#539: ÔBAYASHI, Nobuhiko: House (1977)

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OBAYASHI, Nobuhiko (Japan)
House [1977]
Spine #539
DVD


How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi's indescribable 1977 movie House? As a psychedlic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt's creaky country home and comes face-to-face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions, all realized by Obayashi via mattes, animation, and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House might have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. Never before available on home video in the United States, it's one of the most exciting cult discoveries in years.

88 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Japanese
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2010
Director/Writers


Concept by Chigumi Ôbayashi.
Screenplay by Chiho Katsura.
Nobuhiko Ôbayashi was 39 when he directed House.

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Thirty-page booklet featuring an essay by Chuck Stephens.

Commentary

None.

Constructing a “House”

A video piece featuring interviews with director Ôbayashi, story scenarist and daughter of the director, Chigumi, and screenwriter Katsura.
Emotion

A 1966 experimental film by Ôbayashi.
Video appreciation

By director Ti West (House of the Devil).
Theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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