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

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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

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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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Ma N

Another suspenseful master piece from directer Ti West. 'The house of the Devil' manages to build up and sustain an unnerving tension, perfectly illustrating that sometimes the things you don't show scare at least as much as those shown. After being a 'slow burner', the final pay off all the more kicks in with its unsettling revelation. In my opinion the way this movie is set up, is exactly how high quality horror movies should be made. Well done! ...plus: i found it almost impossible not to develop a little crush on the protagonist Samantha, convincingly played by Jocelin Donahue.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/11/24

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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

Full Review

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

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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