Tagline: HOUSE!
Curiosity: It’s acknowledged as being an insane, weird movie. So, there’s that. And it’s endorsed by noted SNC sex symbol Ti West.
Plot: Unhappy with her father’s decision to remarry, Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) goes with six of her friends to visit her aunt in the country. But then her house starts doing some crazy-ass shit, man.
Thoughts: Oh. Oh… wow. House lives up to its reputation for being a strange flick. It’s not necessarily gory or disturbing. But it is extremely surreal, made with a low tech sensibility that actually makes it stand out. Star Wars needs constant upkeep; House will always look like a feverish dream. In his introduction to the film, West notes that director/co-writer Nobuhiko Obayashi utilizes every possible camera and special effect available. And it’s completely true.
While Obayashi was always an experimental artist at heart, for a while he made his living doing commercials. Weirdly enough, that helped create House’s sensibility, as the film conveys plenty through mood and setting. When Gorgeous’ step-mom-to-be shows up onscreen, her every move is greeted with a soft focus lens, generous lighting, and copious amounts of air to billow her skirt and scarf. She looks like an angelic movie star; no wonder Gorgeous hates her.
The film is unabashedly hyperactive and bipolar. Obayashi’s background allows him to make everything bright and loud. He jumps from comedy to drama to horror in seconds. The result is not necessarily a true horror movie, but it’s an appealing experimental effort, one that forces the audience to draw its own conclusions. It can be frightening if you want it to be, but I honestly took it as a black comedy, a darker Looney Tunes short. You can find it stupid if you want (One character is killed by a piano, another by pillows), but it’s honestly a hilariously creepy viewing experience.
Reflection: I want to see where Obayashi went from here.
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