The House Where Evil Dwells

Plot synopsis:
In 1840, in the rural and wooded hillside region of Kushiata near Kyoto, Japan, a samurai, named Shigero, comes home to find his wife, Otami, in bed with another man, named Masanori. In a violent scene, Shigero kills them both and then himself. Flash-forward to the present day, an American family of three, whom includes writer Ted Fletcher, his wife Laura, and their 12-year-old daughter, Amy, moves into this since-abandoned house and starts to experience incidents of haunting and possession. The three murdered people still haunt the house and subject each of the Fletcher family to various harassment and mischief which gets more frequent and serious with each passing day.
A Zen monk approaches Ted and tells him the story about the murders and urges him to leave the house. At the same time, Laura slowly becomes consumed by the evil presence of the three ghosts and begins an affair with Alex Curtis, a diplomat friend of Ted's whom introduced them to the house. The evil presence within the haunted house, including the ghosts briefly possessing each member of the family to do odd things, reveals that the ghosts are plotting to re-enact the mass murder-suicide so their souls could be free from the confines of the house.
The supernatural incidents becomes more frequent when Ted is nearly drowned in a lake by Otami's ghost, and the ghosts of Shigero and Masanori take the form of giant spider crabs which attack Amy one evening and it leads her to falling from a tree when she tries to escape and is forced to be sent back to America.
At the climax, Ted calls the Zen monk, who exorcises the ghosts from the house and tells them to leave by the morning, before ghosts will return. When Laura tells Ted about her infidelity with Alex, he takes it very badly and attacks her. Alex arrives at the house, whereupon the ghosts also return to the house. They possess all three of them and finally re-enact the gory confrontation from the opening scene, leading to the deaths of Alex, Laura, and Ted. The movie ends with the three ghosts leaving the house for the afterlife, and implying that the souls of Ted, Laura and Alex now haunt the cursed house in their place.

Tags: violence, cult, murder, haunting

Review:
The movie moves pretty quickly though in the middle it loses a bit of steam and it's also in the middle that the ghosts get a bit silly, but most of this can be forgiven with the uncompromising and memorable ending toping it all off.
Also there is nudity and sexual elements and the female Japanese ghost is genuinely creepy as is the dialog free opening of the film.Must be said that the existing DVD of the film has a soft looking 16 by 9 image, if you watch the full frame version the image is sharper and you see more image top and bottom, so the widescreen is just a slightly sloppy blow up of the same video master.
But it's still worth watching.Director Connor does one of his best jobs here, it's too bad that in the middle part of the film he has the ghosts run around in scooby Doo fashion, but it's a relatively short lapse in his effective film.
The daughter character is fairly poorly written and acted but that's a smallish part of the film.It's a unique ghost story it's got exploitation elements to keep you going as well.
Chock full of 70's B-television staples, House Where Evil Dwells is the perfect movie to watch while getting drunk with a bunch of friends.
It's hard to beat ghosts who must open and close doors to get in and out of the house they're haunting (silly Susan George opens the door after a monk exorcises the house and lets them all back in!) and giant attacking crabs muttering in Japanese.
And not to be missed is the last scene in which out-of-shape Doug McClure is possessed by the ghost of a Samurai and awkwardly kicks and chops at MOW stud Edward Albert (oh, Trampas!)  High camp that is sure to please..
Over a century ago a samurai kills his wife and her lover before committing suicide, so it moves to modern times where a Western family moves in to the home where it happened.
After a beautifully presented opening consisting of tragedy, this haunted house tale just never gets off the ground becoming quite uneventful (as it seems to lull about) with its lightly scripted narrative and randomly silly supernatural circumstances (rambling crabs?!).
Susan George remains pleasing, but Edward Albert and Doug McClure (who had work with director Connor many times before) are practical with their performances.
Director Kevin Connor and wannabe action-hero / romantic lead Doug McClure, re-team in this ghost story set in Japan.
Without plastic monsters to carry the narrative along though, the results are shabby and derivative in the most corny way.The film begins with a prologue set in the 19th Century, with a samurai husband killing his wife and her lover before committing suicide.
