brand new CHERYL COLE!!!!

This girl aint playin no GAMES!!!!! she's enlisted "dancing with the stars" people to coreograph and back her up in this new "retro" bond style number. the song is really good too, though not the best on her album "3 little words" and i'm not sure how i feel about how they speed up the pace so much. But here ya go:

the Devil is in the details.........

How often have you found yourself doing something that, if it was in a horror movie you’d be yelling at yourself for doing? I always yell at the dumb blond who goes to investigate the strange noise but when I’m home alone and hear something the FIRST thing I do is get up and slowly check things out. In THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, Director, writer, and producer Ti West builds suspense out of moments like these, and sustains it for as long as possible. Just when you think the film is going to end up all build up and no pay off……..

It starts with a plucky young college freshman getting her first apartment (from Dee Wallace stone by the way, the mom from E.T!) and needs some quick cash. Her airheaded but loyal friend is sympathetic, and points her in the direction of the college bulletin board. It’s here that she finds a “babysitter needed” post with just the above message and a phone number. She calls the guy on a pay phone (yea, remember those) and sets things up for that night. Her friend drives her to the house during a much talked about full eclipse of the moon and sits with her while the old stuttering awkward man of the house tells her he got her there under false pretences. His reasoning does add up, and for her troubles he offers her twice the original amount. A tempting bargain, especially since she’s next to broke, and needs a down payment for that brand new apartment. She agrees even though as an audience member you’re screaming “what the hell is wrong with you?” This is where the film starts its spiral down to insanity. The friend leaves, only to end up getting quite possibly the single best scare scene since that chick got hit by the bus in Final Destination. It comes out of left field, and I wont’ spoil it here, suffice to say it puts you on edge which is where you’ll stay for the rest of the film.

The girl that stays soon meets the creepy old mans wife, who comes off as an over eager lesbian which is almost funny, until it makes you uncomfortable. The whole film does this to chilling effect. For example, the father says he’s going to go upstairs to get the misses so they can leave for the evening, and walks up the grand staircase. She eavesdroppes on him speaking to what we assume is his wife about something sinister only for the real wife to slowly emerge from the basement behind her. Who was he talking to? What was she doing in the basement the whole time? And why is she all over the babysitters business? As soon as they leave the sitter does what any of us would do, and go through their stuff. You KNOW you’ve done it. If you’re ever using the bathroom at a party you totally go through their cabinets and such. Well, here she slips on her walkman and rocks out to “moving in stereo” by the cars.

I will not be divulging ANYTHING else as to do so would spoil all the fun. This is the point of the film; it’s suspense from beginning to end. There are a few clues along the way such as an old family photo album that doesn’t quite mesh with the family history lesson she received at the beginning, and then there’s the whereabouts of that pizza delivery guy. But most of the time is spent with her slowly coming to realizations that, had they all been presented at once, would have been enough to send anyone running for the hills. However they are all spread out, and given a very ambiguous angle. You know the old adage if you put a frog in boiling water he’ll simply jump out, but if you put him in cool water, and slowly rise the heat, he’ll sit there and boil to death. After that first scare scene, there really is about an hour or so of this, which may put people off. This is NOT saw or hostel or the Texas chainsaw massacre. It’s the sixth sense, the omen or rosemary’s baby. The devils in the details and your patience will be rewarded. Once again I’m not going to ruin anything at all, but the last 15 to 20 minutes of this sucker is balls to the wall INSAINE! It’s rated R, and for a while I was doubting if that rating was warranted, and then………wow. I say this only to persuade those that don’t have the patience for such films to stick with it. Your patience is most definitely rewarded.

Special mention must be made to the era it takes place in. There is never a date specified. But the opening title’s and the 80’s music and the Farah Fawcett hair and the bulky Sony walkman give off a late 70’s, early 80’s vibe that goes a long way to setting up the foreboding atmosphere. When she’s left alone at the old dark house in the woods, you FEEL alone with her. There are no cell phones or computers. Just you and your thoughts, which is a very dangerous situation.