2015 JAPANEMA: Nobuhiko Obayashi's 'HOUSE' - Director Obayashi in person for Q&ANEW

How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi's indescribable 1977 movie House (ハウス)? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt's creaky country home and comes face-to-face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions, all realized by Obayashi via mattes, animation, and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House might have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. This film is one of the most exciting cult discoveries in years.

Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
A native of Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Obayashi began making movies after he came upon a film projector in a closet in his house one day when he was three years old at the height of the Pacific War. He is known for his groundbreaking experimental works and memorable commercials as well as his features, including the hit horror thriller "House" and the crime mystery "The Reason," which was an official selection at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. Obayashi is also acclaimed for his coming-of-age films such as "I Are You, You Am Me," part of his "Onomachi Trilogy" shot in his hometown. "Casting Blossoms to the Sky" (2012) addresses the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. His latest release "Seven Weeks" spans huge swaths of time and space, all the while haunted by the specter of WWII.