Through the urging (or guidance?) of my good friend Bob, I saw a film last night that was slightly out of my wheelhouse. And by “slightly” I mean that the pitch was so high and outside that it risks hitting the mascot.

The film in question was HOUSE, a Japanese horror-comedy…and truthfully, I barely know where to begin describing this opus. “Gorgeous” wants to get away from the summer, looking to get some distance between her father and her new stepmother-to-be. She plans to visit her aunt in the country and brings five friends along with her. However, not terribly long after they arrive…they discover that the house they will be staying in is not what it appears to be.

Sounds creepy, doesn’t it? Well it’s not – not even remotely. Instead, this so-bad-it’s-good howler eschews actual freakiness for comedic low bugetedness.

Again, this is usually not my style, but watching it in a rather busy theatre with a crowd that was laughing along at the film’s crudeness and absurdity provided me an appreciation for it on a certain level. No word as to whether it’s the level director Obayashi was going for.

There’s more shots of fluffy cats than a Cottonelle commercial. There’s a hungry piano that has an appetite for teenagers. There’s a laughing watermelon. There’s an introduction of the teenage girls that looks like a Mickey Mouse Club introduction…and I haven’t even mentioned the musical numbers.

Watching such a thing alone on dvd would lead me to a state of confusion and bewilderment. Hell, I’d wager that it’d result in a reach for the remote and a muttering of “What the hell?”. But getting immersed in it on 35mm lead to a whole other experience entirely. Indeed, it felt like I was drowning in it, rather than cavorting in a splash-pad like I would if I rented the dvd and heckled it with friends. The film is ridiculous…but watching it all so much larger than life, Iwas I able to surrender to its ridiculousness and actually be truly entertained.

Strangely enough, the movie is actually getting a Criterion release this fall, so if you’re curious to see the freakshow that this film is, your chance is coming. For now though, I must admit that sitting through something that was “so-bad-it’s-good” was indeed good for my filmgoing soul…

…and while it pains me to admit it sometimes, I must admit that Bob was right. Thanks for the tip pal.