This October, Criterion will be releasing a DVD and Blu-ray of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hausu (otherwise known as House), and while we have talked and written about the movie on the podcast and blog, I have a feeling that you lovely readers don’t have a good idea as to why this is such an important release. You may not necessarily follow all of the various film blogs, or attend all of the genre film festivals, like Fantastic Fest, but this is a movie that has a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding it.
The European distributor, Masters of Cinema, released a DVD of Hausu earlier this year, and if you have a region-free DVD player, I’d highly recommend picking it up, to supplement your inevitable Criterion purchase. I imported a copy for myself relatively cheaply, just so that I could watch the movie before Criterion released their Blu-ray, and I have to say the movie is much trippier than you think.
In the film’s description on the website, Criterion describes House as “An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava?” The trailer, if you haven’t seen it, is certainly intriguing, but I don’t know if it necessarily gives you a good impression as to just how bug-fuck crazy this movie gets. Which is why I’m writing this post tonight. While looking through YouTube the other day, I decided to find a really crazy clip from the film, so you can get a taste of the insanity.
I’ve embedded the clip below, so if you don’t really have a good idea about whether to pick this movie up when it’s released in October, this may change your mind. I’m also including the theatrical schedule for the film courtesy of Janus Films, as well as a nice big image for you to use on your Facebook/Twitter/whatever you want. If you do make it to one of the remaining screenings, you might find that Janus has provided some pretty nifty decals for you to decorate your own hausu with. (If you love the cover art, be sure to check out Sam’s Myth’s blog)
Are you planning on picking this release up? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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THEATRICAL PLAYDATES
To inquire about a booking, or suggest a venue, contact booking@janusfilms.com.
September 10 & 11
Cleveland, OH – Cleveland Cinematheque
September 10 – September 16
Keene, NH – Keene State College
September 17 – September 19
Bar Harbor, ME – Reel Pizza (Digital)
September 17, 18, 24, & 25
Hartford, CT – Real Art Ways
September 24 – September 26 (Date TBA)
Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Film Festival
October 2
Orlando, FL – Neon Forest Gallery (Digital)
October 6
Rochester, NY – George Eastman House
October 9
Memphis, TN – Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (HD)
October 13
San Diego, CA – ArtPower! at UC San Diego
October 15 & 16
Washington, DC – Landmark E-Street
October 22 & 23
Oakmont, PA – The Oaks Theater
October 23
Grandview Heights, OH – Grandview Theatre
Greensboro, NC – Carousel Luxury Cinemas (Digital)October 27 & 28
Greeley, CO – University of Northern Colorado (Digital)
October 28 – October 31
Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma City Museum of Art (HD)
October 29
Tallahassee, FL – Tallahassee Film Society (Digital)
October 29 – October 31
Detroit, MI – Detroit Institute of Art
Winston-Salem, NC – a/perture cinema (Digital)October 30
Brookline, MA – Coolidge Corner Theatre
October 31
Hanover, NH – Hopkins Film Center (Digital)
Minneapolis, MN – The Trylon (Digital)
Omaha, NE – Film Streams (Digital)November 5
Atlanta, GA – High Museum of Art
November 12
Los Angeles, CA – Landmark Nuart
November 19 – November 21
St. Petersburg, FL – Eckerd College
December 4 & 7
Pleasantville, NY – Jacob Burns Film Center
Ryan Gallagher
Ryan is the Editor-In-Chief / Managing Editor / Co-host, along with whatever else the site needs at the moment. You can find his own, poorly maintained blog at RyanGallagher.org, follow him on Twitter (@RyanGallagher), or send him an email to: ryan (at) criterioncast.com.