Hungry House vs Samurai Music Lovers
Two Very Different Japanese Horror Classics
House
Format: Movie
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Writer: Chiho Katsura and Nobuhiko Obayashi
Where to watch: HBO Max
I found this 1977 Japanese horror-comedy on HBO Max and had no idea what it was about, but quickly discovered this film is not your average… anything. The movie starts as a surreal tableau of Japanese school life for a girl named Gorgeous (red flag #1) whose father has remarried after her mother passed away.
The strange editing and odd names of all the school girls based on their personalities (Melody, Sweet, Kung Fu, Prof, Fantasy, and Mac—I guess because she likes McDonald’s?) is only an inkling of the strangeness that lies ahead.
Gorgeous decides she can’t bear a summer with her step-mother when the girls’ original summer plans are cancelled, so she reaches out to her aunt in the country to see if they can vacation there. Unbeknownst to Gorgeous, her aunt is no longer of this earth and has a penchant for eating young girls whose lives were not wrecked by the bombing at Hiroshima (long story.)
I watched this movie with absolutely no backstory, and it was a fascinating experience. The special effects were so purposefully low budget and bizarre that the result in some moments quickly oscillated between being hilarious and terrifying. In some ways, it is an incredibly skillful work of art. In others, you definitely get the sense these filmmakers were flying by the seat of their pants.
After doing some research, I have learned that the studio, Toho, wanted to produce something akin to Jaws, and this is what they ended up with. (Replace shark with a house and… yeah.)
Not surprisingly, after the script was written, it took two years of Obayashi banging on doors to get it green lit because no one would touch it. The studio finally submitted when one of the producers decided on trying something unconventional after losing so much money on conventional films.
Obayashi was popular at the time for his tv commercials, and he cast mostly unknown actresses from his commercial work. Most notably, however, was that Obayashi actually drew inspiration for many of the ideas in the movie from his pre-teen daughter, Chigumi. Things that were true childhood fears like having a pile of futons fall on you and pinching your fingers between piano keys became some truly terrifying moments.
So if you are in the mood for something different, take an acid trip to your aunt’s house for the summer. Just try not to let the house eat you on the way out.
Kwaidan
Format: Movie
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Screenplay: Yoko Mizuki
Based on Folk Tales by: Lafcadio Hearn
Where to watch: HBO Max
This 1964 film based on Japanese folk tales opened to much more praise than my previous entry. The title, Kwaidan, is a ‘transliteration’ (romanization of Japanese characters) of the Japanese term, kaidan, which means “ghost story.” The stories were actually written by a German/Irish/Japanese writer, Lafcadio Hearn, who was credited with introducing the west to much Japanese culture at the turn of the 20th century.
The movie is a long, slow burn at 3 hours long, but since it is four separate stories, you can break it up into parts like I did. Each story involves ghosts of some kind or other, but also gives some unique insight into ancient Japanese life and culture. For example, one story tells a legend of two warring Samurai clans in which the royal family chooses suicide over defeat. The family of royals become spirits who later come to haunt a blind musician who sings of their tale while playing a biwa, a stringed instrument unique to the region.
Like House, the special effects are low-budget by modern standards, but they are used with a surreal intent that is unnerving and haunting to say the least. This movie is a great example of how a quiet build to some terrifying moments and situations (like The Shining, for example) can stick with you much longer after watching than a creepy monster suit or jump scare often used in modern horror. There are also some beautifully built sets and lavish costumes that really accentuate the unique aesthetic of Japan’s ancient culture.
Sterling Martin is an artist and designer living in Chicago, IL. His background includes drawing, writing, theatre, teaching, improv & sketch comedy, and whatever else he can get his hands on to be creative. You can find him on the internet at:
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