10/05/16 – day five of thirty-one days of horror!
Ti West’s riff on the Satanic panic of the early 80s is easily the most authentic-feeling 80s throwback of the recent trend – West expertly captures the feel of that halcyon era of horror, from the wardrobe to the music to the blown-out look of 16mm film stock in which the film is shot. Jocelyn Donahue is great as the “babysitter” who finds herself in peril of being sacrificed (or worse) by a Satanic cult, her most memorable moment being a music-video inspired bop around the titular creepy New England Victorian, listening to the Fixx on her era-accurate Walkman. A smart and scary slow-burn that may frustrate the attention deficient but rewards the patient, this is a House that drips both atmosphere and blood, making it the perfect chiller for a cold autumn night.
