Monday, January 23, 2012

House (1977)

As most of you may know, my sister is to movies the way I am to books.  She watches four to six movies a week, and travels to the Vancouver Film Festival each year (this year she saw 66 movies in two weeks - OMG).  She has a blog and writes for an online mag.  So when she meanders down from Minneapolis to visit us, I know she is going to bring something...interesting...to watch.


Our first "Kathie movie" was one that was a Japanese film made in 1977 and has been deemed a "masterpiece of le cinema du WTF!?", "Carrie raised to the seventh power", and "Suspiria spiraling ever upward into some psychedelic seventh heaven".  Alrighty then.  


The director Obayashi, aided by his 11 year-old daughter Chigumi, has created something almost indescribable.  A mixture of horror, surrealism, camp, and bizarre goofiness, it is hard to decide whether you should laugh, scream or just be annoyed.  This one is for open minds and eclectic tastes.


At its core, the premise is terrifying.  Seven teenage girls decide to vacation with one girl's spinster aunt who lives in a remote house.  One by one, the girls start disappearing, and it becomes apparent that the aunt (and perhaps the white fluffy pet cat) is in fact a demon spirit.


  
The effects are cheesy, the backdrops obviously fake, but when a possessed piano eats one girl limb by limb, or another girl finds her schoolmate's head in a well, or their favorite handsome teacher is transformed into a man-sized bunch of bananas, you know you ain't in Kansas anymore.






Better yet?  It is on Blu-Ray, and available on Netflix.  Just don't say I didn't warn you.  




15 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Probably not for me, but I bet my son would like it.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Sounds way too weird for me!

Unknown said...

I don't watch Japanese horror films - they are far too scary for me. I once watched about 15 minutes of one and had to turn it off - those first few minutes gave me nightmares for months. You are a braver woman than me!

Kathleen said...

This one sounds too scary for me and I like scary movies. It seems like I am a little less brave as I get older...

Belle Wong said...

I don't know whether I'd laugh my way through this movie or not! I'm almost tempted to look this one up on Netflix. I was thinking, though, that the storyline would make an interesting read.

Ana S. said...

lol, le cinema du WTF? I can't believe I never came across this wonderful genre before :P

Zibilee said...

Oh my. I am not sure what to say about this other than, oh my. I bet I would like it because it sounds like it doesn't take itself seriously at all, and the weirder the better for me when it comes to sitting still for 2 hours to watch a movie. Very interesting review today!

Anonymous said...

That poster is enough for me! I might have nightmares from that alone.

Marie Cloutier said...

OMG. I have just two words for you: Jan. Svankmajer. Start with Little Otik. you can thank me later!

Jenners said...

I just can't get over 66 movies in 2 weeks! Yowza!

And this sounds just too odd for me. I'd love to watch it with the MST3K treatment though. It sounds well suited to them!

Heidenkind said...

lol I must watch this!

Alyce said...

So not watching that one!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Sandy! I love these kind of cheesy, bizarre, creepy movies. I'm definitely going to check it out on Netflix! Too bad MST3K didn't get a hold of this one!

caite said...

did you say cheesy? right up my alley.
loved that poster..

Melody said...

I love watching Japanese horrors; I find many of them creepy and atmospheric!!