The surreal horror film that Toho Studios thought was incomprehensible nonsense
In short: In 1977, Toho Studios wanted a film like Jaws, but they got something far stranger. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, House is a kaleidoscopic nightmare where household objects come to life to devour schoolgirls. Once dismissed by critics, this Japanese cult classic has found a massive second life in the West.
The production of House was a battle of persistence. After Toho Studios suggested a thriller similar to Jaws, director Nobuhiko Obayashi sought inspiration from his daughter, Chigumi. He believed children could conceive ideas that adults, bound by logic, could not. This philosophy birthed the film's most iconic, surreal imagery: a watermelon that looks like a severed head, a mirror that attacks the viewer, and a house that literally eats its guests. The script was written by Chiho Katsura, who drew inspiration from a short story by Walter de la Mare. This creative process was influenced by the director's belief that adults' logic limits their imagination.
Obayashi’s personal history deeply informed the film's darker undercurrents. Having lost many childhood friends during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he infused the script with themes of war and loss. This is manifested in the character of the aunt, a ghost waiting for a fiancé who never returned from World War II, whose bitterness turns her into a predatory spirit. This spectral presence serves as a metaphor for the lingering trauma of the war. The aunt's tragic history is revealed through her own personal diary.
Technically, the film was a chaotic experiment. Shot on one of Toho's largest sets over approximately two months, Obayashi worked without a storyboard. To achieve a specific aesthetic, he intentionally sought an unrealistic, child-like quality for the special effects. The cast consisted mostly of amateurs, including many of Obayashi's commercial models, with only Kimiko Ikegami and Yōko Minamida possessing notable prior experience. While initially met with negative reviews in Japan, the film became a box office hit and eventually gained a devoted cult following in North America following its 2009 and 2010 releases. The soundtrack was composed by Mickie Yoshino and produced alongside Asei Kobayashi. Interestingly, the film's music was recorded and released before production even began.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: House (1977 film)
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