Hausu(House) is easily one of the most insane movies you will ever see. This insanity covers every level of the film, from the way it was shot to the story itself. What a story it is- a group of Japanese schoolgirls, each named for their attribute (Gorgeous, Kung Fu, etc.), travel to visit one of the girl’s aunt. The aunt has lived alone for many years and is glad to have guests. Before long the girls begin disappearing or dying one by one.
Sounds pretty conventional, right? Not when someone gets eaten by a piano while a skeleton dances in the background. Not when a girl’s head is turned into a watermelon, or another gets smothered by magically appearing mattress. Not when a painting of a cat opens its mouth and sprays blood everywhere.
Part of the mystery of Hausu is not only discovering simply how insane it is, but marveling at the composition of the film. It is so incredibly stylized and colorful, a manic nature that completely is counterintuitive to the horror movie vibe of the script.
Overall, I believe Hausu is one of the most entertaining crapsterpieces I’ve ever seen, and I spend a lot of time looking for crapsterpieces. Besides this, it’s one of the only crapsterpieces to actually have been made by a talented director. It is also one of the only ones to be released by the Criterion Collection, who are to be commended for their remastering of a previously lost film. I believe everyone who is interested in the filmic process should check out this movie. The stylistic choices are crazy enough that even those not normally intrigued by bad films should find something to enjoy.
Critical Score: 3.5 out of 5
Crapsterpiece Score: 5 out of 5
© Tanner McCullough, 2011
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