A move forward to the present introduces married couple Ted & Laura, visiting Japan and moving in to the house where the tragedy took place.No surprises as to what happens next, with the spirits of the dead starting to take over the new inhabitants with family friend Alex (McClure) assuming the role of the wife's lover.Everything rumbles clumsily along with the elegance and grace of a charging elephant, to an inevitable ( but surprisingly downbeat ) conclusion.
Main points of interest are two feeble decapitations ( 'The Omen' has a lot to answer for in promoting this as a standard horror set-piece ), and the love-making scenes featuring the doe-eyed but extremely kinky Susan George.
Anyway, every cloud has a silver lining and both scenes show of her fantastic knockers so all is not lost.Overall I can't decide whether 'The House where Evil Dwells' is rubbish, watchable rubbish, or entertaining in a masochistic kind of way.
If you're not into the genre there is nothing here at all, but for horror fans there is probably enough to provoke the odd rye smile and appreciative nod of respect for effort.BEST SCENE - in any other film the big, black, tree-climbing, Japanese-muttering mechanical crabs would have stolen the show.
I've seen much worse, actually."The House Where Evil Dwells" is a ghost story about a husband and his wife, Ted and Laura Fletcher, and their daughter, Amy, who move into an old house in Japan.
Little do they know, a Japanese ninja brutally murdered his wife and her lover, and then killed himself 100 years earlier with a samurai sword.
As strange things happen in the house, the ghosts of the previous residents begin to possess the bodies of the living, and plan on re-enacting the bloody murder that took place 100 years back.I saw this movie and decided to give it a chance, from the cover it looked like a decent ghost story.
Film starts in 1840 Japan in which a man slashes his wife and her lover to death and the commits suicide.
Ted (Edward Albert), wife Laura (Susan George) and their annoying little kid move to Japan for hubby's work.
The fight scene between Albert and Doug McClure must be seen to be believed.As for acting--Albert was OK as the husband and McClure was pretty good as a family friend.
From Doug McClure's semi-nude scene to the giant mechanical crabs, this is a must-see movie after you've seen all the really good stuff, and there's nothing else available in the video store.
This could have been interesting  a Japan-set haunted house story from the viewpoint of a newly-installed American family  but falls flat due to an over-simplified treatment and the unsuitability of both cast and director.The film suffers from the same problem I often encounter with the popular modern renaissance of such native fare, i.e. the fact that the spirits demonstrate themselves to be evil for no real reason other than that they're expected to!
Besides, it doesn't deliver much in the scares department  a giant crab attack is merely silly  as, generally, the ghosts inhabit a specific character and cause him or her to act in a totally uncharacteristic way, such as Susan George seducing diplomat/friend-of-the-family Doug McClure and Edward Albert force-feeding his daughter a bowl of soup!
However, history is bound to repeat itself and tragedy is the only outcome of the tense situation duly created  leading to a violent yet unintentionally funny climax in which Albert and McClure, possessed by the spirits of their Japanese predecessors, engage in an impromptu karate duel to the death!
After slashing his wife's throat and getting in a few more strikes on her, he commits hari kari.This is a fairly standard "awful thing happens in a house, and a new family moves in" sort of horror story, but it gets points for the location photography.
In a way, this prefigures this year's The Grudge remake, with the Americans moving into a house haunted by Japanese ghosts.An American couple and their daughter arrive in Japan.
The next morning, a zen monk politely and calmly warns them the house is haunted, and they should leave, and he will wait for them to ask for help.The ghosts start appearing, as blueish figures, shoulder-to-shoulder.
This Movie is a must for both Susan George fans and those who just love Ghost Stories.Don't be fooled by this Movie's lack of recognition by the critics, or its small budget.The Movie is introduced by a very romantic and tranquil beginning with the history of a Japanese house and a love story set in the middle of the nineteenth century that turns tragic.
The house is then bought by a married couple with one child in the present day (when the film was made) 142 years later in 1982.Slowly the film progresses, and the Viewer is not only left in suspense, but one could never imagine the shocking twist and climax that comes right at the end!Stay with this one, should you get a little bored (some impatient Viewers may do)I originally sought this Movie out for one reason; I'm a huge Susan George fan, and not because of her 'Sex Appeal'; George is so under-rated (or can be) like others of her type, who most Viewers see only as a 'Sex Pot'.
