House of Sayuri – Review | Fantasia (4/5)

HOUSE OF SAYURI is a new Japanese horror movie with a ghost story. Definitely one of the better J-Horror movies for me as it differs from the stereotypes. Screening at Fantasia 2024. Read our full House of Sayuri movie review here!

HOUSE OF SAYURI is a Japanese horror movie screening at Fantasia 2024. With its supernatural plot featuring a ghost story, it may sound like many other J-Horror movies from the past many decades.

However, I was happy that it managed to surprise me in many ways. In fact, it reminded me of a few South Korean movies as this one surprises and challenges the typical plot of a girl with long black hair who crawls around haunting people.

Continue reading our House of Sayuri movie review below.

From happiness to tragedy

House of Sayuri has an opening scene that immediately sets the dark and sinister tone. Then there’s a time jump and the vibe is lighter and brighter, but that opening scene will stay with you as a warning.

We meet the Kamiki family as they move into their dream house and fulfill a lifelong dream. After years of savings and sacrifice, the tight-knit Kamiki family of seven, now manages to move all three generations into one big house.

It’s a house in the countryside and it’s a bit old, but the bones are good and they can move in without having to do any work on the house. The problem with this house is the vengeful ghost of a murdered girl.

A lot of death

I don’t want to spoil the plot of House of Sayuri, but it should come as no surprise that many people will die in this movie. Also, it’s a revenge story, so obviously we need to see what the avenger is seeking revenge for.

This is where a very dark and realistic story comes into play. It is brutal and shown extremely well. Heartbreaking and direct without compromising any of the characters.

What does lighten the mood is that the sweet, dementia-ridden grandmother has moments of clarity that help the big family. She refuses to let a ghost bully them out of their dream house but also recognizes that the ghost needs help.

I could easily see this movie getting a US remake. Or a Spanish-language remake. It would be awesome!

House of Sayuri screening at Fantasia 2024

I was surprised that House of Sayuri comes from the J-horror veteran Koji Shiraishi. He has made many classics including some more silly such as Sadako vs. Kayako, but also the found-footage movie Noroi: The Curse.

This one is quite different in many ways and has a very dark story at the heart of its mystery. Maybe because it’s based on a lesser-known manga by Rensuke Oshikiri. The most famous work of his would be “Hi Score Girl”.

I loved that this is essentially a revenge story with several surprising twists. In the PR material, it’s noted that “Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it always tastes better when served by grandma” which is perhaps the best description of it.

This House of Sayuri review is part of our Fantasia 2024 coverage.

Details

Director: Koji Shiraishi
Writers: Mari Asato, Rensuke Oshikiri, Koji Shiraishi
Cast: Ryoka Minamide, Fusako Urabe, Kitaro