Amazon.com: The House of the Devil (VHS/DVD Bundle): Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen, Dee Wallace, Heather Robb, Darryl Nau, Brenda Cooney, Danielle Noe, Mary B. McCann, John Speredakos, Ti West, Badie Ali, Derek Curl, Greg Newman, Hamza Ali, Josh Braun, Larry Fessenden, Ti West: Movies & TV

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Jocelin Donahue (Actor), Tom Noonan (Actor), Ti West (Director, Writer) Rated:

Format: DVD

375 ratings

IMDb6.4/10.0

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$47.11

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Horror Film of the Year available on DVD, Blu-ray and VHS EXCLUSIVELY AT AMAZON.

Sam (Donahue) is a pretty college sophomore, so desperate to earn some cash for a deposit on an apartment that she accepts a babysitting job even after she finds out there is no baby. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman (cult actors Noonan and Woronov) are the older couple who lure Sam out to their creaky Victorian mansion deep in the woods, just in time for a total lunar eclipse. Megan (Gerwig) is Sam's best friend, who gives her a ride out to the house, and reluctantly leaves her there despite suspecting that something is amiss. Victor (Bowen) at first seems like just a creepy guy lurking around the house, but quickly makes it clear that Sam will end this night in a bloody fight for her life...

2009 Top 10 List Selections:
TimeOut New York
The Onion
AMCtv
Sound on Sight

Review

After years of vivisectionist splatter, here is a horror movie with real shivers. --New York Times

It provides the same kind of thrills as Paranormal Activity. Heart-stopping pleasures. --Los Angeles Times

Palpably unnerving --USA Today

Product details

MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ s_medR R (Restricted)
Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.8 x 5.5 x 2 inches; 11.2 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Ti West
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 35 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ February 2, 2010
Actors ‏ : ‎ Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen
Producers ‏ : ‎ Badie Ali, Derek Curl, Greg Newman, Hamza Ali, Josh Braun
Studio ‏ : ‎ Dark Sky Films
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003360JKY
Writers ‏ : ‎ Ti West
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #514,491 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #20,123 in Horror (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
375 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		42%
4 star		14%
3 star		15%
2 star		10%
1 star		19%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Jessica Daniels

To ALL the REVIEWERS here saying Samantha seen dead bodies in grannys room...YOU'RE STUPID.

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2020

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I read reviews before i watched, and over and over again I read ppl saying that Samantha opened the grandma's bedroom door, and seen dead bodies and blood everywhere and then went on like as if she didn't see it, EVEN giving one star reviews because of it. I had to see it for myself, because I agreed, pretty dumb if that's the case....But, go back and watch it again dummies!! She never opened the door and seen any of that!! Her hand was on the door knob, camera showed US, (the veiwer) the dead bodies, but Samantha got distracted and never opened that door. Now, the movie....in my opinion, it's a 3star movie. It's sllooooow, and boils down to all the good stuff at the end. Not bad though! Blockbuster, no......But decent for a night wth popcorn and a special someone, With the lights off, of course!

24 people found this helpful

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Regina Rodriguez-Martin

If you remember 1980, watch!

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2016

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If you remember 1985 and you like horror, this is the movie for you! With few anachronisms, Ti West nails the look and details of 1980s horror. From the freeze-frame credits to the hairstyles of the newscasters, I cackled at everything I had forgotten about that golden age of scream teen flicks. Unlike other movies set in the 80s that use current music and camerawork, West uses lots of slow pullaways and even achieves the correct grainy appearance of the film. And unlike those set-in-80s movies that leave technology off-screen, West's protagonist uses a real Walkman with orange-foam-padded headphones - beautiful. If someone walked in on a screening of this movie, they could easily think it's really from the 70s or 80s. Oh yeah: and it's a great story with good scares and a satisfying ending.

Have to mention that I'd also forgotten how important telephones used to be in movies of the 70s and 80s. There were closeups of the handset, the dread of the ringing and lots of dialing. Oh, how dialing a rotary phone builds tension!

31 people found this helpful

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William Atmur

The house of regret

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2018

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I have no clue why this movie got such high marks from critics. I appreciate the effort of a nostalgic feeling, but the film was dull, dragged on, and had an extremely long scene which included a dance monologue. Once the movie gets to the point, you'll have already lost any interest in caring.

18 people found this helpful

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P. Daskaloff

I didn't believe my eyes!

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2019

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Just about one hour into the movie, after Samantha has been wondering around the scary house, she goes upstairs to check on grandma who she's supposed to be babysitting. She opens the door, and instead of grandma, she sees three bodies on the floor which have been viciously murdered, blood all over. She closes the door of the room and continues exploring the house. The door bell rings. A pizza delivery. She pays the guy, and takes the pizza. Then she calls her girlfriend, but she doesn't answer. So, finally, Samantha decides to call 911. But she quickly changes her mind and hangs up. Then the phone rings, and 911 operator explains he's calling back just to check if everything is okay. Samantha tells him that everything is okay, she dialed 911 by mistake, and hangs up. I couldn't believe my eyes. How can this film be rated so high is beyond me.

