THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL

TI WEST | USA | 2009 | 95 MIN | R | 35MM

This screening will feature live music 30 minutes prior to start time.

One of the definitive odes­ to 70s and 80s bargain-bin horror classics (so much so that it’s often mistaken for being one), Ti West’s The House of the Devil is a genre fan’s dream come true. Ten years since its debut, the film continues to amass disciples of its sinister pan-and-zooms, slow-burn thrills, and rad soundtrack. One too many socks on her dorm room door have forced broke college student Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) to respond to an odd babysitting job to pay for her own place. Despite the doubts of her best friend Megan (Greta Gerwig), Samantha finds herself at the door of a secluded countryside mansion as an ominous lunar eclipse approaches. She is greeted by the desperate Mr. Ulman (horror icon Tom Noonan) and is shocked to learn the true nature of the gig. But money talks, and what begins as a driven-by-boredom venture into the many shadowed rooms of the Ulman mansion becomes a fight for Samantha’s very life. West’s obvious fandom and deep knowledge of the genre bleeds from the screen, and The House of the Devil still stands as one of the best horror films of the 21st century.

Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig

“A hardcore love letter to fans of 80s horror.” –Bloody Disgusting

Part of the Philadelphia Film Society’s AFTER HOURS series.