THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (2009)

With special guest Adrienne Celt

Intro, Math Club, and Debate Society (spoiler-free) 0:00-27:42
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy) 27:43-54:41
Superlatives (so. many. spoilers.) 54:42-1:10:23

Director Ti West
Screenplay Ti West
Featuring AJ Bowen, Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig, Tom Noonan, Dee Wallace, Mary Woronov

Opened Oct 30, 2009
Budget $900,000
Box office $101,000 gross US/Canada

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS

Seeking some extra cash to pay for her new off-campus apartment, college sophomore Samantha answers an ad for a babysitting job. Her friend Megan suspects something weird is going on and insists on joining Samantha for the evening. On the night of a total lunar eclipse, the two drive to a grand Victorian on the outskirts of town and meet the Ulmans, an older couple going out for the evening – but there’s a catch. There’s no child. Samantha is asked to hang out in the house in case anything should happen to Mrs. Ullman’s mother upstairs. Initially reluctant to take the job, Samantha is able to wring 400 bucks out of the Ulmans, and settles in for an evening alone in a dark, dark house, on a dark, dark night.

SPOILER-FREE GUEST BIO

Adrienne Celt is the author of the novels “End of the World House” (Simon & Schuster 2022); “Invitation to a Bonfire” (Bloomsbury 2018), which was an Indie Next Pick, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and is currently being adapted into a TV show for AMC; and “The Daughters” (Norton/Liveright) which won the 2015 PEN Southwest Book Award for Fiction and was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, as well as a collection of comics: “Apocalypse How? An Existential Bestiary” (DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press 2016). Her writing has been recognized by an O. Henry Prize, the Glenna Luschei Award, and residencies at Jentel, Ragdale, and the Willapa Bay AiR. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Esquire, Zyzzyva, Strange Horizons, Ecotone, The Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, and Electric Lit, among other places, and her comics and essays can be found in Catapult, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Rumpus, the Tin House Open Bar, The Millions, and elsewhere. She publishes a webcomic (most) every Wednesday at loveamongthelampreys.com. Favorite recess snack: Fruit by the Foot.

EPISODE NOTES

Music from “The House of the Devil” by Jeff Grace.

To read Adrienne’s New York Times article that brought her love of horror to Eric & Bradford’s attention, click here.

Why did Professor Louryk choose this film? Find out in our Blog.

ORIGINAL MINI-DOC PARTS 1 AND 2

TRAILER

SUPERLATIVES

The Gaspar Noe Award for Most Disturbing Scene
Adrienne: The shooting of Megan in the car
Eric: The pouring of the blood into Samantha’s mouth during black mass
Bradford: The black mass and finding dead Megan on the floor

The Ellen Ripley Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Live (But Does Not)
Adrienne: Mother
Eric: Megan
Bradford: Mrs. Ulman

The Michael Myers Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Die (and Does)
Adrienne: Victor Ulman
Eric: Victor Ulman
Bradford: Victor Ulman

The Ken Russell Award for Most Baroque Screen Moment
Adrienne: The pouring of the blood into Samantha’s mouth during black mass
Eric: Reveal at end that Samantha is pregnant
Bradford: The shooting of Megan in the car

The Brad Dourif Award for Character Who Could Have Been Played by Brad Dourif
Adrienne: The harpsichord in the front hall
Eric: Mrs. Ulman
Bradford: Mother

FINAL LETTER GRADE

Adrienne: B+
Eric: B+
Bradford: A-