The House of the Devil

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

The House of the Devil is a 2009 horror film directed by Ti West.

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. The film is notable for being a Retraux of old 70s and 80s horror films.

Tropes used in The House of the Devil include:
  • The Antichrist - Implied to be the endgoal of the cult.
  • Boom! Headshot!: Megan's death.
  • Bungled Suicide: Samantha.
  • George Lucas Throwback
  • Hollywood Satanism
  • Nothing but Hits - Three 80's singles are listened to by characters. "One Thing Leads To Another" by The Fixx is well-remembered enough to show up on many 80's hits compilations. On the other hand, "One Of Our Submarines" by Thomas Dolby and "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" by The Greg Kihn Band are a bit more obscure. All three of these songs were released within a few years of each other and would place the film around 1983 or so. And then the soundtrack also uses much more recent music by Gods Of Fire, which is just influenced by 80's metal enough to not stick out too much.
  • Nightmare Face - The priestess.
  • Nothing Is Scarier - Most of the film follows this.
  • Religious Horror
  • Stylistic Suck - The film was shot on 16mm film and was made intentionally to look like an old movie. Expect lots of grain and murky colors.
  • Wham! Line - "You're not the babysitter?" (It makes sense in context)
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