The Roost (2005)

This is exactly why horror movie blogs should exist: I catch wind of a movie called The House of the Devil on The Last Blog on the Left (thanks, Bo), I read a post about Ti West on The Horror Effect (thanks, Becky), I skim some brutally honest reviews on Horror Movie a Day (thanks, BC), and I decide to check out West's work for myself. All the blogs out here work together to do more than just share excitement for horror movies; they spread the word, create awareness, generate curiosity. And no blog is really "better" than the other. In this case, all the different perspectives, ranging from one side of the spectrum to the other, effectively piqued my interest, and I added West's films to my Netflix queue, excited to see how they'd work for me.

I decided to throw out the rating system this time and just bandy some Goods and Bads around:

1. Bad: Yes, there are problems with pacing, especially if you're ADHD.
   
2. Good: No lame big-budget Hollywood gloss (Kodak 16mm motion picture film).
3. Bad: A "car wreck" scene that just might be worse than the "car wreck" in Grace.
4. Good: West has a unique style that I'm thinking the down-time contributes to (...rethinking apply "bad" to #1).
5. Good: West enjoys making movies so much that the excitement reaches the viewer.
6. Neither Good Nor Bad (on the heels of #5): Some viewers are seeing the movie as something they could easily do and thus deriding it. I challenge these naysayers to get out there and give it a shot.
7. Good (on the heels of #6): I have a new appreciation for ultra low-budget indie horror that Paranormal Activity didn't incite.
8. Good (on the heels of #7): There are also those who are getting inspired, and realizing that they can accomplish that movie they've always wanted to make! For this same reason I cannot hate Harry Potter or Twilight books: they are, after all, however shallow they may be, inspiring people to read again!
   
9. Good: I have Trigger Man (2007), Cabin Fever 2 (2009), and The House of the Devil (2009) to look forward to.
10. Great: Ti West's quote on his Facebook fan page!

As you can see, the Goods outweigh the Bads. I can't help but enjoy the product of someone who loves what they do, and it will be exciting for all of us to follow West's career. Looking forward to Trigger Man, next!