Driving by her deep need for money, Samantha Hughes, a young smart college student, who searches for a job to save the money needed to move into a new apartment, but when she takes on the job as a babysitter, her life flips around, as she reveals the horrible secret of the family she works for.
The House of the Devil isn't just a movie: it's an experience. It joins the league of Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen as one of the most diabolical entries in the modern horror library.
The film may provide an introduction for some audience members to the Hitchcockian definition of suspense: It's the anticipation, not the happening, that's the fun.
There's a payoff in The House of the Devil, if you have the patience. Some of the scenes seem draggy, but the characters are complex, and their motivations are explained.