Hausu

This movie is the directing debut for (the great) Nobuhiko Obayashi. He has directed commercials for television before he got into directing movies. This experience helped Obayashi learn many special effects used in TV commercials. It shows in this movie as almost every scene contains some sort of special visual effects.

In the mid '70s Toho studio was looking for fresh ideas for movies that would be a box office success. They've decided to use the then relative unknown Nobuhiko Obayashi to direct a movie with fresh new approach. Many of Toho's experienced staff expressed concerns over this because Obayashi never had experience of being an assistant director. Project manager for this movie then said "Us experienced directors aren't coming up with hit movies, so experience is not the criteria for making a successful movie. Lets allow this young director to make a movie to see if he knows more about what the audience really wants."

The original plot of this movie was written by the then 13 year old daughter of Obayashi himself.

The movie has a strange career as it was rediscovered by an Asian movie affectionado who had connections with Janus films (which is the parent company of the Criterion Collection) after being released in Japan over 30 years ago. It then made limited showings in theaters around the U.S.. Very unusual as not too many film gets a roadshow in another country 30 years after it was made.

Seven girls makes a plan to go on a vacation at one of the girl's aunts house in the country side. They don't suspect that the aunt died long time ago, and what inhabits the house is the apparition of the aunt that can remain young only by devouring the bodies of others.

The movie is a horror comedy with bit of erotic exploitation starring many actors who were teen idols at the time. When it was first released, Miki Jinbo who played the role of Kung Fu gathered the most votes by the young male audiences, as she kicked her way around the house wearing skimpy tank top and shorts.

This movie is very original in almost every way. Visuals are unusual as expressed earlier that Obayashi used many of the special effects he's learned while making TV commercials. Color is also very surreal as is the acting, but the movie has strange charm all its own, and not boring to watch. You can almost say that this is an artistic film that's also geared to entertain the audience.

In the end Toho studio got just what it was hoping to achieve - a box office smash hit. This movie also established the career of Obayashi as a bankable director. Obayashi went on to direct many other successful movies including the original "Girl who leaped through time".

The Summer holidays have arrived, and a young schoolgirl known as Gorgeous can't wait to spend time with her film composer father in their palatial villa. It's always been just the two of them, as her mother died when she was young. However, upon returning from a trip to Italy, her father states his intentions to remarry; and Gorgeous immediately changes her vacation plans. Leaving her father and taking six friends along, Gorgeous travels to her reclusive aunt's decrepit mansion in the countryside. At first, everything seems fine, until signs start showing that the house is haunted and that Gorgeous's aunt may not be the kindly old lady she initially seemed to be.

Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, 'House' is a comedy-horror of the surrealist variety shot with a distinct, original visual style. The images in the film are bizarre and comedic, not to mention rather dark- particularly in the latter half. Making effective use of odd angles and irregular composition, Yoshitaka Sakamoto's cinematography- as well as the overall look of the film- is occasionally reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's early work with 'Monty Python,' or perhaps a comic-book.

The use of color is also very effective, as well as the juxtaposition of the banal with the grotesque. Sakamoto's work under Obayashi's assured direction results in some unforgettable, incredibly strange sequences and shots. The soundtrack- composed by Asei Kobayashi and the band Godiego- is eerily light and breezy, which is made all the more off-putting when put together with the dark images the film contains.

Unpredictable and macabre, Chiho Katsura's screenplay is a trip into the absurd. From the characters' names to the narrative structure, nothing about this film is ordinary or very serious. You're never really sure what'll happen next, nor where the next joke will come from; watching 'House' can be a deeply rewarding, funny experience (if you appreciate the dark and the strange, that is). Abstract, oddly humorous and thoroughly original; the story is anything but what you'd find in your routine haunted house film.

The set design is fantastically rich, with the main location of the aunt's mansion being especially complex and highly detailed. Combined with the striking cinematography and Nobuo Ogawa's frenetic editing, the film quickly establishes an uneasy atmosphere that makes the oddness and intricacy of the sets even more evident. Add to this the oftentimes kaleidoscopic color design and efficacious use of special effects and you've got a particularly off-beat, distinctive and memorable movie.

It's surprising to learn that many of the cast weren't professional actors at the time, as every performance in the film is strong. Miki Jinbo and Kumiko Oba are particularly good, as two of Gorgeous's pals who accompany her on the holiday, named Kung Fu and Fantasy respectively (as one knows martial arts and the other has an active imagination). They are unselfconscious performers who give their roles their all, both impressing with their tenacity and acting depth. Jinbo also gets to show off her fighting skills throughout the film, leaving an indelible impression on the viewer.

The late Yoko Minamida also stands out as the sinister aunt, obviously reveling in the chance to play such a weird, creepy character. Kimiko Ikegami's star turn as Gorgeous must also be mentioned, as she brings an unsettling, subtle intensity to the role that is very interesting to watch. She's sympathetic, as well as being- especially later in the film- rather frightening: a very fine piece of acting overall.

Well-acted, strange as can be and arcanely dark, 'House' is a unique experience at the cinema that is both unforgettable and unfathomable. Full of abstractions, this horror is made with an artistic sensibility as well as a pitch-black sense of humor (that occasionally borders on parody). If you want to watch something different- something outside of the ordinary realm of filmmaking- you can't go wrong with 'House.' It's bloody, unpredictable and a whole lot of fun.

There is a serious erotic component to this that no one seems to want to touch in the user reviews, and most of the actresses were 16 at the time. It's bizarre and entertaining, using lots of war metaphors with themes of innocence and teenage trauma.

Oh my goodness, what at trippy, crazy, cheesy little movie this is. I don't think it has a single scene in it which doesn't have some type of campy, surreal special effect. Early on it seems like part Wes Anderson, part after-school special, part J-pop, part … I don't know, just 'out there', and certainly unique. It gets weirder and weirder as it goes. If you love the bizarre and the downright silly, movies which don't take themselves too seriously and are out to throw wild images at you, you'll probably love this film. Director Nobuhiko Obayashi has a real flair, and he's not out to make things look super-realistic, he's out to entertain. If you're looking for a ghost story, real drama, or horror, well, this isn't it. You never feel real tension, even as the cute little girls are attacked by mattresses, devoured by a piano, etc etc. For me I suppose I fell more in the latter camp, wishing the film had some balance in creating a film about the supernatural, but you can easily see why it has a bit of a cult attraction to it, and your mileage may vary.

In the realm of WTF there are some movies that mess with your mind and make you ask what the hell that was. Movies like Eraserhead, Tetsuo the Bullet Man and The Holy Mountain are brought up as examples of this. But none of them hold a candle to the serious mind screw that is "House" or "Hausu" depending on your preference.

A bunch of schoolgirls head to a creepy house in the countryside owned by an aunt of one of the girls. Each one is named after a skill, ability or character trait. Gorgeous is pretty, Kung Fu likes to fight and Mac likes to eat. And once they get there things get weird.

To try to even describe this movie is a challenge. Things happen. Really weird things happen. It's got a charming 70's vibe to it. The effects, although amateurish by today's standards, are well done for the era. And while the actors do a decent job, it's full of theater acting. The difference is that their actions tend to be a little over the top and not natural. This is of course a hallmark of Japanese cinema where a more stylized take is preferred over something more natural that we expect over here. That's not a bad thing though as it lends an air of other worldliness to what would otherwise be a rather tepid story.

In short, it works. If you're a fan of the bizarre you really ought to take a look at this.