#TBD (let’s hope!): House (Hausu)
1977, 87 minutes, Color, 1.37:1
Language: Japanese w/ English subtitles
Directed by Nobuhiku Obayashi
[A note on spoilers: None—spoiler free. It would be almost impossible to include a spoiler for this crazy cinematic concoction.]
[Note on the essay: At the rate I’m going, straying from the Criterion path as I have been of late, this adventure seems ever more quixotic. For this movie, however, I don’t think of it so much as a detour, but as a premonition of a future Criterion spine number.]
I simply cannot remember the last time I got such a kick from going to the movies. You know a film is good when the audience applauds it afterwards. Now, a film must really be something else when the audience claps at the beginning! House really, truly, hands down, without a doubt, is absolutely something else.
It was late January when I first learned of this freaky flick during a trailer before another freaky flick I caught at the Siskel, Lars von Trier’s Antichrist. And though I used the same term in reference to both films, they were both freaky in ways that are worlds apart from one another. Antichrist was a good. You’ll find those who strongly disagree, but I liked it. But, House, now that was a real treat!
The seed to see House was firmly planted by that trailer, and it took root when I read the following synopsis online:
Since first being unleashed on unsuspecting American cinephiles last summer, this 1977 Japanese haunted-house movie has erupted into a cult phenomenon whose utterly uncategorizable mixture of Grand Guignol, kiddie TV, psychedelia, and softcore nymphetphilia has had critics grasping for comparisons (a few examples: "An episode of Scooby Doo as directed by Dario Argento" "RINGU on a Pixy Stix-fueled hug-a-thon" "Sid and Marty Krofft meet Salvador Dalí"). Pouting over her widowed dad's new fiancée, teen princess Gorgeous takes her pals Melody, Prof, Kung Fu, Mac, Sweet, and Fantasy for a getaway at her aunt's gothic mansion, but both aunt and mansion have a voracious appetite for nubile girls. In his first feature, former experimental-film and TV-commercial director Obayashi uses blatant artifice, startling transitions, postmodern japes, and a pre-digital arsenal of goofy-gory f/x to concoct a film that is unsettling, enchanting, inventive, and relentlessly astonishing.
The deal was cemented. I noted the dates and marked the calendar to be sure not to miss it.
A weeklong run at the Gene Siskel Film Center, one of my favorite haunts, with more than a dozen showings provided plenty of opportunity to check it out. Eager as I was to see it, my amazing powers of procrastination gave me the ability to put it off until the very last showing. It was such a thrill that I have no doubt had I seen it earlier I would have surely gone again. And again. So, I suppose it may be a good thing I went later rather than sooner, otherwise the rent check may have turned to rubber. Difficult as it may be, gotta keep those priorities straight, right?
Words can't adequately describe House. If I were to try, I would only stumble over hyperbolic adjectives modified with hyperbolic adverbs. I’ve heard other comparisons, similar to those in the synopsis above, but there just ain’t nothin’ no one can say gonna make you understand. You just gotta see it to believe it. The best I can do is just try to describe the experience.
Anyone out there remember Crazy People with Dudley Moore? The one where he’s an ad man? Yeah, you know, the one where he buckles under the pressure and goes a bit flaky, tending too much towards truth in advertising? Don’t worry if you don’t, few probably do. In spite of it’s 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I liked it (shocker, that, I know), but mostly because it came out in the midst of my college career and, majoring in advertising (really!), I found the movie more substantive than going to class. Aaaanyway, House made me think of Crazy People—well, I suppose just one scene in particular. One of Moore’s cut-to-the-chase ads came to his boss’s attention, played by J.T. Walsh at his apoplectic finest, who had this to say, “’Paramount Pictures presents The Freak. This movie won’t just scare you, it will fuck you up for life.’ I want to know how the fuck the word ‘fuck’ gets in the New York fucking Times!” That ad, with some leeway on the definition of “scary” could suffice for House. Ah, but I don’t think even the RedEye would print something like that, let alone the Sun-Times.
