Nobuhiko Obayahshi's 'House' at the Watching Hour

Small geysers of laughter erupt during a screening of the Japanese Horror film "House" from an array of sources. There are giggles of acknowledged absurdity, cackles of cringed awkwardness and outbursts of horrific hilarity. Such was the case at last week's "House" screening from Keith Garcia's Watching Hour series at the Denver Film Center/Colfax.

Garcia must thoroughly enjoy the buffet of patron reactions as they exit the experience, as he said, "It's been over a year since we last screened Nobuhiko Obayahshi's bat-shit-crazy "House" and that is just 12 months too long!" It's undoubtedly an experience, as one can't just passively observe something so viscerally hypnotic.

The premise is a classic horror set-up: a young girl's summer vacation is interrupted by her single father introducing a new girlfriend into the picture. Perturbed, she rallies up her school mates to instead visit a long lost Aunt living in her deceased Mother's hometown. Each girl is a prototypical caricature with a fat kid (Mac), an athlete (Kung-fu), nerd (Prod), neurotic dreamer (Fantasy), artist (Melody) and quiet simpleton (Sweet). The Aunt ends up being supernaturally estranged within a house that has an appetite for schoolgirls a la bloodbath.

"House" is a hyper saturated, acid trip of Japanese Horror Film, like "Hello Kitty" grew fangs and terrorized the "Sailor Moon" crew. If any of that made sense you'll appreciate the film's maze of surreal imagery and delightfully disturbed soundscape. The kitty of course is the film's mascot of mayhem; a white cat that leads this giggling gaggle of Japanese schoolgirls into the "House."

It's an utterly brilliant whirlwind of insanity, like a sugar laden anxiety attack of a grounded 12 year left alone in a creepy house. The film's intentionally campy surrealism just works on levels that I don't fully understand and a second viewing is almost intimidating.

Remember that first party you went to and those older kids got you all messed up? That was like viewing "House" for the first time, so a second viewing is like being invited back next weekend. There's a ball of excited anxiety that wants to re-board the crazy train, but there's one helluva hangover on the ride back.

There is a life lesson of sorts to take away from "House" and it's found as a message to young school girls from a crazy old cat lady. Don't sit around the house waiting for your dream boy; it will devour your fantasy and throw up a nightmare.