House
How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi’s indescribable 1977 movie House (Hausu)? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home and comes face-to-face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions, all realized by Obayashi via mattes, animation, and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House might have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. Never before available on home video in the United States, it’s one of the most exciting cult discoveries in years.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Constructing a “House,” a new video piece featuring interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, story scenarist and daughter of the filmmaker Chigumi Obayashi, and screenwriter Chiho Katsura
- Emotion, a 1966 experimental film by Obayashi
- New video appreciation by director Ti West (House of the Devil)
- Theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by critic Chuck Stephens
Cover design by Sam Smith
Collector's Sets
Collector's Set
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Constructing a “House,” a new video piece featuring interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, story scenarist and daughter of the filmmaker Chigumi Obayashi, and screenwriter Chiho Katsura
- Emotion, a 1966 experimental film by Obayashi
- New video appreciation by director Ti West (House of the Devil)
- Theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by critic Chuck Stephens
Cover design by Sam Smith
Cast
- Kimiko Ikegami
- Gorgeous
- Miki Jinbo
- Kung Fu
- Kumiko Oba
- Fantasy
- Ai Matsubara
- Prof
- Mieko Sato
- Mac
- Eriko Tanaka
- Melody
- Masayo Miyako
- Sweet
- Kiyohiko Ozaki
- Mr. Togo
- Saho Sasazawa
- Daddy
- Asei Kobayashi
- Watermelon man
- Tomokazu Miura
- Auntie's fiancé
- Fumi Dan
- Teacher
- Godiego
- Godiego
- Haruko Wanibuchi
- Ryoko Ema
- Yoko Minamida
- Auntie
Credits
- Director
- Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Producer
- Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Producer
- Yorihiko Yamada
- Concept by
- Chigumi Obayashi
- Screenplay
- Chiho Katsura
- Cinematography
- Yoshitaka Sakamoto
- Production design
- Kazuo Satsuya
- Music
- Asei Kobayashi
- Music
- Mickie Yoshino
- Songs performed by
- Godiego
- Editing
- Nobuo Ogawa
- Director of special effects
- Nobuhiko Obayashi