One thing is certain, seeing this film while under the influence of psychedelic drugs does indeed have the distinct possibility—probability, more accurately—of fucking you up for life. You may, if you’re lucky, come out of it relatively unscathed if it was only a couple of bong hits. But, dropping acid? Not a chance. No one would survive that. That’s not to say that this film couldn’t be made while on acid. I would have to imagine, however, that it’s the only way this film could have been made. Doubtless, I’m not the first to voice such a suspicion. It’s not to accuse the director, Nobuhiko Obayashi, of being an acid freak, I wouldn’t know, but I didn’t see Timothy Leary listed as an advisor in the credits. Whether Obayashi’s synapses were chemically polluted or not, I can envision him making this movie with gleeful abandon, his head bobbing back and forth in a metronomic manner to the beat of a catchy sing-songey tune, much like the “Shoes Maker” does in the film. I have seen nothing else of Obayashi’s work, but I intend to check out some of his stuff that I found at an intriguing website called UbuWeb, which will also require further investigation, soon.
Based on the trailer and synopsis, I fully expected enough cheese to make Kraft jealous, enough corn to require a plunger the next day (it’s a poo joke—you know how corn works!), and enough camp to make me think I was in the Boy Scouts again. I got what I went to see. And it was cheesy, corny, and campy in a wonderfully magical way! (See? Tripping over adjectives and adverbs is inevitable.)
Walking to the film center, I wondered what the crowd might be like. Being a bit of an obscure movie, and since it had already been playing for a week, I thought there might not be many people there to see it. If so, it wouldn’t be the first time I was one of only a handful of people in the audience. Sometimes it’s nice to feel you have the whole place to yourself. Then again, there are times when the more the merrier. There was no line at the box office window so I thought maybe my hunch wasn’t too far off the mark. There was a bit more of a buzz in the lobby than usual though. Maybe there was another movie starting, or one had just let out, I figured. Once into the crowd, I sensed a discernable vibe. People were talking, and it was about House. It was a good vibe, and I could tell it was going to be a good crowd to be a part of.
The usher directed me to the larger of the two theaters, which seats almost two hundred people. I was quite surprised to see it almost full. Flying solo as I was, I managed a prime seat even though I was a bit of a latecomer to the party. After all the stragglers wandered in, there were only a handful of seats empty, so it was pushing full capacity. It was certainly the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen there.
Sometimes a large crowd in a movie theater is not all that great. The munching and crunching, the whispering, the rustling of candy wrappers, harsh bumps to the back of the seat, can be too distracting to fully enjoy the show. But, when it’s something fun and the crowd is into it, the movie can be that much better for it.
The crowd was full of positive energy. There have been few times I’ve experienced such an atmosphere of anticipation before a movie such as this. Once would be a time in college when I ventured to the largest theater in town for a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I figured it was a rite of passage mandating I go at least once. Now, the sense of anticipation before the shows was similar, minus the dude passed out in his own vomit in the bathroom, but that’s where the similarity ended. Well, other than a cameo of a large pair of floating lips in House, leading me to believe that though few Americans have been exposed to House, that the Japanese, or at least Obayashi, have been exposed to Rocky Horror. At least I hope so, otherwise that’s just a one hell of an amazing coincidence. But, for comparisons, Rocky Horror pales next to House.
The audience was giddy with excitement when the lights went down and the curtains drew open. The fun began instantly—with the previews, even. One in particular that sucked us all in was lovely, mesmerizing, and cinematic: Music; soothing, hypnotic guitar chords. Spellbinding images; the desert, fog-shrouded rivers, lonely road into infinity, city lights, misty mountains. Entrancing people; People alone. People together. Young and old; lovers, artists, athletes, searchers, seekers. The emotions evoked; peaceful, forlorn, content, longing, hoping. The message; People on a journey. A life journey. A process. Discovery. Self-discovery. The question; “Does the person create the journey…” Oh yes, we were enrapt, we were in awe. “Or does the journey create the person?” What we’re seeing is profound; it will be enlightenment. “The journey is life itself.” Oh yes! We held our collective breath, waiting as one for the revelation of the movie masterpiece this looked to be. And then busted out laughing. Louis fucking Vuitton! Not a preview; a commercial!
And from there the laughter just kept rolling. The audience couldn’t contain its excitement. We chuckled when the bright letters announced “A… MOVIE,” clapped when the title hit the screen, and laughed when the animated “O” in “HOUSE” foreshadowed some of the fun that was in store for us. Immediately, almost every image, every cut, every visual effect, every flourish, every change of scene, every line of dialogue, elicited a chuckle or laugh.
