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Title of this post a bit too much? Is that an overly dramatic way for me to make my entrance as a new member of Row Three? I suppose the statement is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s pretty much how I felt after recently watching Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 jaw-dropping House (Japanese title “Hausu”).
After being at the helm of numerous short experimental films and several TV commercials (including ones that starred Charles Bronson and Kirk Douglas), Obayashi kicked off his feature film career with this surreal-comedy-horror movie (he’s since made ~40 other films). The “story” revolves around the summer visit of 7 young school girls to the old mansion that belongs to the aunt of one of them. One by one the girls meet their doom at the hands of ghostly presences. That’s all the plot you need to know. The rest of the movie is filled with candy coloured scenes using just about every film device you can bring to mind - irises, quick edits, painted backdrops, animation, sound effects, etc. All of this is used to link scenes, give characters focus and move the underlying story ahead. It’s absolutely overkill, but it works by using these shorthands to get across ideas as well as creating some fantastical images. You won’t soon forget the sparkling kitty eyes, the piano death scene, the killer lampshade or the lopped off head chomping down on another girl’s behind. You can’t actually take your eyes off the screen for a single second for fear you will miss something. I tried eating dinner while watching this and spilled half of it on the floor.
Don’t trust me? Take a look at the screencaps (until I get my own copy of the DVD – thanks Google Image Search!) and trailer below. There’s also news that Criterion is releasing this next year.
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I can’t possibly do it justice. I know I risk building it up to impossible-to-reach expectations, but it really is gloriously insane and simply a brilliant piece of art. It looks like the good people at Criterion think so too. Janus films apparently has the rights and according to some reports out of Fantastic Fest, Criterion is planning on releasing this in the new year. I can’t wait. Not just to see it again (in a hopefully pristine transfer), but also because more people will be able to experience it. I just hope they have an option to use the creatively translated subtitles I saw…
Here’s the trailer to give you a vague semblance of what the experience is like. Just multiply it by 100. Really, I swear. I’m not exaggerating.
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First off, Welcome aboard Bob!
Secondly, those screen caps are awesome, and I wonder if they are part of the inspiration for the tone of both of Katsuhito Ishii’s films (A Taste of Tea, Funky Forest), because I’m getting a big vibe, even if this film is a totally different ‘genre.’ than Ishii’s work.
Man, those stills look amazing – in the craziest, most Are You Afraid of the Dark?-meets-David Lynch way possible.
Netflix has to get its act together and pick this up!
Thanks Kurt…Yeah, if I had been more on the ball, I would have mentioned your exact point about the obvious influence on Funky Forest, Taste Of Tea, Survive Style 5+, etc. I’ll dig around and see if I can find any interviews from Ishii, Sekiguchi, etc.
Mike, I don’t believe there is currently a Region 1 version of this available…But hopefully a Criterion release happens sooner rather than later.
I find it interesting when Criterion goes for straight up genre wackiness (Equinox or even Haxan for instance). Should get a lot of folks who would otherwise pass on this type of film to pay attention…
Bob, I fully agree it is possibly one of the best films ever. For something that was at the time so visually groundbreaking and so inspirational to numerous other filmmakers, its a surprise its been hidden away for so long. I’ve tried my best to describe it to people, but as you said, words can’t do it justice. I just mutter incoherently. I still can’t wrap my head around the insanity.
Good call. Ishii MUST have seen Hausu 5 times.
At Fantastic Fest Hausu was described as “not scripted by humans”, to which was added, “it’s so awesome that you probably won’t survive a single viewing–sorry!” And after THAT buildup we all still sat in rapt attention, alternately slack-jawed and howling with laughter at what we saw. It’s as if the director came from an alternate universe where movies don’t exist, so someone explained the general idea to him and he made this. Most of our beverages went unsipped, because the movie is built to inspire spit-takes. It’s beyond belief.
You can get a craptastic home-burned DVD here: http://www.lostsilver.com/movies/H/House.html
But honestly it’s worth the wait for a better quality disc, I think. It’s on the fest/arthouse circuit now, and I can’t recommend seeing it with a crowd enough. Complete strangers were high-fiving and talking for hours afterward.
