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.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1977
  • 88 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.33:1
  • Japanese
  • Spine #539

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

Purchase Options

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
House
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

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