So Hausu was a film that I was really eager to check out for myself after hearing how incredibly weird it was supposed to be, and it certainly didn't disappoint in that regard, it was probably the most bizarre flick I had ever seen. It's about a young girl named Gorgeous who invites a group of her young friends to come along with her on a trip to her sinister aunt's house in the country, only what they don't learn until they get there is that the old place is haunted, and sweet old auntie is an evil spirit! It took a bit to get going but once it did it was packed with some seriously crazy stuff that had my jaw dropping, there's ghoulish disembodied heads that fly about and bite rear ends, a lot of silly slapstick that really goes back and forth between scary and a cutesy childlike tone of fantasy, a possessed white cat that in one scene hysterically meows the movie's theme tune, and there's a man-eating killer grand piano! I suppose back in the seventies and in Japan this may have been viewed as a sort of children's adventure, well then Roald Dahl eat ya friggin' heart out! It might be a bit too wildly offbeat for some to take but there's a lot of cheesy fun to be had here, along with genuinely dark moments aplenty, it made me kinda wish that more of out fantasy films could have been half as madly inventive in their approach. Too unsettlingly off-the-wall, cuckoo-clock nuts to be truly endearing and loveable, too lighthearted to properly be labelled as true horror, this twisted fairytale falls somewhere in the middle and exists in its own very strange little bubble that is both whimsical and occasional frightening, but whatever it is it sure makes for a fun little ride that gets progressively more insane as it goes on, and while I didn't love the entire thing it had enough great moments to be good and was quite charming overall, and I can certainly say that I've never seen another one quite like it, it's fun enough that I'd say it's a hidden gem that's worth a look at least once just so you can take in the experience of it for yourself, because this Hausu is well worth a visit! 🐱 🌈 💀
