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According to the book "Japanese Cinema: Essential Handbook" by Thomas & Yuko Weisser, the 1982 film "House" was built around the idea that one young girl decided to become part of a haunted house, rather than have her first sexual experience. While my comprehension of Japanese is limited, I never would have guessed that was the plot. "House" is a film that begins in reality and ends in a surreal world of 'un-reality." A group of youg, attractive school girls decide to spend part of their summer vacation in a house in the countryside, inhabitated by an elderly woman (who I think is the grandmother of one of the girls). The film utilizes some unique camera techiniques as each character develops her own personality. But little by little, odd things begin to happen and then quickly climaxes in a bizarre and roaring ending. For instance, during dinner, an eye appears in the mouth of the elderly woman as she chews. Then one of the girls is attacked by a disembodied head which flies out of a well. One girl begins to take on the personality of a long-dead woman whose reflection she sees in the mirror. Each of the girls begins her own personal road into madness and drags us with them. Finally, one girl is actually EATEN by a grand piano. Then the last two girls fight for their lives as the basement fills with blood-red acid.
It was difficult to distinquish between where madness began and reality ended. Early in the film, the characters would awaken from their experience, but those instances became few and far between. Very surreal imagery, much like animation from "Yellow Submarine", are intertwined into the film. But a sub-plot about sexual 'coming of age?' Maybe I went mad and didn't see that?
American audiences may dismess the Japanese imagery of a "haunted house" because it doesn't include creaking doors, seances or moans and groans in the night. In fact most of the horror occurs in broad daylight. But wouldn't tentacles of hair grabbing you from behind while bathing creep YOU out? It's horror, but distinctly Japanese horror.
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