House

At first glance, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 film House a film were six schoolgirls travel to one of the aunts house in the county only for it to haunted might seem like style over substance. With its piano that eats girls, decapitated flying severed heads that vomit blood and strange demonic psychedelic possessed cat pictures you could argue that all the film has going for it is weirdness. However, dig a little deeper and you will find a fascinating commentary on the impact of the atomic bomb and its effects on future generations.

From the very opening of House with its animated title and upbeat music we are clearly presented with an artificial construct of reality. This reality is one created by the protagonists of the young girls within the film showing the tranquillity of a post-war Japan. The two girls taking pictures in the school are framed in such a way to invoke a ghostly presence. This idea of spirits and people trying to move on from the horrors of the past as a main theme throughout House. All the girls in house are named after the stereotypes that encapsulate their characters Angel, kung Fu, Prof, Fantasy, Mac, Melody and Sweet, from this we are clearly shown a fake happy artificially constructed version of reality through the minds of these young girls. This is further indicated by the montage that follows the girls jumping and skipping reflecting the happiness of a post-war environment, the artificial nature of the film reflecting their artificial lives. Angel discovers that her father will remarry soon, the symbolism of brides is present throughout House. This reinforces a common theme throughout the film, the idea of coming to terms with loss, as is personal loss for the character is symbolic of the societal loss of Japan during the post-atomic bomb environment. Again, House uses artificial constructs in order to comment on the bomb. The noise that occurs as she enters her room is reminiscent of the sound made by the atomic bomb as it was dropped. We are shown a childlike exaggeration of these themes as is present by the character spinning around to change clothes invoking the idea that she sees herself as some sort of superhero. The loss of the Angels mother is symbolic of the loved ones lost during the atomic bomb. A common theme throughout House seems to be the notion that you cannot fully block out the grief and loss in your life more you must try and move on and accept these facts.

In the next scene we are further reinforced the ideology that we are watching an exaggerated version of life. The way the camera slides back and forth complete with fisheye lenses shows an artificial childlike construct of these girls living without the fear of the atomic bomb. The use of surf rock and the fact that the teacher in the film drives a Jeep also could point to the westernisation of Japan in a post-war setting and how Americanisation slowly took over the country. A brown tint effect is used when Angel is writing a letter to her aunt, it seems almost as if she’s writing a letter to the past. Within the film the cat Snowy is symbolic of part of her aunt and a residual construct of her past life. Every time something bad is about to happen Snowy’s eyes glow green a symbol of the atomic bomb blast. During the next scene happy music is playing as shows the town as if almost part of a musical or a children’s TV show, again we are showing a childlike view of reality as their idealistic world is seen in a pre-atomic bomb environment.

The flashback scenes during a film are the clearest indicators of a post-war and post atomic bomb subtext within the film. The idea of the loss of loved ones within this scene shows the clear effects that war has on Japan. We are shown the husband just after their wedding day being called up for war and being shut down aeroplane. This is symbolic of the desperation that the survivors of the war must go through. During the ending of the flashback scene an image of the atomic bomb becomes a camera flash, one girl says, “it looks like cotton candy”. Again, we show the contrast of innocents juxtaposed the very real effects of the post-war environment. Once arriving at the house, they see that the aunt is in a wheelchair possibly symbolic of the effects that the bomb had on individual citizens during the war. Snowy uses its eyes to break the camera before the picture flashes. The aunt does not want to relive the effects of the atomic bomb and see the bright flashes that obliterated her life, it seems as if snowy the cat is part of her soul that was killed in the bomb. The girls find a skeleton in the house. This can be a clear representation of the deaths caused by the bomb. The grandma says that this was what her husband used when experimenting with again links to the idea of the loss of loved ones and the effect that the atomic bomb had on people. It is also stated that he aunt is frightened by the sunlight. It seems to be that she does not want to see the light as it is a reminder of the flash of the atomic bomb explosion that destroyed countless lives at the end of the war.

