Magnet to release acclaimed indie horror House of the Devil

Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that it has acquired U.S. release rights to Ti West’s critically acclaimed horror film The House of the Devil. A homage to 1980s horror masterpieces, the film premiered at Tribeca earlier this year and is expected to be an instant classic among genre fans, building a mood of mounting dread to a shocking climax. Director West, who was recently tapped by Hollywood to direct a high profile sequel, The Haunting In Georgia, has been regarded as something of a horror wunderkind since 2005’s The Roost, and many believe The House of the Devil unquestionably fulfills that promise.

Magnet will release The House of the Devil as part of the Magnolia/Magnet Ultra VOD program, which will offer home viewers a chance to see the film a month before it debuts theatrically. Magnet plans to launch the film on VOD late September 2009, with a theatrical release at Halloween.

The House of the Devil stars Jocelin Donahue stars as college student Samantha Hughes, who takes a babysitting job in a remote mansion with her good friend Megan (Greta Gerwig). She’s desperate for money and the pay is good, but something feels wrong, and Samantha quickly realizes that the girls are trapped. As a lunar eclipse darkens the night sky, she realizes that her employers—cult favorites Tom Noonan (Manhunter) and Mary Woronov (Rock and Roll High School)—have something truly terrifying in store for them.

The House of the Devil was produced by Roger Kass, Josh Braun, Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok with Executive Producers Malik B Ali, Badie Ali, Hamza Ali and Greg Newman. Ti West wrote, directed and edited the film.

Check out the trailer for The House of the Devil below.