New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Around this time last year, I went through an amazing horror movie kick. I can’t recall what movie started it - or why, even - but once I watched one or two over some late January or February weekend, it became this addiction that required a good amount of attention on my end. Gosh, there was everything from The Last House on the Left to The Strangers to My Bloody Valentine to… ahem… Sorority Row… to I don’t know what. ‘Twas nuts, I tell you.

In the new year I haven’t done a thing similar, yet I did get around to seeing a quality horror movie within the past week that deserves at least thoughtful consideration on your respective movie cues.

It’s The House of the Devil. And it’s awesome.

Having become so desensitized and, worse yet, bored with unnecessary violence and gore and torture porn from most every horror film that crops up these days, it was so refreshing to dig into a modern movie that didn’t rely on any of those things. Actually, save for a moment (and it’s snappy!), The House of the Devil does away with gore altogether. It preys more so on the subtleties of the genre: The soft footsteps, the creaky floorboards, measured storytelling and deliciously nuanced peculiarities.

For those in the dark about this one, The House of the Devil (2009) is a product of horror filmmaker Ti West. For now, he’s done not much anything mainstream. In fact, he may be best known for this movie (which grossed $100,000 in the States) or maybe Cabin Fever 2 (which, well, went straight to DVD).

But don't let that discourage you. In many ways, The House of the Devil is totally a Ti West passion project. And I think for a genre that gets a bad rap for being formulaic and mundane and everything else that comes with bad horror, passion projects that fall under the horror umbrella are sometimes some of the most exciting and intimate pieces of fiction out there.

I’ve somehow gotten this far already without explaining The House of the Devil’s key ingredient: It’s a giant homage to horror movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Everything from the plot to the setting to its look and feel - so… soundtrack, muted colors, and stylizations like fade to blacks and zooms (not dollys) - are handled with care here.

It’s a period piece for the genre, complete with vintage Volvos, a funky Sony Walkman and teens wearing what may be tight fitting mom jeans. It was even shot on 16mm film, which inflates the flick’s authenticity cred.

Two videos in support: A dance sequence set to The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads to Another” and, after a brief exchange, a totally inspired opening credits sequence.

Set in the ‘80s, The House of the Devil is about a college sophomore who’s desperate to scrape some cash together to afford first month’s rent on an apartment. She finds possible reprieve from a flyer, which lists need for a local babysitter. Samantha agrees to take on the job and, as these things go, all’s well until it isn’t.

The House of the Devil is a gentle reminder of how far horror has come (or, I guess, fallen). No, it doesn’t forcefully stimulate the senses via piercing audio, naked teenagers and other worthless vulgarities. It’s milder than that, and boldly that horror can be scary without the frills.