There is a print of this playing in Minneapolis this weekend.
Courtesy of Janus Films’ website, here’s where you can see “House”:
http://www.janusfilms.com/house/dates.html
Thanks Eric, I was about to post that same link…And skip the craptastic version – you’ll just end up buying the proper version anyway.
Andrew, if this is playing in Minneapolis this weekend, get your butt in one of the seats for it. Report back here.
Matt, glad to see another fan. And you’re right – this movie isn’t just ahead of its time…it’s from a totally different time, place and planet. I can only imagine being a young filmmaker seeing this for the first time back in the 70s. I’ve got to see if I can dig up any interviews talking about the influence it had.
A great review from Dennis Cozzalio…
Look like it might be hitting Criterion’s shelves on September 7th!
Very last sentence:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/movies/homevideo/02stag.html
I would love to see the extras on this DVD but quite frankly, once was enough for me. Talk about batshit crazy. That last sentence is pretty bang on Andrew.
I would buy and watch it again. And show it to everyone I could con into it…it would really be a great film just to have on hand for those late nights when you and some friends get home and don’t feel like sleeping yet. “Hey, wanna see a crazy movie? I got one right here…”
Ugh. Not sure the problem, but the screen shots and trailer above give the film way more credit than it actually deserves. I found this movie to be incredibly boring. It wasn’t as wacky as I had expected considering the films I’ve seen that were possibly influenced by this. Maybe I just had a higher set of expectations. The mood was not even slightly creepy (maybe not the point) but it wasn’t all that comedic either. I just found it fairly flatline and honestly just annoying through most of the run time.
As usual I’m with Marina here. It had a couple moments but once is enough. I came really close to buying it last night at the B&N sale before watching it on my Netflix disc. I’m so glad I didn’t!
Just listening the CriterionCast episode for this movie and they all really liked it (as people seem to here as well). But I must just have a different sensibility to what I find funny and/or creepy than these folks. The decapitated head biting the girl in the ass is funny? Or even all that edgy or what? I just didn’t get the fascination with it.
I love Funky Forest and Jodorowski’s stuff, but this was just banal horror/humor that I could see people who aren’t used to this kind of fair really getting into and thinking odd. It’s the kind of movie that would play well in the background at a bar or party and have people laughing and pointing and wondering “what is this!?” But if they watched the actual movie would be pretty bored. Unlike something like Holy Mountain or Saragossa Manuscript which are just pretty awesome through and through.
The DVD will prove interesting, as it will likely be the first time that HAUSU will be watched not in a group setting. This type of film plays better in a group (no matter what Andrew’s assertion that films are independent of the setting they are shown in (beyond base levels of no annoying assholes and a clear picture, etc.)
“no matter what Andrew’s assertion that films are independent of the setting they are shown in”
I never said this. Do you purposely not listen to me when I am speaking? I must have said “outside of comedies and midnight madness type films” about ten times during that podcast. Immediately after you said something like, “what about something like [comedy title here]” to which I had to repeat for about the fifth time “besides mmadness and comedy screenings.” I was talking about THE SOCIAL NETWORK and LET ME IN. And with those films, I couldn’t care less about the people around me. YES – with something like Funky Forest or Hausu, an audience experience is a must.
Yeah, I can’t really imagine seeing this outside of a group. I’m planning to buy it, but I probably won’t watch it until I have a bunch of (preferably drunk) people over.
You’re killin’ me Andrew…
OK, I guess I understand your points to a certain extent…Seeing it with a crowd certainly helps and there are a few slower portions to the film. But my goodness, there is so much to appreciate here – not just because of the fact that he throws every technique in the book at the screen, but because of HOW he does it. Also, this isn’t a comedy or a horror film. You aren’t supposed to laugh at any jokes nor be scared. The laughter most of us have described is at the sheer creativity of Obayashi’s usage of style to tell his story.
Maybe I hyped it a wee bit too much…B-)
Hmmm. OK. I did seem to have missed that completely. But I’ll echo Bobs sentiments, there is such a crazy creative energy on the go in this film, it is infectious.