[Movies] The House of the Devil (2009)

Watched The House of the Devil tonight with an acquaintance.

Now, I didn't actually like this film much - it's one of those where the horror comes from Satanic cults, which isn't my favourite type. But I found it interesting for the way it was put together.

The film was made in 2009, and it's a love letter to the classic slasher films of the '70s and '80s. It's like a movie straight out of that era - the costuming is period-perfect, it's got that delightful grainy vintage film look, and even the pacing of the film was on point. Even the sound design felt right. It sure had me fooled; the entire time I watched the thing, I thought that it had been made in the 80s.

The period-specific pacing is a strike against it, though. It drags in the middle, and even though a slow burn isn't uncommon for horror films of that time, it's a bit too slow here. It was only 1 hour 35 minutes long, but I feel like it could have been ten minutes shorter without losing anything.

So, this film sits in a weird place for me - I didn't like it as entertainment, but I do like the history of horror films and filmmaking in general, so from that perspective it was neat to watch.