House (1977): Masterpiece, Mid, or Mess
House (1977) is one of the most ludicrous movies I have ever seen. So ridiculous, in fact, that the film seems to capture the viewer’s attention in different ways, causing those who watch it to have radically different opinions on the same elements. While one viewer sees the film as an utter masterpiece in creative filmmaking, another sees it as a movie so unintentionally bad that it makes them laugh. On each viewing, my own opinion has changed, and I now consider it to be one of my top hundred all-time favorites. I highly recommend going into this film relatively blind, so to only pique your interest, I will attempt to avoid spoilers in this review.
House is a Japanese horror movie directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It is a simple story about seven girls who visit one of their aunt’s houses for a school break, and slowly begin to disappear in mysterious ways.. Comically, each of the seven girls is named after a trope to which they adhere: Gorgeous (cares about her appearance), Fantasy (imaginative), Prof (smart), Mac (likes to eat), Melody (likes to play instruments), Sweet (nice), and Kung Fu (duh). As the girls disappear, they wait for their teacher, Mr. Togo, to arrive, though he keeps getting distracted on his drive in increasingly more comedic ways.
From one point of view (and as I did on my first viewing), you may see this film as a case of “so bad it’s good.” It may seem like some of the creative decisions are mind-boggling; the very choice to name each character after their primary trait could itself be seen as terribly funny. As a result of each character’s trait, they are incredibly one-dimensional, not changing at all throughout the film. The set design might be perceived as cheap and unrealistic. The effects are low quality and the film’s use of green screen is laughably obvious. The dialogue can be overly expositional, and the acting is nothing special—because of the one-dimensional nature of the characters, the performances do not show much range. Even the deaths in the film are so over-the-top that they are just not scary, merely funny. Seen as a mess, the film ends up seeming decidedly terrible, but so bad that you will have a good time watching it with a group of friends.
On my second viewing, my opinion changed completely. I began to view every single creative decision as an intentional parody of the horror genre. The one-dimensional nature of each of the characters plays on how horror movies often rely on these tropes and treat their female characters as one-dimensional embodiments of a personality. The set design demonstrates an attention to style and ingenuity, one that manages to show vibrant images without a large budget. The dialogue and acting are meant to feel “off,” as a parody of the B movie horror that we have come to love. The deaths and the effects that come with them make fun of the ridiculousness of horror movies even when those other films present themselves as serious. Most importantly, though, the film is just a fun experience, and never ceases to entertain. In many ways, one can see this film as a Scream: far ahead of its time, but still not a film with any deeper meaning beyond a humorous spoof of the genre.
On my third viewing, I discovered that deeper meaning I was searching for to make this film a masterpiece. If you watch House (or the next time you rewatch it), try viewing the film through the eyes of a child, specifically a child’s nightmare. Once you view it through this lens, everything should click. The one-dimensionality, the fakeness of the sets and effects, the dialogue, the acting: each of these elements, when viewed through the prism of a child’s dream, seem like decisions that perfectly encapsulate the way a child would not only tell stories but imagine them. It also perfectly reflects what a child might fear—the unrealistic and insane nature of each death might not seem scary to you as an adult, but think about the types of things a child might fear: falling down a well, being trapped in a closet, being attacked by something that is mysterious and should be inanimate. I will avoid divulging any more details, but think about the nightmares you had as a kid. Today, they might seem silly, but at the time, they probably prevented you from sleeping at night. That is House’s true goal, to create a hilarious film for the adult viewer, but one a child might be scared of if they dreamt it.
I highly recommend you watch House (1977), either alone or with a large group of friends. It will not disappoint, no matter if you are looking for a “so bad it's good” film, a parody, or a thoughtfully creative horror semi-comedy. Oh! One more thing: keep your ears open for My Chemical Romance—you won’t be able to unhear it.