Throughout House surreal imagery is used in order to comment on the effects of the atomic bomb. The flying decapitated ghost head that that attacks Mac is symbolic of the deaths of the people caused by the atomic bomb and is further signified by the head vomiting up blood as an allusion to radiation sickness and mutations that the Japanese suffered. This is further indicated by scenes such as the eyeball appearing out of the aunt’s mouth. Images such as blood coming out of the water pump again symbolises the deaths caused by the atomic bomb. The doll talking to sweetie could indicate trapped souls of the past unable to move on whilst the black-haired girl in the bath could be likened to a Yūrei (a spirit of a dead lady).

The scene where angel uses the mirror reflects the souls that were left behind during the war. While seeing her reflection contorted it shows a realisation of the past and the effects that the atomic bomb had on people. In the mirror you see two generations past and the present in a pre-and post-war society converging into one. And then within the glow of the cat’s eyes symbolising the flash of the bomb we see the destruction through the shattered glass effect. Themselves and their lives have been destroyed. The people in this world are either dead or suffering great loss and can never be whole again. The blood dripping down is a further indicator of death. Once the girl’s face starts to shatter and catches on fire, we are giving clear indicators of the scene being symbolic of the effects of the atomic bomb. This idea of the destruction of the youth at the hands of the bomb is reinforced when melody and sweetie are attacked by the piano and mattresses. We are shown a childlike representation of the destruction of the atomic bomb to try and make sense of the insanity of the instant obliteration of the Japanese people.

The idea of House being taken from the perspective of the youth is further shown in the dream sequence. They believe that they will be given their happy ending but as shown within history the effects of the atomic bomb will be everlasting and felt by everyone. The scenes of Angel walking across the mist gives off a ghostly image linking to the idea of death and the trapped souls who died during the war. The bridal gown dress she wears is reminiscent of her grandmother’s further showing how lost and grief are commonplace amongst the horrific devastation of the war. Melody being eaten by the piano as she loses her fingers could possibly linking to the radiation effects caused by the atomic blast and the effect that this had on the Japanese people. The way that the house kills off these girls is ultimately symbolic of the atomic bomb. It is revealed that the aunt is the ghost of the young woman who lost everything during the war. This relates to an earlier conversation in which the aunt says that no one visits hearing more. This also relates to the post-war climate in which the film is set as the survivors fear their own loneliness and isolation and therefore cling onto the past as a way of coping with their trauma. House comments on the loneliness of the survivors of the atomic bomb but does so with optimistic ideals of trying not to cling on to your past and believing that there could be a better future.

The ghosts of her and her cat are intertwined as one. By kung Fu symbolically destroying the cat her body is at peace. The psychedelic vision kung Fu goes on after this is reminiscent of the deaths caused by the bomb. By destroying the cat they have put her soul to rest. In her death scene blood oozes out of her body as she dies. Her death is reminiscent of how people died from radiation caused by the bomb. During one of the surreal scenes in the film the watermelon salesman causing him to turn into a skeleton a sign of the effects of the atomic bomb.

 The bloody lake that Fantasy must swim through shows the death caused by the bomb. Fantasy is shown to die by incineration. Burned out like victims of the atomic bomb blasts. The aunt tricks Gorgeous by pretending to be Angle. The fact that the aunt turns into Angle reinforces the idea of an ascension into heaven. All the characters have died because of the bomb however they are all now at peace. In the final scene of the film we are shown a reunion in what seems like paradise although dead the characters have ultimately found peace.

 House is ultimately a parable about coming to terms with the grief and tragedies of your past. The film could ultimately be taken as a metaphor for the future of Japan in a post-war environment. The point of the film is not to forget the tragedies of the past but more that you should remember them you should carry the spirit of the ones that you love. By doing this in a way you are allowing them to live forever. I believe that that is the ultimate message to get out of house. House is ultimately a metaphor for coming to terms grief and tragedy particularly the tragedies of the atomic bomb and how remembering the past might be hard and grief stricken but it is important in order to build a better future.