I managed to fall in love with the characters. This film isn’t even an hour and a half long, but all seven of the girls, like the seven dwarves, have distinct personalities, as well as names to match, that make them memorable. Gorgeous is quite the princess, a little spoiled, but loved by everyone, who unwittingly leads her friend to The House. Melody can tickle the ivories with the best of them, though the ivories don’t quite tickle back. Prof is the brain wearing scholarly glasses and trying to deduce a solution to their predicament. Kung Fu has some moves that would make Bruce Lee envious (and she’d kick Chuck Norris’s ass in the blink of a cat’s eye!) to protect them from what they can’t be protected from. Mac has an insatiable appetite, but plump as she is, she may be the one to satiate other appetites. Sweet would do anything for anyone. And Fantasy is always dreaming that her Prince Charming will come riding to the rescue. The girls are adorable, and a big part of what gives this film its charm.
I have to believe that a majority of cult films aren’t made with the intent of being such. They just happen. And, that most of those that do set out with it as a goal tend to fail miserably and end up farcical at best. House, if it isn’t already, is certain to be a cult classic. Whether it was Obayashi’s goal or not to make a cult movie, he had to at least be aware he was making pulp, even having the characters reference that if they were in a horror movie, it was outdated. Oh, there were so many things that could have made this film unbearable, but made it delightful instead.
Looking back on it, I don’t know what I would think of this movie had I been alone when I watched it. The audience, I think, is what really brought it to life in such a wonderful way. I’m so glad I got to see it on the silver screen with a good group of people. It still has quite a few showings around the U.S. and Canada, and I would suggest that if it comes within a hundred miles of you to not hesitate checking it out. Hell, maybe even two hundred miles. It at all possible, at least try to take it in with a crowd to most fully appreciate the campy humor. It’s ripe for group fun.
Writing about the movie does make me wish that I could have seen it again before it blew outta town. It made a single appearance in Evanston after it was done at the Siskel, but sadly I wasn’t able to make it. As enthusiastic as the audience was downtown, I can only imagine what it would have been like on a college campus.
I see it’s a Janus film, and not only hope, but expect Criterion Collection to be issuing this freaky filmic funhouse some time in the not-to-distant future. Also, hoping like hell it sees the light of day as Blu-ray. If so, I see myself going to the point of harvesting my own organs to bring that technology to my home theater, humble as it is. Once this funky freak fest hits the market on DVD, it will be sure to earn its cult status bona fides in short order, that is if it hasn’t already. Though I think it’s prime for group viewings, I will dig the hell out of it on the home screen too. And, if Criterion does put this Japanese gem out, I’m expecting a shit-ton of special features, such as some samples of experimental films and television commercials I’ve heard Obayashi to be famous for before producing this anomaly.
I must give a big warning, however. This is NOT a first date movie, unless you’ve found that perfect someone who you are absolutely certain shares your eccentric cinematic tastes. It may not be quite a Travis Bickle movie-date faux pas, but it might make a second date a little more challenging—and you certainly won’t be allowed to choose the movie!
I spent a few moments surfing around the Internets looking for news on a (Criterion!) DVD/Blu-ray release of Hausu. All I could find was a tweet from Janus Films saying there will be a DVD, but only after the theatrical tour of the movie is over. I did also find an interesting site called Asian-Horror-Movies that has House (of Internet quality, mind you), in two parts. The subtitles are vastly different from what I saw on the silver screen the other night. They seemed more humorous in the theatrical version. It will be interesting to see what is done for subtitles if it does make it onto DVD. In the theatrical version, the main character was referred to as Gorgeous and the cat as Blanch, but online they were called Oshare and Snowflake, just as a couple examples. I also saw somewhere else that referred to Gorgeous/Oshare as Angel. Maybe it will get something like Criterion’s Throne of Blood, where there are two subtitle translations. That would be cool. (My imagination keeps making the DVD, should it ever come, bigger and better by the minute. Let’s hope they deliver!)
Yes, I had a great experience with House. I hope it’s not my last, for the fun of it, but also because I’m certain there is so much I missed due to sensory overload. The Gene Siskel Film Center has a holiday tradition of showing Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Antonio Gaudí every year. I think it would be nothing less than awesome if they were to make House an annual tradition too. I may have to see if there’s a suggestion box the next time I’m there.
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