8 people found this helpful

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Decent horror-slasher-thriller film, more fun as a 1980s period horror film than anything else

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2020

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Decent, very retro horror-slasher-thriller film with lots of call backs to both haunted house films and Satanic cult horror films and set in I think 1983 (definitely the early 80s). From the music to the cars to quality of the film footage to the hairstyles, clothes, and absolute lack of a cell phone to the presence of rotary phones to the absence of Uber or Lyft, it is definitely the 1980s.

The film centers on a college sophomore by the name of Samantha Hughes (played by Jocelin Donahue). She wants to rent her own place, tired of living with a roommate who often has a boy over with the proverbial sock on the door. Not having a lot of money and unsure how she is going to make the down payment on the rental, she leaps at a chance to babysit for someone with a rather creepy phone presence when she calls him after picking up his flyer on a campus bulletin board.

Disregarding the objections of her friend Megan (played by Greta Gerwig), she goes to meet her new employer, a cadaverous, well spoken, mysterious gentleman by the name of Mr. Ulman (played by Tom Noonan). Though Megan, who drove Samantha there, gets a bad vibe – from Mr. Ulman, the creepy house, how isolated the house is, the exact nature of the babysitting job – she relents and leaves Samantha there, promising to pick her up after midnight when the job is done.

Samantha, left alone in a dark, creepy house (not at first finding anyone else, including the person she is supposed to babysit), she makes do with dancing to her Walkman and exploring. Lots of exploring and lots of dancing, though Megan sadly either doesn’t see the clues she needed to see or misunderstands those she finds (though the audience knows).

Oh and there is a much publicized lunar eclipse that night (not called a blood moon because that is a 21st century label for the term).

There isn’t a lot more I can say about the plotline other than the Ulmans aren’t what they appear to be, something Bad happened in that house, something Bad is going to happen again involving Samantha, and something bad happened to Megan unbeknownst to Samantha.

Pros, it nailed the 80s feel/vibe and also was a love letter to slasher/Satanic cult and haunted house films. Even the smaller elements – like the dancing montage – really fit the 1980s style. The main character was well cast, likable, and believable. Cons, there isn’t a lot to the story other than Will She Escape The Horror. It’s Samantha bebopping through a rather very dark and huge house, unaware something awful is going to happen on Lunar Eclipse Night, the Bad Thing Happens, and she has to fight back and escape. Though there is some good tension, there isn’t anything other than a vague tension (though there is no doubt something is going to happen). Maybe more development would have been nice, once the Big Horror is revealed, it seems over too quick.

Not bad, it won’t rank up with my favorite horror films but I am not sorry I watched it.

2 people found this helpful

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Son of Samhain

Gross and dumb....real dumb

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020

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Poor satan ,always trying to get into this world , by hook or by crook he tries.... doesnt have anything BETTER to do? Dam man ! whydonchu collect a stamp or two and leave us the hell alone! Get a girlfriend!

These two '80s girlies are dolls , shame 'bout the blonde though , and our poor heroine happens to possess cute little feet...unfortunately she uses them to slip and slide around in red syrup but whadday gonna do? shes gotta use them to slip and slide around in SOMETHING! or she wont get paid! by the film makers.

This film really DOES build creepiness though....so its got THAT going for it......which is nice.
Saw this on Amazon Prime , smh , why , WHY do I think ill encounter something on that service worth a little downtime?..... I may as well start picking my nose for entertainment....it would be cheaper.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Spike Owen

This one night changes everything for me.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2015

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Ti West seems destined to be one of those horror film directors who forever will polarise opinions. For those of us who love the slow burn approach and admire his evident adoration of retro horror, then he hits the mark. Reference The House of the Devil and latterly The Innkeepers. If those two things don't strike a chord with you then it's very likely that The House of the Devil will drive you nuts - but not in a good way.

Plot is simple, Jocelin Donahue plays student Samantha Hughes, who has found the ideal apartment to live in, but needs funds to pay the deposit. Sooooo, answering a flyer advertising for a babysitter, she winds up at some spooky house out in the sticks, where the job isn't exactly what was as expected, and, well the night isn't as expected either...

It's her own fault really, if you ring the bell at a spooky isolated house and Tom Noonan answers the door, well then you should know better than not to run away! But I digress. West's film taps into the satanic panic that gripped certain parts of the states in the 70s and 80s, set in the early 80s the film is a vibrant homage to that era, with a real sense of time and place pulsing away as Samantha is set up for a night of god knows what.

The house is a splendid old creaker and within it Samantha always looks to be one cat's whisker away from being in peril. West doesn't go for continuous boo-jump scares, he lets us and Samantha use our imaginations to unnerve all parties. The screw is slowly turned until hell comes to the party, moving things swiftly to a frenetic finale that closes with a final denouement that old nick himself would approve of.