This was a surprisingly good film for a 70s style B movie with an awesome ending, and I mean awesome.
For some reason all three ghosts work together to manipulate the wife and husband leading them down a path to destruction involving the family friend.
All this manipulation from the three ghosts eventually leads to the awesome final scene.This is absolutely a corny and humorous movie because of the 70s style, the goofy low tech translucent blue ghosts, and giant crabs, but it was also a very entertaining film even before the kick ass ending.
One of the other positives of this film is that it included one or two good nude scenes along with the entertaining 70s aspects, a couple of good bloody sword scenes and the killer ending makes this a highly recommended movie to see..
Still, the opening is by far the best thing about the entire movie, as it shows how in the year 1840 a Samurai sword master catches his wife committing adultery.
Let's start with the good aspects, namely the original Japanese setting and the presence of the delicious Susan George who is my all-time favorite British horror wench (well, together with Britt Eckland, Linda Hayden and Ingrid Pitt).
So, strictly spoken, it's not really "evil" that dwells in the house; just a trio of sleazy ghosts with dirty minds and far too much free time on their long-dead hands!
"The House Where Evil Dwells" is probably the least scary ghost movie ever.
Throughout most of the running time, you'll be wondering whether director Kevin Connor (who nevertheless made the excellent horror films "Motel Hell" and "From Beyond the Grave") intentionally wanted to make his movie funny and over-the-top, like "Motel Hell" maybe.
If you ever decide to give this movie a chance notwithstanding its bad reputation, make sure you leave your common sense and reasoning at the doorstep.Trivia note for horror buffs: keep an eye open for the demon-mask that was also a pivot piece of scenery in the brilliant Japanese horror classic Onibaba..
An American family of three moves into a home in Kyoto, Japan, and find it haunted by the ghosts of an 1840s love triangle.
Anything To Do With HAUNTINGS, Such As GHOSTS Or POSSESSIONS Has Always Intrigued Me. In This Movie Especially, Because Of The Two Different Timelines Involved.
This is a rotten movie.The cast seem to know just how bad it was.it starts badly and by the end is truly bad.the acting is woeful.the script could of been written on the spot.and although the movie is a horror film it has no scary scenes.Crap 1 out of 10.
House Where Evil Dwells, The (1982) ** (out of 4) In 1840 Japan, a samurai comes home to find his wife having sex with his best friend so he kills both and them and then kills himself.
Flash forward to 1982 when an American husband (Edward Albert) and wife (Susan George) move into the house and soon start to become possessed by the trio of ghosts.
Sure enough, the wife soon ends up forced into an affair with the husband's best friend (Doug McClure).
With that said, this movie here comes as a major disappointment and I'm still scratching my head wondering why they have a pretty good story and do nothing with it.
There's no doubt that the movie is hampered by some weak acting and iffy direction but hundreds of entertaining horror films can say the same thing.
The movie runs 88-minutes and it's not until the 80-minute mark when it strikes the two that something isn't right even though they know the house is suppose to be haunted and a monk warns them and offers them help early in the film.
I wonder if the story/plot similarity between the two films can be considered as related, "The House Where Evil Dwells" (original), "The Grudge" (a remake"?; "The Grudge" is supposed to be a remake of the Japanese film "Ju-on", so maybe not).
Later after they become ghosts they must have decided to make up and be friends.The three of them haunt the house where the murders take place.
The Acting  When you see that Edward Albert, Doug McClure, and Susan George (and her teeth) are the stars of your movie, you know you're in trouble?
An American family moves into a house in Japan, haunted by samurai ghosts and giant crabs..
An unorthodox addition to the overworked 'haunted house' genre, the film's setting is Japan and the ghosts – instead of being the more typical poltergeists or what have you – are three transparent Japanese people, who run around in period gear (an idea copied by Peter Jackson for THE FRIGHTENERS) and cause spooky things to happen.
