Horror Fest V Day Three: The House of the Devil

I'm afraid that for the final film of Horror Fest V, Ti West's The House of the Devil, that there isn't a whole lot I'd add to my original review, found here.

What I would add after this viewing is a suggestion that perhaps West's The House of the Devil is that rare film that benefits more from watching the film alone. Like The Haunting, it builds tension slowly and deliberately, only releasing it slightly during the film. I found that, when watching the film with an audience, they frequently began to talk during the film, perceiving the deliberate hold on scares as "taking too long" or "boring."

I could sense that the discomfort had less to do with the impending horror and more to do with being uncertain how to interact with the other people in the room as - one could argue essentially - nothing happens. But that's the point of The House of the Devil: you can tell something awful is coming from the get-go, and Ti West ratchets that nervous tension to a boiling point, at least when you're watching the film alone. With a crowd, people felt comfortable leaving the screening room to mingle, certain they "weren't missing anything."

It is fair to mention that this section of Horror Fest V occurred when the party outside was at its peak, and people were wandering in and out, constantly asking "what is this movie?" and staying for a little while trying to suss out the details. One person came in strictly because they heard the screaming that sets off the chaotic final act of the film, so they could catch "the best part." Party atmospheres can sometimes be problematic for films like The House of the Devil, which benefits the most from sitting in a quiet room and watching the story unfold.

This is not to say that they didn't like it: the audience seemed split 60/40 between "that was a lot of waiting" and "that freaked me out," but even the folks who thought the film (which is only 95 minutes) took too long enjoyed parts of it, and almost everyone seemed impressed that a newer movie fooled them into thinking it was "vintage."

One fun caveat: people wandering in and out bought into the early 80s setting hook, line, and sinker. Despite the fact that there's a "Copyright MMXVIII" beneath the title (that would be 2008, for those non-Roman-numeral-inclined readers), one first-time viewer said "this must be a classic I haven't heard of," and several audience members were shocked to discover the film was not, in fact, a film from 1983*. It became something of a game for the people who now knew the "truth" to a) lead on people who didn't, and b) spot anachronisms, which is actually harder than you'd expect, since West and his production designers do a very good job of sticking to period when possible.

Oh, and it was all the more entertaining when Night of the Living Dead is on "Frightmare Theater," since we watched it earlier that night.

* when the song "One Thing Leads to Another" was released. As it figures prominently into the "montage" sequence, that's the only clear "date" we can affix to The House of the Devil.