Dee Wallace Stone does a cameo to add more to the retro flavours, while Noonan and Donahue are superb. It's a film that is patient and asks you for your patience, so those of that ilk, and retro horror hounds too, will love it. Others, not so! 7/10

5 people found this helpful

S. C. Johnson

How horror used to be

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2014

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Bought this film after catching the last 20 minutes or so on a horror channel on television. Was impressed enough by what I saw to look into buying the film even though I had never heard of it before. The beginning is definitely like watching a very early 80's film intro and to be honest I thought the music was a little tacky at the beginning, although I can see that the director was trying to add to the early 80's film atmosphere. However, don't let that put you off watching the rest of the film.

The films does build up slowly, which to be honest makes it more watchable as you are not given anything too early, which can sometimes ruin films in my opinion. It adds to the mood and makes you want to keep watching. I also love the fact that you are not given too many characters either, which could otherwise ruin the type of community it is supposed to be set in. I think the two house owners are very well cast as both have a scary look about them, which makes the house even more creepier.

The suspense builds and then all of a sudden you are given the true identity of what lives in the house. Unlike the intro music the rest is much better and helps give a scary feel. I wont ruin it for you by telling you what happens, but in my opinion if you like classic horror films like Rosemary's Baby and films that build up tension you will love this. Loads better than the slasher style horror, which in my opinion is just gore for the sake of it. This is definitely a must for those of you who long for horror to be as it was back in those cult horror periods of the late 1970's and early 1980's.

This film deserves its place in the collection of true horror fans. Love it and can't wait to watch again. Turn the lights low and add to the atmosphere it creates for the best effect.

10 people found this helpful

Colonel Decker

A homage to late 70s early 80s horrors works a treat.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2016

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Really nice throw back to an 80s horror movie you can see Ti West who was born in 1980 is a huge fan of this era. Everything to the music, to the dress styles and even the fonts- it's all here. However this isn't a throw back to cheesy 80s horror. Girl who needs money agrees to babysit in a nice house on the outskirts for $400 when she learns that she is actually sitting for an elderly woman.

House of the Devil will not be for everyone because the movie character builds, not much happens for a good hour, and yes it is very slow. Horror conssierus should have little trouble with this, but the me me me want want want generation will be aiming for the remote control. Movie isn't perfect of course but tension is built up well for some scary moments, though not as scary as the blurb on the DVD cover claims. You'll probably question some of the girls motives, why pry for instance?

Should also be noted that the acting is generally good, especially from babysitter's friend.

Obviously things aren't as they seem to be, just look at the title of movie- won't give anything else away. West has directed this quite brilliantly, there's only really one horrific gore scene and that's the only reason this is an 18 movie. Distributors really need to chill out, on the back of DVD cover it says there are flickering lights not good for epiletic people. Please have they ever seen IRREVERSIBLE? There is SLOW flickering for about 3 seconds.

2 people found this helpful

Throda tzen

“Just get me the cheque by Monday.” [rental house owner]

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2016

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This 2009 psychological suspense horror is set in the 1980s, as college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) applies for a babysitting job at a remote house for Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) and his wife (Mary Woronov). After some missed communications and misgivings from her best friend, Megan (Greta Gerwig), Sam takes the job, but all is not as it seems.
The is a fake ‘based on real events’ effort and is such a slow burner, you’re a third in before Sam even arrives at the house and 2/3 in before she begins to sense anything is truly amiss. [Lose a *]. C’mon, building tension and atmosphere is one thing, but this does neither until half way through. What is good, is the way the tension builds steadily in the last half as things don’t seem to add up and then suddenly leaps into the ***** climax.
The disc plays two trailers then goes to main menu offering play, scene selections, extra features [2 commentaries, in the house of the devil, 3 deleted scenes and trailer] and set up [5.1 or default 2.0]. The $900,000 budget seems high considering it’s basically filmed inside a house, or the exterior of a college campus, and there are no special effects to speak off. The ‘retro’ 80s style will appeal to many as will the build up of tension that eventually releases like a coiled spring, but this lacks shock and awe so is unlikely to please those looking for the gore of ‘Saw’, ’Wrong Turn’ or ‘Hostel’ while for me, not enough was made of the ‘inconsistencies’ that should have played on your inner fears so provided few real scares.

2 people found this helpful

OK but needed to get a move on

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2020

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This film so benefited from good advertising. The reason I bought it was the near guarantee of solid entertainment and a good ol' scare, as promised by the slick trailer featured on other DVD's. It only half succeeds.
The build up was too long, which doesn't normally bother me but it took up a significant part the viewing.
However it did have some style going for it. The retro 70/80's vibe was well recreated. And one particular scene left me gobsmacked, by the unexpected brutality. The horror once it landed was decent, reminiscent of Rosemary's baby, a little bit.

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