House (1977)

[Mizzle 0]

You all need to check out this crazy Japanese haunted house movie. It's insane. I can't even describe it. If you don't know anything about it don't read up on it and don't watch the trailer. Just watch the movie. I think it's best going in not knowing anything about it. Seriously, check it out. You won't be sorry. Unfortunately it's not on netflix instant watch, but you can rent it on itunes for like four bucks.

[sillstaw 414]

The best part is when

Spoiler

the teacher randomly turns into a bunch of bananas.

Oh, and the stop-motion sequence.

[Annie_Malporn 0]

Love this movie though if any House should be on HDTGM, it should be the 2008 "horror" movie starring Michael Madsen. It was easily the worst movie I've ever seen, and I've seen The Number 23.

[jarshall 25]

Hausu is a movie i like.

considering ordering the bluray this week

[Mizzle 0]

Just to clarify, I don't think this is a bad movie. It's pretty amazing. It's just think it's so insane that it would make a good HDTGM.

[Lando 2019]

Saw this movie last night and holy fucking shit this movie was crazy. I don't think it would be good for HDTGM because it's a different kind of crazy and I don't think you could make fun of it without sounding like you just don't get the movie.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

Saw this movie last night and holy fucking shit this movie was crazy. I don't think it would be good for HDTGM because it's a different kind of crazy and I don't think you could make fun of it without sounding like you just don't get the movie.

Hey, check out my avatar! Hausu was one of those crazy movies that floated around on old P2P networks and traded among cult movie enthusiasts. I had a shitty copy for a few years and was really surprised when Criterion picked it up; it was very obscure even among film nerds. I bought the Blu-ray during the Amazon sale a couple months ago. It's a great transfer and it has some nice extras.

 

Absolutely next level bonkers movie in the best possible way. I can't think of another movie that is this insane on purpose. The director was involved in some other kinda fun martial arts/mysticism movies (

is good); he did another movie called "Drifting Classroom" based on a manga which is almost as crazy as Hausu. It's not available anywhere except as a pretty bad VHS rip on some private torrent sites.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuFiFE-ifRk

 

I highly recommend Hausu to everyone; it's in my top 10 of all time, for sure.

[Lando 2019]

It's like Un Chien Andalou had a baby with Tokyo Drifter and then did a bunch of acid.

 

BTW, you've seen Happiness of the Katakuris right?

[PhillipMedoc 648]

It's like Un Chien Andalou had a baby with Tokyo Drifter and then did a bunch of acid.

 

BTW, you've seen Happiness of the Katakuris right?

Un Chien Andalou and Tokyo Drifter, good description -- it's very colorful and surreal (in the real sense of the word, not the loose way people toss it around today to simply mean "weird"). Tokyo Drifter was another Blu-ray I bought during the sale. Seijun Suzuki is possibly my favorite director and I love that movie to pieces.

 

I saw Happiness of the Katakuris in the theater when it came out. Great stuff, although I think Miike works on so many projects and sometimes spreads himself a little thin; his stuff can be uneven.

 

Did you know that Happiness of the Katakuris was based on an earlier film by Kim Ji-Woon, who made the wonderful Tale of Two Sisters, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, and I Saw The Devil?

[Lando 2019]

Oh shit, Kim Ji-Woon also did The Last Stand. That movie wasn't great, but it was silly and entertaining. The Good, Bad & Weird is in my Netflix queue and I Saw The Devil is on my "to see" list, but I'll have to add the original version of Katakuris to the list. That movie was weird as hell too.

 

What other Suzuki movies are worth watching? I've only seen Tokyo Drifter and Branded To Kill.

 

I think parts of the craziness of Hausu were creative ways around special effect limitations. For example, rather than showing Kung Fu flying through the air Crouching Tiger style they show a bunch of fast cuts of jumping, feet flying and weird animations. It has the same narrative effect, but gives the film a unique feel.

