HOUSE (Criterion/eOne, 1977) D: Nobuhiko Obayashi, w/ Kimiko Ikegami, Yoko Minamida. Rating: NNNNN DVD package: NNNN Rating: NNNNN
“A modern masterpiece of le cinema du WTF?!” says critic Chuck Stephens, nailing it perfectly in his excellent essay. Nobuhiko Obayashi’s tale of seven Japanese schoolgirls trapped in a haunted house bops with a manic glee that makes no distinction between shock sequences, broad comedy and goofy (or touching) musical numbers.
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Obayashi pulls out every trick in the book: animation, pixillation, matte shots, painted backgrounds, irises, garish lighting shifts and not a realistic frame in sight. The eyes ogle, the mind boggles and the exploration of young girls’ coming-of-age desires and fears slips by almost unnoticed.
EXTRAS Retrospective making-of interviews, 1966 Obayashi experimental film, video appreciation by Ti West, booklet. Widescreen. Japanese audio English subtitles.