Steven Spielberg's Jaws, a 1975 classic, revolutionized the box office and cinema with its tale of a great white shark terrorizing a New England resort town. Its success sparked a wave of imitators, from 'Piranha' to 'Mako: The Jaws of Death', creating a niche genre of shark-themed horror. Interestingly, Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 cult classic, 'House', began as a Jaws knock-off, but evolved into something entirely different. Obayashi, a TV commercial director, initially struggled to grasp the mass appeal of films, so he consulted his daughter, Chigumi, for inspiration. She envisioned a house that devours girls, and these ideas became the surreal and bizarre elements of 'House'. The film features a piano that eats teenagers, a strange mirror, a martial artist partially sucked into a ghostly dimension, a dancing skeleton, and a ghostly cat. The score, a mix of pop, fairy tale melodies, and grand stings, further enhances the film's surreal atmosphere. The documentary 'Constructing a House' reveals that the score was composed before shooting, with Asei Kobayashi playing piano pieces and Godeigo writing songs. The film's unique blend of horror and surrealism, coupled with its unexpected origins, has made 'House' a cult classic, gaining popularity in the U.S. in 2010. While Jaws is a solid film, 'House' offers a more eccentric and captivating cinematic experience, showcasing the power of creative interpretation and the unexpected twists that can arise from initial misdirection.
