Customer Reviews

The House of the Devil (VHS/DVD Bundle)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I attended a midnight screening of Ti West's 'House of the Devil' in Boston last weekend. I had seen a lot of press about the film which led me to watch the trailer. Seeing the inclusion of genre vets Tom Noonan, and Mary Woronov assured me that this was a film that had it's roots firmly planted in the late '70's through to the mid '80's.

The film is one that is not for those who are looking for a quick paced, gore filled scream fest. It is, however, for those who enjoy an atmospheric, character driven movie. The film does have well done effects, a very atmospheric score, and very solid cinematography.

If Mr. West is involved with the marketing of this film then I say job well done. For a film that really does feel from that era the choice to simultaneously release it on VHS as well as DVD is a great one, and for people who collect VHS, like myself, should buy this one as it comes in an over sized clamshell case.

Once in a blue moon a horror film comes along that reaffirms your faith in the genre. The House of the Devil is one such film, written and directed by Ti West who gives the film a throwback look and feel, and is a delightful homage to classic suspense. The story revolves around 80s college student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) who takes a babysitting job from an odd couple (Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov), only to discover that her clients plan to use her in a satanic ritual. For a majority of its running time, The House of the Devil features some powerful moments of suspense and genuine terror. While its conclusion may leave something to be desired, plus some glaring plot holes as well, The House of the Devil regardless remains a worthwhile horror endeavor. All in all, if you're looking for something that will truly give you some scares, look no further then The House of the Devil, and if you're horror tastes definitely run the way of the old school, pick up this VHS/DVD bundle of the film, which is a surprising slice of nostalgiac charm.

You know when I found out about this movie I started having flashbacks from my childhood from trips to the video store, looking @ all the weird movies and trying to decide which one I would beg my Mom to rent for me. Over all the flick gives you that feeling of; cheap popcorn, low production budgets, and a sense that the folks that made the film made do w/ what they had. No doubt that the VHS adds the cool factor, movies from this era of film making that the producers modeled there story after is one of the things I miss a lot. Along w/ action/sci fi themed stories. A good find for the money, kewl box art, ok extras and just a plain fun movie to watch.

First off, this movie is fantastic. It is simple, subtle, nostalgic, and tense. It is a everything Hatchet claimed to be, "a return to oldschool American horror." But unlike the worthless, talentless crap Hatchet turned out to be, House of the Devil delivers. It is not dumbed down and it never dissolves into an absurd comedy. Also, this edition is really well made. I was very impressed with both the quality and the design of the VHS. They put effort into making the VHS look old and worn, like it was purchased used right off the shelf of an old mom & pop video store. If you are going to buy this movie, I recommend picking up a copy of the VHS too, as a collector's item if nothing else.

I really like this movie but both my VHS and DVD copies arrived with deep slash marks cut in to the barcode part of the packaging!

After sending it back twice for replacement orders and receiving more copies with the slash marks CUT in to them, I figured all copies from Amazon must be like this and decided to keep it anyway.

This means that I was basically PAYING FULL PRICE FOR PROMOTIONAL COPIES. In the past, the only time I've ever seen a slash through a barcode is when an item isn't supposed to be sold, but given away.

The other issue is that the VHS copy is strictly a collector's item (to me, anyway) and it showed up from Amazon each time with the packaging already damaged. They ended up giving me $10 off my next order with them, but I don't see how this is even legal....

Did anyone else order this from Amazon and receive the items slashed???