An unforgettable mixture of bubblegum teen melodrama and grisly phantasmagoria, Obayashi’s deranged fairy tale House is one of Japanese cinema’s wildest supernatural ventures and a truly startling debut feature.
Distressed by her widowed father’s plans to remarry, Angel sets off with six of her schoolgirl friends in tow for a summer getaway in her aunt’s isolated mansion. But all is not well – in this house of dormant secrets, long-held emotional traumas have terrifyingly physical embodiments and the girls will have to use all their individual talents if any are to survive.
A rollercoaster ride without brakes, House is by turns sinister, hilarious and curiously touching, with ceaseless cinematic invention and a satirical, full-blooded approach to the horror genre.
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Cast: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ohba, Ai Matsubara
Genre: Horror
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)
Country: Japan
Year: 1977
Runtime: 88 minutes
Certification: 15
Special Features:
- Stunning 1080p presentation from a high-definition digital transfer
- Original monaural soundtrack presented as uncompressed LPCM audio
- Optional English subtitles
- An exclusive video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns
- 90-minute archive of interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, scenarist Chigumi Obayashi, actress Kumiko Oba, and Toho promotional executive Shoho Tomiyama
- Original Japanese theatrical trailer
- A 44-PAGE booklet featuring an essay by Paul Roquet; and archival imagery