Kaidan semushi otoko

1965
1h 21m

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

259

YOUR RATING

Horror Mystery

A man, Chonin Mitake, dies crazy after long agony, and his dead body is cremated. His widow Yoshi, investigating on the past of her husband, goes to the mansion where he had lived, a buildin... Read allA man, Chonin Mitake, dies crazy after long agony, and his dead body is cremated. His widow Yoshi, investigating on the past of her husband, goes to the mansion where he had lived, a building Leftly nicknamed "Satan's Pit" (a suggestive statue of Satan is situated in the atrium o... Read allA man, Chonin Mitake, dies crazy after long agony, and his dead body is cremated. His widow Yoshi, investigating on the past of her husband, goes to the mansion where he had lived, a building Leftly nicknamed "Satan's Pit" (a suggestive statue of Satan is situated in the atrium of the mansion) managed by a hunchbacked caretaker. Soon some visitors reach the house. the... Read all

Director
- Hajime Satô
Writers
- Franco Dal Cer
- Hajime Takaiwa
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

259

YOUR RATING

Director
- Hajime Satô
Writers
- Franco Dal Cer
- Hajime Takaiwa
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos63

Featured review

7/10

A Euro gothic horror. From Japan.

House of Terrors is Japan's answer to all of those European gothic horrors of the 60s: it takes place in a sprawling mist-shrouded mansion that comes complete with a curse, a hunchbacked housekeeper (Kô Nishimura), and a massive statue of a demon in the hallway!!! When her husband dies after a bout of insanity, pretty widow Yoshie Munakata (Yûko Kusunoki) inherits the old house, unaware that it is haunted by the vengeful spirit of a very miffed baron who has vowed that no-one will leave the place alive.

Director Hajime Satô uses all the tricks in the book, with mysteriously opening and closing doors, wailing voices, and other assorted supernatural occurrences, including a memorable seance in which the medium, a creepy old woman, becomes possessed by Yoshie's dead husband. The script is par for the course, with several disposable characters, a flashback revealing exactly why the baron isn't resting in peace, and an exciting climax in which Yoshie is menaced by the hunchback, who plays host to the baron's murderous spirit.

Well paced, with solid performances, effective black and white cinematography, and a surprisingly downbeat ending, House of Terrors delivers almost everything one would expect from a 60s gothic horror. Except for Barbara Steele.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the bulging door effect.

N. B. I streamed a crisp print of this in its original Japanese language with subtitles, so a decent version is out there.

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