Cultural ghost stories are always interesting as they try to
meld two different cultures into a seamless ghost story that entertains and
does justice to both cultures. The House Where Evil Dwells (1982) is
one of these films that manages to be both an entertaining ghost story and the
story of an American family being terrorized by a three Japanese ghost. The Fletcher family have moved into the
perfect Japanese home not knowing that it is the place where a samurai warrior
killed his wife and her lover before taking his own life. Soon the Fletchers begin to find themselves
being possessed by the Japanese spirits as they relive the moments of the
spirits’ lives before they died which leads them on a deadly course that may
have them reliving the fate of what happened to the Japanese spirits.
Edward Albert and Susan George star as husband and wife
Fletcher whose fates lie in whether or not they can break free of the Japanese
ghost before it is too late. Directed by
Kevin Connor (who directed Motel Hell)
the film is a character driven ghost story as you watch a seemingly perfect
family decay under the influence of jealous ghosts. It’s a slow, yet deliberately paced film that
still holds up thirty years later.
Albert and George are especially good as the perfect couple whose lives
fall apart due to the influence of ghosts.
Although it might seem passé for some audiences looking for
more shock value in their horror films this is a moody and atmospheric ghost
story that gets under the skin without peeling it away and showing all the
veins underneath.
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