The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers:

James Hardiman (novel)
Robert Suhosky (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 May 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

It Never Forgives Or Forgets

Plot:

A young couple moves to a House in Kyoto, Japan. It turns out to be haunted.

Plot Keywords:

House | Haunted | Japan | Possession | Samurai

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Edward Albert	...	Ted Fletcher
Susan George	...	Laura Fletcher
Doug McClure	...	Alex Curtis
Amy Barrett	...	Amy Fletcher
Mako Hattori	...	Otami
Tsuiyuki Sasaki	...	Shigero (as Toshiyuki Sasaki)
Toshiya Maruyama	...	Masanori
Tsuyako Olajima	...	Majyo Witch (as Tsuyako Okajima)
Henry Mitowa	...	Zen Monk
Mayumi Umeda	...	Noriko, the babysitter
Shuren Sakurai	...	Noh Mask Maker
Hiroko Takano	...	Wakako
Shôji Ohara	...	Assistant Mask Maker (as Shoji Ohara)
Jirô Shirai	...	Tadashi (as Jiro Shirai)
Kazuo Yoshida	...	Editor

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #26559) | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | UK:18 | West Germany:18

Company:

Cohen

Movie Connections:

Features "Jyakkâ Dengekitai" (1977)

THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS (Kevin Connor, 1982) **

This could have been interesting – a Japan-set haunted house story from the viewpoint of a newly-installed American family – but falls flat due to an over-simplified treatment and the unsuitability of both cast and director.

The film suffers from the same problem I often encounter with the popular modern renaissance of such native fare, i.e. the fact that the spirits demonstrate themselves to be evil for no real reason other than that they're expected to! Besides, it doesn't deliver much in the scares department – a giant crab attack is merely silly – as, generally, the ghosts inhabit a specific character and cause him or her to act in a totally uncharacteristic way, such as Susan George seducing diplomat/friend-of-the-family Doug McClure and Edward Albert force-feeding his daughter a bowl of soup!

At one point, an old monk turns up at the house to warn Albert of the danger if they remain there – eventually, he's called upon to exorcise the premises. However, history is bound to repeat itself and tragedy is the only outcome of the tense situation duly created – leading to a violent yet unintentionally funny climax in which Albert and McClure, possessed by the spirits of their Japanese predecessors, engage in an impromptu karate duel to the death! At the end of the day, this emerges an innocuous time-waster – tolerable at just 88 minutes but, in no way, essential viewing.