Hausu (1977)

Seven girls on their summer trip pay a visit to a possessed house which plans to eat them in extremely bizzare and surreal ways.

Director:

Nobuhiko Ôbayashi

Writers:

Chiho Katsura (screenplay), Chigumi Ôbayashi (original story)

Stars:

Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ohba

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kimiko Ikegami	...	Angel / Angel's Mother
Miki Jinbo	...	Kunfû
Kumiko Ohba	...	Fanta
Ai Matsubara	...	Gari
Mieko Satô	...	Makku
Eriko Tanaka	...	Merodî
Masayo Miyako	...	Suîto
Kiyohiko Ozaki	...	Keisuke Tôgô
Saho Sasazawa	...	Angel's Father
Asei Kobayashi	...	Farmer Selling Watermelons
Mitsutoshi Ishigami	...	Photographer
Ippei Hara
Tetsuo Kanai
Shôichi Hirose
Yasumasa Ônishi

Storyline

Oshare (Gorgeous) is excited about spending summer vacation with her father, until she finds out that his beautiful, freakishly serene girlfriend Ryouko would be going as well. Oshare decides she will be going to her aunt's house in the country instead. She brings with her her friends from school - Fanta (who likes to take pictures, and daydreams a lot), KunFuu (who has very good reflexes), Gari/Prof (who is a major nerd), Sweet (who likes to clean), Mac (who eats a lot), and Melody (a musician). However, the girls are unaware that Oshare's aunt is actually dead and the house is actually haunted. When they arrive at the house, crazy events take place and the girls disappear one by one while slowly discovering the secret behind all the madness.

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Plot Keywords:

house | aunt | well | avant garde | blood splatter | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

18A

Details

Official Sites:

Janus Films [United States] Rapid Eye Movies (REM) [Germany]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

30 July 1977 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Dom

Company Credits

Production Co:

PSC, Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Suîto: You're so cool, Kung Fu.
Kunfû: I'm sorry, Sweet.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

User Reviews

Eye-popping madness from a Japanese maverick

A weird and vibrant haunted house flick unlike anything else you'll ever see. HOUSE is revered by some as a classic of kitsch Japanese cinema; it's so outlandish, so bizarre that it avoids all attempts at pigeonholing and ends up in a genre all of its own. I guess you could call that genre "anything goes".

HOUSE resembles THE EVIL DEAD, not in look or style, but in the pure level of inventiveness on display. It's a film that's full of imagination and energy despite the often languid pacing, and the story of a group of schoolgirls visiting a crumbling mansion in the deep countryside is only the start of it. In one of the film's bizarrest highlights, a guy is transformed into a pile of bananas. It's that kind of film.

The real star is director Nobuhiko Ohbayashi, who delivers the kind of drug-crazed madness that fans of cult cinema can only dream of. Once the hauntings begin, they don't let up, and Ohbayashi delivers a non-stop roller-coaster of crude, low budget and silly special effects. There are disembodied heads, evil animated cat spirits, a carnivorous piano and much more besides. The cartoonish action on-screen is accompanied by a sublime music score, of which the central theme is the type to get in your head and stay put. I won't say anymore about the film, for fear of spoiling the effect, but if you're a fan of outré cinema then you simply have to see it.