If you are a fan of Japanese films, there is a good chance that you have heard of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 film, House. House is a very unique and interesting movie and there is a good reason why so many film fans gravitate towards it. House is a movie that almost defies description, but it is probably best described as a surrealist horror film. In this review I will discuss why everybody should watch this movie, and what makes this movie so special.
Story
Story is probably the least important aspect of this film, but I’ll explain the basic premise. This story follows the main character Gorgeous and her six friends (each named after their primary personality trait), as they visit Gorgeous’ aunt in her mansion for their summer vacation. Slowly, the girls begin disappearing one by one, and they quickly realize that the house is haunted. It’s a pretty basic story, but like I said the story is not the main focus of the film. The reason people like this movie is because it is weird. Like, really really weird. The way this movie is filmed, the imagery, the music, and everything else in this movie is unlike anything that I have seen in any other movie.
What I Like
Trying to answer the question of why I love this film so much is not easy. For me this movie is amazing because it is so different from any other movie I’ve ever seen. Everything that happens in this movie is so unexpected and weird that I can’t help but laugh the whole way through. Nothing can possibly prepare you for watching this movie. There’s one scene where a girl gets killed by a swarm of evil mattresses, and another one where a girl gets eaten by an evil piano. When you think of the words “surrealist art film”, it probably sounds like something that would be incredibly boring except for the most pretentious of film snobs. This film is different from other movies in that genre because it’s fun. The film has a sense of humor and a dreamlike wonder throughout the whole runtime that makes it incredibly fun to watch. This is my favorite movie to show to people who have never seen it because of the reactions that it brings out from people. It is an experience that really can’t be had anywhere else. One of the most unique aspects of this film is it’s visuals and editing. This movie makes frequent use of special effects like green screens and animation and has a lot of interesting editing and cinematography. Just describing the visuals of this film won’t do it justice, so here are some images and gifs taken from the movie:
This movie is often described as “trippy” which is a fitting description, but I think it undermines just how imaginative and unique some of the visuals of the film are. Another aspect of the film worth noting is the music. The music is very memorable, with a lot of groovy 70s jams. My only problem with the music (and with the film as a whole) is the main theme. They play the main theme so many times in this movie that by the end of it you will be hearing that piano melody in your nightmares. In a way it kind of adds to the experience, but it might annoy you while watching it. At least there are multiple variations of the theme throughout the film, and the rest of the soundtrack certainly makes up for it.
Final Thoughts
This is a film that I would recommend to everyone. The only people who would advise against watching it are people with epilepsy, because there are a few possibly seizure inducing scenes throughout the movie. I think this movie is worth watching at least once because even if you end up disliking it, the movie is so incredibly memorable and unique, that it is hard to call it a waste of time. If you are not sure you would like this movie, then I would suggest watching it with some friends and making an event out of it. House is just so crazy and fun that it will make for a great time with friends. This film also contains a lot of blood (although it’s all super over the top and cheesy) and some nudity, so just make sure that there are no children around when you watch it. The movie can be rented or bought on amazon prime video, or if you are willing to spend some extra cash, you can buy the Criterion Collection Blu ray release which is beautifully remastered and has tons of interesting extras.