Hausu

Concerning Supernatural horror, my hard exterior has indeed softened up with the viewing of the Asian classics. Hausu is a dreamlike theatrical horror film ripe with goofy humor and marvelous set pieces. Hausu's plot line involves a stuck-up daughter of a successful father. Due to her mother's death, she has clung to her father and has not grown up on her own.

When he brings news of his plans to re-marry, she goes in a fit and calls up her Aunt in hopes for their class trip to take place at her house. When she gets a letter back, she rounds up her friends to go, but on the way, the teacher is prevented from going there and must await for the next day. During the stay, these naive girls who fit the mold of an Asian Mystery Inc. begin to notice weird unnatural events occurring and the mystery behind an eerie cat and a timeless melody.

Hausu has been compared to the likes of Argento and while i support this claim, I personally believe that Nobuhiko Obayashi succeeded more on a personal level. While Suspiria was an effective Giallo thriller, it lacked many aspects enough to make it a masterpiece. Hausu takes the dreamy visuals and vivid primary colors and expands on the idea of a theatrical horror film. With painted skies, Hausu might be the most beautiful films i have ever seen. It's obvious that Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django got the idea of the beginning from a viewing of Hausu.


What makes Hausu some different from any other film is the varying styles of experimentation in it. Several scenes are Green-screened over a creepy painting or a tiled texture. We have tie-dye murder scenes, hungry pianos, and a psychotic cat. In this instance, the cat isn't balck, it's white, which is a very clever change. A cat endowed with white hair will bring about the downfall of all Oriental women's futures. Many kaleidoscopic effects are used to manipulate your cornea's into hallucinating yourself. If there is such thing as a film being a psychotropic drug, this is it. Scenes are spliced over top each other and some are even played back that results in a hilarious cacophony of "remixes"

(Oddly reminds me of a Chippendale illustration)

The undertones in the film are fit for women only. There are only a couple males in the film and they are played my mutton-chopped apes and goofy retards. The emphasis on "Death to any woman who isn't married" is played out very well and is satisfying to see the genre characters die off. There's the Kung-Fu star, the glutton, the vain fashionista, the brainless photographer, and several others. The others had no memorable quirks other than doing the dishes and cleaning the floors (Misogyny?). Hausu is the most original film I ever seen and deserves the title of "Phantasmagoric" over any other film that is relatable. Despite its stern approach towards the roles of women, It is a remarkable portrait of a post-WWII Japan with fiery skies. A war-torn canvas has never been so wacky and elegant; Truly a marvelous mix.

-mAQ