Despite a high level of predictability, this film is generally above average, thanks to some imaginative moments and surprising scenes of action and violence.The story goes that a happily married couple, Ted and Laura, move into a Japanese home dirt cheap because it's haunted.
One interesting aspect of the film is that events literally relive themselves as the ghosts possess various people and cause them to do unpleasant things.
Laura eventually ends up having an affair with friend Alex Curtis and events lead towards a predictable – but nonetheless pretty mean-spirited – conclusion in which history relives itself.The cast is familiar and helps add to the experience.
OK haunted house horror film, but nothing special..
The film opens with a peaceful shot of a traditional Japanese house complete with thatched roof that sits on the side of a small hill and an on screen caption appears that reads 'KUSHIATA KYOTO, JAPAN 1840'.
Over a century later and Ted Fletcher (Edward Albert) arrives in Japan on a working holiday with his wife Laura (Susan George) and their young daughter Amy (Amy Barrett).
And there is a scene where the Zen Monk exorcises the house and the ghosts are banished outside unable to get back in, however that is until Ted simply opens the door and they just walk right back in, some exorcism!
Writer Ted Fletcher (a solid and likable performance by Edward Albert) and his wife Laura (a fine and appealing portrayal by the ever-scrumptious Susan George) move into a house in Kyoto, Japan that turns out to be haunted by the unrestful spirits of two lovers as well as the angry man who killed both of them before committing suicide himself.Director Kevin Connor, working from an incredibly asinine script by Robert Suhosky, treats the silly premise with jaw-dropping misguided seriousness: Starting out with a breathtaking bloodbath done in balletic Sam Peckinpah-style slow motion, highlighted by such gut-busting moments as a pasty face materializing in a bowl of soup and an absurd attack by vicious giant crabs grunting in Japanese (!), and capped off by a surprisingly grim'n'gory ending, this gloriously ridiculous rubbish rates as loads of campy fun to watch.
In present day 1983, Edward Albert and Susan George move into this same house and become the victims of a haunting where the ghosts are trying to recreate the events of 1840.
Doug McClure is a family friend living in Japan who got them the house and he takes over the role of the lover.
After this scene, the whole movie becomes campy and full of unintentional humor, mostly coming from the ghosts.
For example, the ghosts are exorcised by a monk but come running back into the house when Albert opens the door.
And when Albert and McClure finally face off, the ghosts are watching them and cheering them on like they were at a wrestling match.
Just plain awful haunted house garbage has visiting American family dealing with possession in a Japanese teahouse.A disgruntled Samurai hacks up his adulterous wife and her lover with his sword after coming home to them in sexual embrace.
Their bad karma keeps them in a ghostly form of limbo so they try to pit American husband Ted(Edward Albert), British wife Laura(Susan George)and their US American Ambassader pal Alex(Doug McClure)into an ugly re-staging of the events that has imprisoned them hoping to release the chains that bind them.
One obvious example is a fairly early scene where the male lead visits a temple after realizing that his house is haunted as the monk had earlier warned.
I don't think anyone sitting down to view this film would be expecting anything remotely appearing like a classic ghost story but you have to ask yourself when it's over if you were ever scared.
Story is about an American couple who travel to Kyoto, Japan so that Ted Fletcher (Edward Albert) can write a book and he brings along his wife Laura (Susan George) and their daughter Amy (Amy Barrett).
Their friend Alex Curtis (Doug McClure) who works at the American Consulate helps them find a house to live in and he finds one that is haunted.
About 140 years earlier in the same house a Samurai found his wife cheating on him and he kills both of them and then commits suicide.
Their ghosts still inhabit the house and when the Fletcher's arrive it doesn't take long before strange things start happening.*****SPOILER ALERT*****At times the ghosts inhabit the bodies of the Fletcher's and they start to act like the Japanese people that they were before and Laura starts to flirt with Alex which leads to an affair.
Unfortunately the ghosts get Ted, Laura, and Alex to play out their death scene like it happened 140 years earlier.This film was directed by Kevin Connor who is known as a good television director but he has made horror and science fiction films before and has worked with McClure on some of them.
This isn't a bad film but it's never convincing and watching the ghosts scurry around when the Monk gives an exorcism is practically worthy of a giggle or two.