The House of the Devil
| The House of the Devil | |
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Theatrical release poster, © Neil Kellerhouse.
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| Directed by | Ti West |
| Produced by |
Josh Braun Derek Curl Roger Kass Peter Phok |
| Written by | Ti West |
| Starring |
Jocelin Donahue Tom Noonan Mary Woronov Greta Gerwig Dee Wallace |
| Music by | Jeff Grace |
| Cinematography | Eliot Rockett |
| Edited by | Ti West |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
MPI Media Group (theatrical) Dark Sky Films (DVD and VHS) Gorgon Video (VHS) |
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Release date
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25 April 2009 (Tribeca Film Festival)
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $900,000 |
| Box office | $101,215 |
The House of the Devil is a 2009 American horror film written, directed, and edited by Ti West, starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, and Mary Woronov.
The plot concerns a young college student (Donahue) who is hired as a babysitter at an isolated house and is soon caught up in bizarre and dangerous events as she fights for her life. The film combines elements of both the slasher film and haunted house subgenres while using the "satanic panic" of the 1980s as a central plot element. The film pays homage to horror films of the 1970s and 1980s, recreating the style of films of that era using filming techniques and similar technology to what was used then. The film's opening text claims that it is based upon true events, a technique used in some horror films, such as The Amityville Horror and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
In the 1980s, after her landlady (Dee Wallace) gives her an extension on the deposit for her new apartment, college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) takes on a babysitting job for Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) and his wife (Mary Woronov). Ulman asks to meet her but stands her up, later apologizing and offering to pay double the original salary. Samantha accepts and gets a ride to the remote mansion from her best friend, Megan (Greta Gerwig), who expresses her distrust. At the house, Mr. Ulman pulls her aside and reveals that he does not have any children to be monitored; the babysitting job is to attend to his wife's ailing mother. Samantha balks but finally agrees, if he will pay her $400, a significant increase in her pay. Megan immediately leaves, citing Ulman's lies and peculiar behavior, but she reluctantly promises to pick up Samantha later. Samantha stays, after accepting the money. On the way home, Megan stops in her car to smoke a cigarette. When her car lighter will not work, a stranger (A.J. Bowen) suddenly appears out of nowhere, startling her, and lights her cigarette for her. When Megan reveals that she is not the babysitter hired by the Ulmans, she is abruptly shot and murdered by the stranger.
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