House (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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!

*Great odd-ball classic of 60s 70s experimental filmmaking.* It is both very Japanese and also universal in that time period of experimental cinema, I'd compare it (very loosely) to Jodorowsky's stuff (El Topo etc), the Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc. Somehow it has been marketed as horror, maybe the "story" is somehow in the horror vein, but I can't imagine anyone older than 4 or 5 being at all scared by it. It is more of an odd somehow cutesy ghost story. It is charmingly childish and ineffably loveable. So many things- manner of filming, editing, story plot turns, are quirky and interesting. They almost all work, and it really comes across as an artistic vision, unfiltered by compromise, multiple creators, or producers/ studio demands.*You will like this if you like:* film of that period, experimental or avant-garde film, Japanese ghost stories, off-beat stories and storytelling, children's art.*This reproduction* is good, though a little dark, it is of that era. And in the case of this dvd, the extras are ALL worth watching, well produced, commentary and interviews, a real treasure for cinema aficionados/ japanophiles. Of especial interest were the memories of the director's daughter, who was like 5 (?) and present during a lot of production. Apparently it was partly made for her and also partly made by her. He would go to his daughter with certain ideas and ask her what she thought or what would happen next. This explains a lot of the charmingly odd plot twists. As Picasso said, every child is an artist.