House (Hausu) Blu Ray Review
House (Hausu)
Directed by: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Written by: Chiho Katsura
Starring: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Oba, Ai Matsubara
Just in time for Halloween, the Criterion Collection has released director Nobuhiko Obayashi’s creepy, cartoony and absurdly hilarious feature film debut House (Hausu) on DVD and Blu Ray. The film is a smorgasbord of in-camera tricks and techniques that celebrate all of the best elements of genre filmmaking while creating a completely unusual and unique cinematic experience.
The synopsis on the back of the House blu ray couldn’t be more appropriate, describing the film as Scooby Doo through the lens of Mario Bava. It’s certainly a colourful experience that probably owes some of its imagery and effects to Italian genre films. To put it into a modern perspective, the film’s aesthetics could be described as a Michel Gondry take on J-Horror. Oddly enough, Hausu was apparently Japan’s direct response to the success of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, swapping out a man eating shark for a girl eating house! The story is pretty simple; a group of seven girls (a nod to Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai) with unusual names — Melody, Mac, Kung Fu, Fantasy, Prof, Sweetie, Angel — spend their school vacation visiting an ailing aunt in an unusual, creepy house. This leads to each girl being dispatched in progressively more creative and goofy ways, utilizing every possible filmmaking technique in the book: cell animation, stop motion animation, blue screen video effects, and physical make up effects. It all adds up to an indescribable cinematic experience that pushes forward with an infectious energy and a child-like perspective — this due to the fact that Obayashi’s ten year old daughter helped her father come up with some of the concepts, ultimately receiving a credit in the film.
My first thought after finishing House was that Sam Raimi must have been directly influenced by Obayashi’s frenetic mix of humour and horror with his Evil Dead films. They share many similarities, the least of which being the unusual use of camera techniques and special effects. There’s also a great simplicity to the story, painting its characters with broad, cliched strokes. They’re simply pawns used to drive a plot that’s completely dependent upon visual gags and set pieces. It’s actually quite reminiscent of another great genre film that has been given the Criterion treatment; The Equinox. In that film, a young Denis Muren tells a very basic tale of a group of teens that come across an ancient book that unleashes a dark secret (again, similar to Raimi’s Evil Dead). In that film, Muren uses forced perspective photography, stop motion animation, make up effects and a series of other in-camera tricks to create a goofy, low budget adventure that thrives due to a heavy sense passion and creativity. Similarly, House exudes that same creative spirit, allowing the audience a rare look at a brand of pure, unhinged cinematic artistry that might normally be undermined by a fear of going too far. Luckily, Toho Studios let House loose in all of it’s goofy glory, creating a cult sensation that you will definitely want to share with friends.
Criterion’s blu ray release of House is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, capturing the vibrant colours and special effects in a faithful, film like transfer. While some might question the benefits of a film like this getting the high definition treatment (by Criterion no less), I think a movie that indulges in so many cinematic techniques deserves a high quality presentation. Unfortunately, the bonus features on this release aren’t as numerous as I’d have imagined they would be. First off is a video interview with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, his daughter Chigumi Obayashi and screenwriter Chiho Katsura. Secondly, there’s Obayashi’s short experimental film Emotion, which gives us an early glimpse at his unusual brand of filmmaking. Finally, Ti West (House of the Devil) shares his thoughts on House. Either way, it’s great just to see a film like this receive a release that’s so attentive to it’s presentation. A true gem that makes me wish Criterion would open its arms to more genre films within its collection.
SCORE: 
Recommended If You Like: The Evil Dead, Scooby Doo, Ju-on
