

Tom Noonan

Mr. Ulman

Mary Woronov

Mrs. Ulman

Greta Gerwig

Megan

AJ Bowen

Victor

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The House of the Devil: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Desperate to make some money so she can move into a new apartment, college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) takes a mysterious babysitting job. When she arrives at the house, Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) mentions a full lunar eclipse and explains there is no child, but that Samantha will be watching his mother instead. After exploring the sinister-seeming house, Samantha soon comes to realize that her employers are hiding a horrifying secret and have plans to use her, dead or alive.

Director: Ti West
Producer: Josh Braun, Roger Kass, Peter Phok, Larry Fessenden
Screenwriter: Ti West
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Glass Eye Pix, MPI Media Group, RingTheJing Entertainment, Constructovision
Rating: R (Some Bloody Violence)
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 30, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.7K
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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