The much talked about horror flick The House of the Devil hit DVD, Blu-Ray, and VHS – yes, VHS – this week (February 2nd to be precise). Young director Ti West's latest feature tackles the subject of the satanic panic of the early 1980's. In the picture, a college student named Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is hard up for some cash to make a down payment on an apartment she likes so she takes a babysitting job at a mansion-like Victorian house in the middle of nowhere on the night of a lunar eclipse. The supposed owner of the home, Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) is quite bizarre and eventually reveals the truth to Samantha that he does not have children, but rather needs someone to watch Mother. Obviously, something is awry, but rather than ruin the film for prospective viewers I'll leave the synopsis very brief – I myself went into watching this knowing very little about the actual plot and this approach certainly paid off.

The House of the Devil was not what I expected. The film is an exercise in suspense, taking ample time to appropriately build up tension rather than just settling for a quick-cut gore shot. The mood is set so well it is downright scary – had I not known this film was made recently I would have thought it was shot in the mid 80's. It looks like a film from that era, it feels like a film from that era, it could literally have been lost and recently uncovered from a vault somewhere as far as I'm concerned – it rings that authentic. The tension escalates and crescendos at the film's finale in classic exploitation fashion and kudos have to be given to West for pulling this off. There are definitely a couple of plot developments that will shock the viewer and are only accentuated by the deliberate pacing the director executes.

Not really a surprise to any horrorhound, Tom Noonan steals the show once he comes on screen. His eerie charisma has the dual charm of both captivating and creeping out an audience, and he certainly shines with his role in The House of the Devil. Combining this with the girl-next-door vibe that actress Jocelin Donahue exudes so authentically as the film's female lead and you've got a simple, yet very tasty recipe for success.

As for releases, The House of the Devil is in stores now and available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Both come pretty well stacked with features including two commentaries, a couple featurettes, deleted scenes, and a trailer - far better treatment than most new, independent horror films receive. The film was shot in 16mm, so the transfer has a rougher vibe to it, however everything is still clear. Obviously BD is the way to go here, although for a film like The House of the Devil it almost doesn't matter how you watch it since a more dated look would likely benefit the film and just add to the nostalgia factor. Speaking of nostalgia, Amazon.com has an exclusive big-box VHS of the film available for order in a bundle with the DVD. Collectors will certainly want to jump on this one – the box is awesome and even has the Gorgon logo. Like the film itself, the VHS appears as though it was just uncovered from a video store shelf circa 1984.

The House of the Devil is not a mainstream horror flick – but it is absolutely an excellent exploitation film – one of the finest I've seen in some time. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who like it they will be hooked like me. After viewing the film the first time, I found myself turning on the lights as I walked through my house and looking at things out of the corner of my eye – what was this feeling? I remember it from being a kid….oh yes, that's it! I was scared! From the eerie suspense, to the shocking ending - not to mention one of the best head explosions of the last 20 years – The House of the Devil delivered the goods. It has been a long, long time since I watched something that scared me and took me back to that feeling I had as a kid – but The House of the Devil did and I can't recommend it enough.