MovieChat Forums > The House of the Devil (2009) Discussion > Stop complaining...

Stop complaining...

posted 8 years ago by Golden_Boy_28
16 replies | jump to latest

I get the critiques that this film is "boring" or too "slowly paced" for some folks. And I can understand how some would come to that conclusion. But I'd actually say amongst people who really love horror films, those people are in the minority. This film is an absolute gem within the genre and Ti West's best film to date in my opinion. The slow-burn nature of the film was completely intentional, and actually a key component of the film in terms of creating a mood that culminated with the chaotic final few scenes of the film. But i will agree, the ending could have been a bit better.

[–] carpathianwolff 8 years ago

if you think this is a good horror film... you're taste in horror is very questionable, Ti West is a wannabe... and any true horror fan can quickly tell this... it's not quite awful, but very mediocre.

[–] schall1991 8 years ago

What horror movies do you like?

[–] vilafire 8 years ago

Probably the Poltergeist remake, Saw 17, and Paranormal Activity. You know, the kinds of movies that true horror film buffs respect.

Bwahahahahaha.

They probably aren't used to the slow burn. They needed 55 noisy jump scares to release the tension.

[–] vilafire 8 years ago

This is a modern classic. Period. Any naysayers haven't seen enough movies. They probably won't watch anything older than 5 years.

[–] TheBeardedWonder 8 years ago

Um, I asked the waiter to hold the pretense please, it seems to have ended up all over this thread though.

'Get yourself a real dog. Any dog under 50 lbs is a cat and cats are pointless' - Ron Swanson

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I quite like it, but it's the furthest thing from a modern horror classic.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77426) 5 years ago

It's got a certain class, it's a very lovable 'recent' horror that earns it's chills and I'd rank it up there with the likes of It Follows, The Babadook, Sinister, Get Out, Hereditary and Cabin in the Woods ...

It's impossible to say what will be a 'classic' someday but like you, I really liked it
It's a solid horror film about a lovable character in mortal danger

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yup. I love the character, I love the 80s styling/sets/vibe, etc. I own it on blu-ray, and watch it every couple of years. It has an endearing quality. I just wish they'd done a bit more with it - maybe the budget was an issue? It feels like it's missing something.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77426) 5 years ago

That Jocelin Donahue did a great job in the lead role
Her little Walkman dance routine was lovelely🥰

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yeah, very cute. An under-rated modern scream queen.

[–] bigbadwolf666 (4707) 5 years ago

☺️

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I thought it was a lot of fun.

They really did a fine job of reproducing the look and sound of those low budget early 80s horror movies.

The Satanic theme and slow burn approach were much more common in the 70s, the slasher genre was really dominating the early 80s, so they didn't quite make it an archetypal 80s horror, but that's OK. We got enough slasher movies set in that decade.

[–] bigbadwolf666 (4707) 5 years ago

I liked the 70’s blend and the 80’s slashers were a bit more cheesy and had its own style this was a bit more original.

[–] PaladinNJ (21510) 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Yes, you definitely have to be able to appreciate a movie that relies on mood and kind of a sense of dread. It is a pretty simple story and the first hour or so stays quiet.

It might help if you grew up in the 70s or earlier and watched a alot of horror movies from that era. This one takes place in the very early 80s, but it's really in the tradition of 70s Satanic Cult themed movies.

[–] Boromir (10009) 4 years ago

I love the slowly paced more than the bloody last scenes. I think this is what make the movie great.