The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)

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Based on a novel by James Hardiman, this routine haunted-house scenario is enhanced a bit by its lush Eastern setting. The story opens in an elaborate Kyoto abode, wherein a cuckolded samurai brutally murders his wife and her lover before committing ritual seppuku. Their restless spirits remain… More Based on a novel by James Hardiman, this routine haunted-house scenario is enhanced a bit by its lush Eastern setting. The story opens in an elaborate Kyoto abode, wherein a cuckolded samurai brutally murders his wife and her lover before committing ritual seppuku. Their restless spirits remain trapped in the house until the present, where the story continues with an American couple (Edward Albert and Susan George), the house's newest owners, whose minds soon begin to fall under the ghosts' powerful psychic influence. After the arrival of a family friend, visiting diplomat Doug McClure, a curious re-enactment of the original tragedy unfolds, and even the intervention of a Buddhist monk (Henry Mitowa) fails to dispel the evil. The filmmakers seem more concerned with the sex than horror, as indicated by frequent nudity (particularly from George) and numerous sweaty clinches, paying short shrift to the great potential offered by the Asian setting -- an aspect only hinted at in the Buddhist exorcism scenes. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi