There’s a lot of nostalgic love going around for ’80s horror, and the best example is House of the Devil, the latest release from Ti West. Set sometime in the ’80s, it stars Jocelin Donahue (The Burrowers) as Samantha, a broke college girl who takes a babysitting gig at a mansion out in the country, despite her best friend’s protests that it seems like a shady deal. Y’see, once Samantha arrives, the family patriarch, played with creepy aplomb by Tom Noonan (Manhunter), admits that it’s actually his mother – who’s mysteriously shut away in an upstairs bedroom – that needs watching while he and his wife attend a viewing of the lunar eclipse. The film goes from a slow-burn creep-out to outright terrifying, when Samantha realizes there are others in the house.
Like the look of the movie, the pacing is pure ’80s VHS. And then there’s that vintage painted artwork for the poster to seal the retro deal. Oh, and if that isn’t enough to make tapeheads drool, the film is also available in a DVD/VHS bundle. That’s right, you can own this sucker on VHS, in a white clamshell case, with Gorgon Video branding on the tape. (As far as I can tell, it’s only available through Amazon.com, here.]
The prolific West, whose Cabin Fever sequel comes out straight-to-DVD on Feb 16th, answers seven questions for us. Well, he actually answers only about five of them, but, here they are…

1. Name three films that influenced HotD, and how.

There are not really any direct influences. However, The Tenant, The Changeling and Don’t Look Now are always pretty embedded in my subconscious.

2. Why did you want to make this retro-style of film? The story could’ve been set, like, today, so what is it about that golden period that you wanted to recapture?

It is set in the 1980s because that was the height of “satanic panic” in the United States. I don’t think a satanic film would be relevant today; we are no longer afraid of the devil. The time period also offers the benefits of no cell phones, internet and corny self-awareness – all of which are enemies to storytelling.

3.The film harkens back to an early-‘80s video era that you were seemingly too young have been indulging in. Did you have an older brother or irresponsible local video store that let you watch horror movies as a child?

I am an only child, and was never restricted from viewing anything I wanted to see. So I spent a lot of time in the video store and staying up all night watching HBO. I have a pretty intense photographic memory.

4. Ever since Manhunter, Tom Noonan has cemented his reputation for playing creepy so effectively, and here he’s more than unsettling as Mr. Ulman. How did you come to collaborate with him?

I cast him as the “horror host” in my first film, The Roost. I have always been a big fan and he lived right down the street from Glass Eye Pix in New York. One day we just stopped him on the street and gave him the script. He liked it, and after that we just enjoyed working together. I hope to do it again soon; he is a fantastic actor.

5. We picked The House of the Devil as having the best poster art of 2009, for its awesome retro-video look. Then we received a copy of the film on VHS in a retro clamshell package, with a Gorgon video sticker on it. Whoa! How did you pull that off? How do you even find a place that manufactures VHS these days?

I could tell you…But then I’d have to kill you. [According to the film's P.R. department, the idea was from someone in marketing, but beyond that I couldn't get any info. -Dave]

6. According to the IMDb, you requested to have your name taken off of Cabin Fever 2. So what was the major malfunction?

That’s a really long story. The film was partially re-shot and completely re-edited from what I intended. I don’t feel comfortable taking credit or blame for it because it is no longer my film. It is a product of the producers, editors and executives. So if you like it, thank them.

7. You’ve dabbled in several different styles of horror film, so what’s next on the agenda? Tell us about your ghost story, The Haunting in Georgia.

Loose lips sink ships. I don’t like talking about what’s next until it happens. I should have some exciting announcements soon enough…