I will watch many movies this year, but I can assure you, none of them will be like what I watched last night. HOUSE (1977) is a Japanese horror film unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. And most likely ever will.
It starts out in familiar, predictable horror film territory. The story centers on seven Japanese school girls, all of whom have a single name that is more an identifier than a proper name. There’s Gorgeous, Fantasy, Kung Fu, Melody, Prof and Mac. The girls travel into the country, their destination, the house where the aunt of Gorgeous lives in solitude. Or does she? Over the course of the film, the aunt’s true nature is revealed and the entire house tries to kill the girls.
Standard haunted house fare, right? Wrong. HOUSE is told in a visual style that is all over the map including those areas not yet discovered by rational man. The colors explode in eye-popping psychedelic hues, the editing is quick, quick, rat-a-tat, the camera work is kinetic, and the range of special effects is impressive for a film of this vintage. There are peppy pop music tunes throughout the film and a piano piece that repeats and repeats and repeats. You’ll find yourself begging to make it stop.
If a frame of reference, a yardstick of comparison exists for HOUSE it’s this. The film reminded me of HEAD (1968) (the rock band The Monkees WTF? masterpiece), David Lynch’s creep show feature film debut ERASERHEAD (1977) and the heavy metal, headache inducing Japanese cult monstrosity TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (1989).
If you’ve seen any or all of those films, that will kinda, sorta perpare you for HOUSE. It truly is like nothing you’ve ever seen. I promise you that. It’s unique, it’s over-the top, it’s a visual assault, it’s psychedelic, it’s hallucinogenic, it’s funny, it’s disturbing, it’s something that will stay with you long after watching.
Oddly enough, I didn’t hate this film. I sure as hell didn’t like it either. But I do appreciate the effort to produce something as outré as HOUSE, a film that checks all of the boxes for a midnight move cult classic. I’ve heard about the film for years and have always wanted to see it and I’m glad I’ve seen it. I won’t watch it again however.
Your mileage may vary. If you want to take a walk on the wild side of experimental 1960s Japanese art films, you should definitely check it out. And if you do, please let me know what you think of it.
Thanks.
Leave a comment