Film: 'House' (1977)

This is really odd. It's supposed to be a horror movie, but it never quite feels like one. There's this gentle dreamlike quality to it that mutes the horror aspects in the most curious ways; afterwards I felt like I'd just watched something happy despite all the technically rather horrible deaths. I'm not sure why, really, but I enjoyed it immensely - particularly the beautiful saturated colours, which unlike many late-70s films don't feel overdone; the intense palette is really well suited to the fairy-tale nature of the piece.

Perhaps the oddest part is that, despite a few very '70s costumes, the film really doesn't feel dated at all. The special effects are very fake in a way that looks completely intentional, which makes them seem strangely modern rather than clumsy, cheap, or old-fashioned. I really liked the soundtrack, which is understated and pretty. It's kind of a baffling film, and I definitely recommend it.