The House of the Devil - Dir. by Ti West (2009) and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - Dir. by Jonathan Levine (2006)

With some quick online investigation, I've learned that while Jonathan Levine's All the Boys Love Mandy Lane received a theatrical release in the UK roughly two years ago, an American release has not been scheduled. It seems certain the few horror fans that once held their breath for this film are no longer doing so--and the real hardcore folks out there have already figured a way to view a copy of this movie. Mandy Lane was finished in 2006, played a number of festivals, horror and otherwise, was set for release by the Weinstein Company, and was subsequently sold, after the Weinsteins saw their horror-fest Grindhouse take a beating at the box office. The company it was sold to either couldn't, or wouldn't, give it a proper release, and now it is available overseas on DVD but still hasn't made its way to its country of origin.

And that's too bad, because, while not exactly a great film, Mandy Lane is intriguing and very stylish, with a strong early 80's vibe. It shares that retro style with the other film I'd like to talk about here, The House of the Devil. This film, a true "auteur project" by filmmaker Ti West (writer, director, editor), is very obviously inspired by the haunted house and satanic shock films of the 70's and 80's. Such an effort went into making the film appear older than it is (2009), that 16mm film was employed, the setting is 1983, and attention to detail in this regard is very high. Devil fared a bit better than Mandy Lane, receiving a limited theatrical release in the States, as well as being available through video-on-demand (this, incidentally, is how I came to view the film, which was made available for rent via the XBox). It received a DVD/Blu-Ray release this past month.

Neither of these films are spoofs of their subjects, and there is no winking at the audience. Actually, I don't think there's a single laugh between the two movies. They each take their subject matter seriously, and, particularly in the case of Devil, seem to be made in their respective styles for no reason other than the tastes of the directors. I appreciate the long shots in these films, the fact that the filmmakers are confident in their actors and their story, so that they don't feel the need to cut every two seconds and distract the viewer with fancy camera moves, like so many horror films do these days.



Amber Heard is someone to look out for here. Her character, Mandy Lane, is quiet, often passing scenes with little or no dialogue, and yet she's endlessly intriguing. I had ideas where the story was headed, but could never be sure of either her motives or the direction of the story. Likewise with House of the Devil, which one could safely place next to Rosemary's Baby and The Tenant on the horror shelf.

I haven't seen any of Ti West's other films, though his resume looks promising, and I'm happy to see that he's the director, writer, and editor on most of his projects. Although I couldn't help but cringe when I saw his name listed under the direct-to-DVD sequel to Cabin Fever. But never mind that--further investigation reveals that West hated that project and even attempted to have his name withdrawn from the credits. Good for him. This guy seems smart. I don't know how he got involved with a Cabin Fever 2, but I'm confidant he's still got more good movies to make.

Jonathan Levine directed the enjoyable pot-themed comedy-drama The Wackness a couple years ago, and has two more coming up this year.





Check out this Ti West interview.

Here's another interview with Mandy Lane writer Jacob Forman.