Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is the kind of movie I would recommend everyone to watch, no matter what kind of movies you like. This isn't a scary horror movie, more of an amazing comedy with probably one of the more creative forms I've seen.First off, the actors are obviously not trained to be actors. The characters are also absolute idiots, grinded down into the most stereotypical types of characters you can imagine (so much that they are actually named after their main attribute). They are not as much a character as they are pawns in an insane game. The house has more personality than the actual characters.And this makes for a very entertaining murder spree. I could find myself get annoyed at how mind-boggingly stupid the girls could be, but also at the same time laugh at it all.The special effects are not something to place in a scale of realistic or not, it's more like watching a moving pop arty art piece, with lots of colours, fast pacing, schizophrenic moods and a lot of funny details.What is also funny is that if you know that the director has only made commercials before this, you'll notice it. There are some non- sensical shots of waving hair in the wind, strange jingle-like music in the background, very colorful (childish) backgrounds now and then, and some very strange humour I can only assume Japanese commercials do use regularly.Go watch it, have a drinking game, watch it with your friends, laugh!

The one thing I will grant the picture is that it's a unique and strange visual experience. It starts out interestingly enough in a creatively stylized manner, but then gets too clever by half, much too gimmicky, and ultimately incoherent as the story progresses. Well, maybe not incoherent entirely, because you can follow the story well enough, as a group of Japanese teenage girls falls victim to a demonic house in the countryside of Satoyama Village.In checking the credits page, it appears that the version I caught on Turner Classics changed the name of all the principal characters, so that the main character named 'Angel' on the IMDb title page became 'Gorgeous' in the film I saw. In no particular order, the remaining six girls went by the names of Fantasy, Sweet, Mac, Kung-Fu, Prof and Melody. Their English names in general referenced a character trait, so that 'Melody' was accomplished as a musician, and 'Kung-Fu' was a martial artist. Even the cat's name was changed, another reviewer called it 'Snowflake', while in the story I watched it had the very non-Japanese name of 'Blanche' - how they came up with that one I'll never know.Although it seems that the director's take on this movie was to produce something resembling horror, there's just too much goofy stuff occurring that takes the horror element right out of it. I'll refer to just two of the deaths in the story - one by a piano eating Melody (how appropriate!), the other involving Kung-Fu getting chomped by a ceiling light. After a while, one's interest in the story wanes because it's all just a bit too bizarre.As for the main protagonist, Angel/Gorgeous winds up being 'consumed' by the Auntie the girls originally intended to visit. Gorgeous was upset that her widowed father was going to remarry after eight years, so a change in vacation plans brought Gorgeous and her friends to Auntie's home in the country. In an effort to make friends with Gorgeous, the fiancé Ryoko Ema set out for Auntie's home, and upon arriving, the picture somehow totally disconnects from the comic/horror element, dissolving to a message about how the 'spirit of love can live forever'. Maybe it all had to do with the translation, but whatever it was, any message the director was attempting to convey was simply lost on this viewer. And I don't get lost too easily.

Wow what an experience I first heard of this movie a few months ago on a list of must watch 70s movies. Then it popped up again on a list of must watch asain horror movies, then again on best horror movies of the last 50 years. And so basically list after list all saying the same thing, that this was a must watch head trippy gorgeous and totally unforgettable movie. I'm a pretty big movie buff and when I was younger I loved horror and have seen or heard of many movies but I had never heard of a Japanese horror movie called house. The movie called house im familiar with is American and came out in the 80s.I wasn't sure how I'd react to the film but I knew it was something I'd have to see for myself. Well I'm really glad I did. It is unforgettable for sure. What I loved most about it is how original the film is. It doesn't really follow any formulas except for the horror movie staple of going to a remote country location. The movie also doesn't stick to a particular genre. Yes it is mostly a horror movie buy its an absurd comedic horror film. I also love how the 7 girls are kind of based on the 7 dwarfs. Kung fu, sweet, professor, gorgeous, Mac, fantasy, and melody are there nick names. Mac Likes to eat. Fantasy is always imagining things, professor is a book worm... e.c.tThe movie while very strange and having lots of blood is surprisingly not that violent. The most violent death involves the famous piano death scene which is really more comedic than anything. The lack of violence mixed with extremely bizarre and strange circumstances was a nice mix considering the movie has a good sense of humor. I can only imagine how scary it may have been, If the film had had a serious tone. However the comedic tone was actually a nice and welcomed surprise.The movie is also incredibly beautiful with great art direction, cinematography and production design.All in all I'd say it is a total must watch for most audiences. If you like horror you'll love it if you don't like being scared to much than you'll enjoy the comedic tone. If your a fan of foreign films you'll love the look and tone of the movie.Overall 8/10

I'm generally pretty patient. I've sat through some really awful movies (not a positive trait). I almost jettisoned this one because I could hardly stand to listen to the high pitched screech of those girls. They are about as obtuse and non-realistic as they can be. Their dialogue is strained and utterly vacuous. They have names that describe qualities (except for Kung Fu, who has her own talents). I began not caring what happened to them. If this film was not part of the Criterion Collection, I would have mowed the lawn. That said, I haven't had such a bizarre experience since seeing David Lynch's "Eraserhead." I swear that this is a transcripted nightmare. It isn't a new idea in horror films to have a house that breathes as a life form, but none of the others (as far as I know) used tongue in cheek encounters and sight gags like this one does. As each of the girls is disposed of in some unique way, the others seem to endure. It's my understanding that the director, Obayashi, did a number of commercials. This would have added to the use of short episodic bits, tied together by a non-existent plot. Watch at your own risk and keep an open mind.