Creepy, Bizarre Fun From Koji Shiraishi

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Japanese director Koji Shiraishi is a master of bizarre and off-kilter tone. Whether his found footage classic Noroi: The Curse, Sadako Vs. Kayako, or the Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi films, Shiraishi has demonstrated not only a mastery of horror, but a mastery of comedy meant to destabilize and confuse the viewer. His latest film House of Sayuri is no exception. But instead of found footage aesthetics, Shiraishi opts for sleek cinematography and traditional narrative filmmaking to create a film that begins as your typical haunted house story but evolves into something much more unexpected and bizarre.

The Kamikis are so excited: after years of saving, they can finally buy a house in the countryside big enough for the whole family. Made up of Akio (Zen Kajihara), wife Masako (Fusako Urabe), daughter Keiko (Kokoro Morita), sons Norio (Ryoka Minamide) and Shun (Ray Inomata), Grandma (Toshie Negishi) and Grandpa (Kitaro), this family is very close and not afraid to rib one another. Mealtimes are jovial as they make jokes and share their days. But, that familial bond is tested as something sinister begins showering the family with horrendous misfortune.

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The film’s shocking first half is a harrowing and upsetting haunted house film full of shocks and well-crafted scares. Just when you think the family has caught a break, something else horrendous happens. Even with dark humor sprinkled throughout, Shiraishi is putting his horror master cap on to deliver what would be expected from a Ringu or Ju-On: The Grudge. But then, the second half becomes something else entirely, almost a buddy comedy as Norio and his grandmother train to get revenge against the ghost that haunts their home.

This tonal shift is indeed jarring but also endearing. Shiraishi leans into the sudden move from darkness to levity, never really stumbling when it comes to such a big swing. The director is no stranger to big shifts in his films and House of Sayuri may be one of his biggest, and most successful, to date.

The stand-out of House of Sayuri is Negishi’s performance as Grandma. Think the Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle but placed in the context of supernatural revenge. If it sounds ridiculous, it is! But it fits within the earnestness of House of Sayuri, a film that says a lot with a lot but still works. Negishi’s performance and dedication to playing the part as big and as loud as possible only add to that earnestness as well as to the film’s off-kilter sense of humor that pokes fun at our expectations for how a horror story is supposed to end.

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The biggest issue here is the film’s fatphobia, represented primarily through Sayuri’s physical appearance. It’s no secret that Japan is a notoriously fatphobic country, with the country supposedly banning obesity in 2008 (they didn’t technically make it illegal, instead the Metabo Law requires persons over a certain age to have their waistlines measured to prevent illness. Oh, and businesses with too many overweight workers can face fines.). So the visual gag of a fat, unkempt woman as the vengeful ghost is meant to be another point of comedy throughout House of Sayuri. It’s even a point of sympathy as Shiraishi reveals the ghost’s full story and tries to give the supernatural force more complexity than her physical appearance. But some of those choices are jarring through a white Western lens and may dull the narrative’s efficacy.

But overall, the latest from Shiraishi is exactly what you want from the horror director: scary, upsetting, and weirdly funny all in the same breath. While mileage may vary, this take on haunted house narratives, especially those like Ringu and Ju-On, is a horror comedy that isn’t afraid to be scary. Horror filmmakers take note, because this is how horror comedy is done.