House (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

A group of friends go on a summer vacation to one girl's aunt's house, only to find themselves the targets of a haunting. And somehow that description still doesn't do this film justice.The visuals are insane and surreal, like someone made a feature film with the bizarre visuals and logic of the craziest Japanese commercials you've ever seen.Words can't quite describe it, especially since I don't want to spoil anything. Just be aware that this is a cult classic for a reason, and enjoy the craziest trip you'll ever experience from just watching a movie.

House (1977) is a comedy horror film from Japan that at first sight looks and ultimately feels like an after-school special from U.S. television. With a mixture of upbeat music and soft (almost hypnotic) piano as its main theme, House had me laughing as well as feeling sentimental, especially toward the end of the film (I won’t include spoilers). In the beginning of the film, Gorgeous (the main character) is upset, but with a ‘wink’ of the eye lets us know that this film doesn’t take itself seriously. However, there’s an evolutionary aspect of the film. Just as you’re about to write it off as silly and over the top, it has a worthy plot and a prevailing message. The most interesting part of the film are its visuals and special effects. In comic book fashion, the effects really work, and anything outside of that realm wouldn’t have been as effective, in my opinion. House stays true to its comedy horror elements, so I certainly appreciate how the effects were handled. Weird things continue to happen, and there are so many neat and clever inventions that are both scary and amusing. I thought the flashback scenes and their use of color were done very well, and the sets (though artificial) kept things consistent with the intended look and feel. The Criterion Collection blu ray once again hits a home run, with excellent picture and sound quality, and some neat special features. If you’re looking for something very different for your horror movie collection, then House is for you.

Normally, I would NEVER even consider watching the bonus supplements or featurettes prior to watching the film itself, for the most obvious reasons - spoilers, hindsight recollections and justifications, and often the BS that those involved in production conjure up several decades after the film was made to make themselves appear more clever and grandiose than was probably the case. By the same token, if I don't enjoy a film, I usually can't be convinced by these features that I'm missing the boat - you either like something or don't, with few exceptions, IMHO. That said, sometimes, as infrequent as it is, when I'm still scratching my head when a flick is over, the bonuses will illuminate and enlighten to the point where I now have received the clarification necessary for me to fully comprehend and enjoy aspects of a film obscured to me for one reason or another. Such is the case with 'House', almost more so than any foreign flick I've ever seen.When a film is hyped up to be 'all that', my expectations lead me to be only one thing - let down. When you read the Amazon product details as well as the dvd cover description, the promise sounds far too brilliant to be realized, so I decided to do a little research. After reading several website reviews, I felt I was getting farther from the truth instead of closer, so I decided to watch the bonus features before I sat through the actual movie. This is one of the few times when doing so proved to be absolutely essential to my overall viewing experience and ultimate enjoyment of this minor yet remarkable movie. There aren't many spoilers, at least none that would detract from your gratification, and to hear the way the film evolved directly from the mouth of director Nobuhiko Obayashi added the necessary seasonings to appreciate the film for what it is, what it isn't and what the hype tells us it should be. "An episode of 'Scooby-Doo' as directed by Mario Bava"? Puh-leese... I've seen every Bava flick there is and there's no such similarity - maybe Seijun Suzuki is who they meant. (By way of Tim Burton, but now I'm adding to the hype...).By the time I actually sat through the film itself, I had a better understanding of what this film actually was, and could judge it on its own merits, budgetary and special effect restraints, constraints and sheer brilliance in execution and concept alone. As a result, I was able to thoroughly enjoy this anomaly in film from the 70's without reserve and would strongly suggest to anyone remotely interested in this film to do likewise - you won't be sorry you did.(PS- The bonus 1966 experimental film is another added treat of sorts, and viewing it in advance will also increase your appreciation of the main feature).A solid four star film I'm adding one star to for its sheer originality, and to make up for some of its unwarranted detractors here on Amazon. You want different? You got it!

this is one wacky wayout creep show, it's very well crafted, acted and filmed. if you like Asian films and love the campy style, your in for a treat.harry

Normally this movie would be classified as horror but that really doesn't do it justice. This movie is really not scary at all, but it is incredibly psychedelic and strange. It uses special effects that are actually really creative and ahead of their time, stuff that might seem hokey until you consider that no other movie was trying anything like it for at least another decade. The movie is like a bizarre fever dream that leaves you scratching your head wondering what the hell you just saw. I've even read that the story was written by a child and I'd believe it considering it doesn't follow any standard movie logic.The only major criticism I have is that the characters are honestly pretty ridiculous, but it's possible that this is more an issue of the translation from Japanese. For instance there is a character called "Prof" (short for "professor"), there's just no way that would be a real nickname. The attempt to give each of the characters a unique personality feels forced and there is really almost no character development. That said, it really doesn't matter anyway as the film is still a joy to watch. I've seen it 5 times and even went to a screening at a local theater.

House is a really bizarre and entertaining Japanese film. It's about several teenage girls that travel to stay at one of their friend's aunts houses. They all fall into archetype characters, the pretty one, the musical one, the sporty one, the one that loves to eat etc. The director does a wonderful job of creating meta moments and bizarre horror moments. It's a real head trip of a movie.This criterion BluRay is a really nice edition of the movie. It's beautifully rendered in HD and has very nice extras, including a really cool booklet with great pictures and information.I highly recommend "House", whether you've seen it and want to add it to your collection or if you have never seen it but love bizarre, and sometimes comical horror films, then this one is for you too! I highly recommend it!

Great fun ,mad film

An absolutely luxurious bluray release. Includes booklet. Transfer is sharp and beautiful.

Si eres un cinéfilo que aprecia la creatividad, originalidad, y que no necesita que le den las cosas mascadas te va a gustar. Es la película de terror mas creativa que he visto. Miedo no da pero te llena de muchas otras cosas. La recomiendo para amantes del cine.

Película japonesa de 1977, llena de momentos épicos, y la vez ridículos, la hacen toda una experiencia, sin duda una imprescindible para todo fan del cine asiático. La trama prácticamente fue realizada por una niña en edad primaria (la hija del director), lo que la hace sin duda una gran película de "terror".Japonesas hermosas, un gato diabólico, y cientos de momentos WTF, acompañado de una buena selección de extras, entre ellos un cortometraje, entrevistas, y un video de apreciación, sin faltar el trailer; hacen de esta edición una edición prácticamente definitiva, vale cada peso.