Blu-ray Review: House of the Devil – “a creepy and atmospheric masterpiece”

Purveyors of incredible physical releases of Cult films, Second Sight Films, are set to release a brand new limited edition of Ti West’s The House of the Devil on the 28th April. We recently put the new Blu-ray through its paces and, like Second Sight’s amazing Blair Witch release, this is another one you do not want to miss!

For those of you who have never seen The House of the Devil, here is the original trailer…

Ti West’s 2009 Satanic shocker sees Samantha (Joceline Donahue) in a pickle. A college student who is desperate to get off campus and away from her nightmare roommate, Samantha needs a few hundred bucks fast to rent her dream apartment. So, even though he seems creepy as hell, when a man (Tom Noonan) offers her $400 for a night’s work babysitting, she’s in. Over the course of a night in the creepiest large house imaginable, Samantha is spooked until the reason she is there becomes chillingly clear…

Since seeing it in the cinema on the original run, I have loved The House of the Devil more every time I’ve seen it. It may just be my favourite Ti West film, but even if it’s not, it’s way up there.

West absolutely nails the 80s movie look and feel, from the title sequence to the final freeze. The vibes really are immaculate. Joceline Donahue is great and carries the film alone for nearly an hour, her reactions, exploring and dancing doing as much heavy lifting as the detailed production and sound design.

Backing up the authenticity and Donahue’s performance are immaculate supporting performances from a sweet Greta Gerwig, a creepy AJ Bowen and a somehow warm but also terrifying Tom Noonan.

It’s a slow burn, but West, as not only writer-director but editor too, is in complete control. West can not only put you through the absolute wringer with seemingly never-ending suspense sequences that will have you gnawing your fingers down to the wrist, but can also deliver a perfect jumpscare whenever he feels like it too.

The sense of space and place is masterful too, and once he’s given you a sense of the geography of the house, West ratchets tension by playing with all the open spaces that anything could be lurking in and minimising cuts in favour of anxiety and uncertainty heightening pans and zooms.

When the slow burn ignites, the final denouement is a doozy that you will never forget, making The House of the Devil a creepy and atmospheric masterpiece that every horror fan needs to have seen.

AV

The video quality is flawless. Grain is retained with not even a whiff of any DNR, and it is an absolute treat to see it this crystal clear and discover new details that may have passed you by before, such as being able to read every single item on the campus noticeboard, for plenty of extra foreboding eclipse info.

The feature audio is a 5.1 mix that was good, but did sound a little quiet in comparison to the menu music. And fyi, if you haven’t seen The House of the Devil before, DO NOT watch the main menu loop all the way through to avoid a spoiler.

The feature itself is subtitled in English, but there are no subs for any of the extras, unfortunately.

Extras

(un) holy moly, there’s a lot. There are two audio commentaries, one with West and Donahue, and one with West plus the producers and sound designer. The West and Donahue one is wonderful. Absolutely jam-packed with info on the locations, inspirations and cast – Dee Wallace is a spiritualist who creeped everyone out talking about how the hotel they were all staying in was haunted apparently – it’s really good value and a total must.

The awesome as hell Larry Fessenden and co. commentary is fun. Larry is a super fun blast and knows everything about horror to boot, and the second commentary offers more technical nuts and bolts info.

There are plenty of brand-new interviews. First is The Right Vibe, which is nineteen minutes with Ti West and his dog, and Satanic Panic is a seventeen-minute piece with Joceline Donahue talking through getting the role, her performance, thoughts on Ti and her reflections on the film sixteen years down the line

The other interviews are with actor AJ Bowen, producers Peter Phok and Larry Fessenden, director of photography Eliot Rockett, composer Jeff Grace, and sound designer Graham Reznick.

There is also a making of, behind the scenes, deleted scenes and a trailer. It’s a truly comprehensive package that covers everything and gives you more than your money’s worth.

That’s everything on the disc, but the limited edition also comes with a whopping 70 page book(!).

Further Watching

If you only know Ti West from the X trilogy, check out his other underseen films, The Innkeepers and The Sacrament; and if you want to see him in front of the camera, check out You’re Next.

For more Jocelin Donahue, the obvious pick is Doctor Sleep, but also track down the hidden gem, Off Season.

Pairs well with

If you want to make it a double bill, Rosemary’s Baby is an easy pick, but Late Night with the Devil would be good for a more recent slice of Satanic panic. But if you want to let some of the tension out and finish on a fun note, I highly recommend Chelsea Stardust’s very fun and funny Satanic Panic.

Film

★★★★★

Disc

★★★★★

Ti West’s The House of the Devil is the latest cult horror to get a brand-new makeover from Second Sight Films. The  Limited Edition Blu-ray is released on the 28th of April 2025, alongside a Standard Edition Blu-ray.