 

I have changed my mind, I do think it would be possible to do an episode of this show on Hausu, but only if they got someone who was knowledgeable in film such as Patton Oswalt.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

Oh shit, Kim Ji-Woon also did The Last Stand. That movie wasn't great, but it was silly and entertaining. The Good, Bad & Weird is in my Netflix queue and I Saw The Devil is on my "to see" list, but I'll have to add the original version of Katakuris to the list. That movie was weird as hell too.

 

What other Suzuki movies are worth watching? I've only seen Tokyo Drifter and Branded To Kill.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird is entertaining as hell; watch it immediately. Fun action and art direction, and it's got some handsome men in it, so there's some eye candy for the ladies, too. I Saw The Devil is super intense, I wouldn't say I liked it but I'm glad I watched it.

 

Branded To Kill is the movie that nearly killed his career. The studio thought it was too weird and didn't want to put it out; Suzuki sued them since it was in his contract that they had to release it. They acquiesced, and subsequently terminated his contract. He didn't work with another major studio for a long time after that.

 

I haven't seen all his stuff, since some of it isn't available in English, but I can definitely recommend:

 

Youth Of The Beast (1963) -- Criterion, so it's possibly on Hulu and should be available on Amazon. This is a great Yakuza drama/action flick, very violent, and some interesting stylistic decisions -- you can really see Suzuki's style. Also the first of four movies he made with Jo Shishido, the chipmunk cheeked guy from Branded To Kill. (Trivia: those cheeks of his were implants. Apparently, that endeared him to Japanese audiences.) Probably my favorite after Tokyo Drifter and Branded.

 

Detective Bureau 2-3: Go To Hell, Bastards! (1963) -- Another colorful Yakuza flick, this one is a little more light hearted and even sort of wacky at times. Almost feels like a 1960s Bond film.

 

Underworld Beauty (1958) -- An earlier B&W movie. American noir in a Japanese setting, diamond thieves and double crossing. Well shot and the lead actress is gorgeous.

 

Tattooed Life (1965) -- Another Yakuza flick that Suzuki was churning out for Nikkatsu that would be a forgettable genre flick in another directors hands. This one is gorgeous, of course, and slower paced; it's the story of two Yakuza who attempt to double cross their boss, run away and hide as laborers, and fall in love with the wife and daughter of the crime boss. The romance is well executed (something Suzuki does particularly well, even in violent movies) and the ending is really great.

 

Kanto Wanderer (1963) -- Damn, he was prolific in the 60s. This is kind of a similar story to Tokyo Drifter, although instead of a young Yakuza trying to leave, he's attempting to stay and follow the Yakuza code honorably. But it delves much deeper into the complexities of "honor" than many films do, even many Japanese ones. It's very colorful and there's stuff in here that Tarantino certainly uh, "borrowed" for Kill Bill.

 

[robinsbruce 4985]

Welp, there goes my weekend. I will be watching a ton of crazy japanese movies if anyone needs me...

[Lando 2019]

Thank you for the suggestions. I have been trying to get my IMDB watchlist down for a while and I swear as soon as I cross a few off the list I get a bunch of suggestions worthy of addition.

[Johnny Unusual 525]

I've never seen the Drifting Classroom movie, but I do need to recommend the comic. It's pretty amazing.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

I've never seen the Drifting Classroom movie, but I do need to recommend the comic. It's pretty amazing.

Yeah, obviously like just about every book/comic/manga to movie transition, it ends up being a completely different thing. The comic gets super dark and intense -- kids are fucking murdered left and right, one gets crucified at one point. Kazuo Umezu is possibly my favorite manga artist/writer of all time; his juxtaposition of shoujo style with horror is really fascinating, at least to this American.

[DingDongMan 18]

This is an amazing Japanese horror comedy from the 1970's. So much insanity and wild scenes that have to be seen to be believed. It features 7 main character girls with names like Fantasy, Gorgeous, Kung Fu, and Prof. And yes, Kung Fu does kung fu and Prof is the "smart" one with glasses. It's on HBO Max right now and was a perfect Halloween watch, though any time would work. 

Edit - oops, I didn't find it when I searched "House 1977" for some reason