HOUSE: Japan’s Bizarre Horror Comedy
HOUSE, released in 1977, is an hallucinatory comedy-horror film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Released by Toho with a cast of entirely amateur actors, the film initially received negative reviews despite being a box office success. It has gone on to become a cult favorite for horror fans around the world.
The film follows a schoolgirl and her 6 friends as they spend summer vacation at her aunt’s country home. Immediately after arriving, they begin to experience supernatural events and it’s not long before one girl’s decapitated head is found soaring through the air. From there, the film moves at a rapid pace as each girl is devoured by the house in increasingly graphic and imaginative ways.
The film was originally conceived by Toho to capitalize on the success of Jaws. The studio approached Obayashi to write a script – which he did with the aid of his young daughter. Stating that adults were held back by only considering “things they understand,” he sought inspiration from a child who could “come up with things that can't be explained.”
Obayashi, born in Hiroshima, also incorporated themes from the WW2 atomic bombings. Having lost many friends due to the bombs, he made the antagonistic poltergeist of the film a bitter ghost who had waited for her lover’s return from WW2.
The film sat on hold for 2 years as no director would touch an experimental film they believed would ruin their career. Eventually, Toho agreed to let Obayashi direct it himself. The amateur director ran a chaotic set where filming took place over 2 months with no storyboard. Obayashi oversaw all SFX himself and intentionally ensured that they looked unrealistic and childlike.
While the eccentricity of the film garnered negative reviews from Japanese critics – it gained a cult following amongst Japanese youth. Upon theatrical screenings in the US, it saw even greater success with Western critics praising it as being, “equal parts brilliant, baffling, ridiculous, and unwatchable.”
The film’s artistic merit has only grown with time and it stands as one of the most surrral and boundary-pushing cult horror films ever made.