So currently playing (probably) on your digital cable’s “On Demand” channel is the movie “House of the Devil.” It plays up till the end of the month, when it begins playing in select theaters nationwide. It’s an interesting way to market a movie for sure, putting it on Pay Per View before it’s in the theater.

The movie has a distinct look and feel. It opens with some facts about how in the early 80s, the nation was obsessed with the idea of satanic cults, with something like 30% of people believing they were real and sacrificing people. This movie plays on that hysteria, as well as clearly sets itself in the early 80s.

The movie on this level, setting itself in the 80s, makes it a visual feast for the eyes. You could just watch it and enjoy it on this level. There are no cell phones, pay phones are used, the main character listens to a walkman, even the hair style and coke cups are retro. Yes, there is an 80s soundtrack too! The film has also been given a ting of static feel as well, as if you were watching it in a theater on an old school projector.

The movie is about Samantha, a college student desperately in need for money. She answers a baby sitter wanted ad on her local school bulletin board, which of course leads her to a creepy house way out in the country. She finds out she’s not babysitting a kid per say . . . We’ll stop here with the details, to give more away would spoil the fun.

The story plays out much like an old school horror film, with the first half setting up the terror to come. Now if you want blood and guts, this movie has it, but not in buckets worth. It’s more of a psychological thriller if anything, with some creepy scenes thrown in at the end. Are these people nuts, for real, what’s going on? It’s not till the final moments of the movie you get it, which makes for a great ending (though it has been done before).

Definitely worth a see. It’s 10 bucks on demand, steep for an on demand movie. But it’s not in theaters yet (where most of us would pay 10 bucks for the ticket alone). If you want to wait for DVD to rent, it’s worth a rent for fans of old school 80s horror.