Ravaged House-Zoroku s Disease

Infection - This is the second of Hino Hideshi s Theater of Horror series that I have watched, and I was very impressed. The first, Boy from Hell, was an amateurish selection shot on digital video with cheap special effects that bordered on laughable. This next entry, The Ravaged House, is a professional adaptation that does a much better job of capturing Hino s unique brand of horror.In the story, a young man is struck down by a mysterious and unexplained infection that completely transforms and ravages his body. His parents, ashamed and scared of what has become of their son, hide him away inside the house. Only his loving sister is still loyal, defending him against curious villagers and their own father, who thinks killing the son is the easiest solution. Like all of Hino s work, the genre is grotesque rather than horror, and always twinged with sadness. The transformation of the brother is almost Kafkaesque, as he goes from strong and brave youth to malformed and stinking monstrosity. One sympathizes with the father, who just wants to end it, and with the town people, who are afraid of an outbreak.At only 65 minutes, The Ravaged House is not really a movie in its own right. I believe the Theater of Horror series may have originally been a TV series, each with a different director. After watching The Boy from Hell, I was somewhat put off of them, but my faith has been restored with The Ravaged House, and I will try and delve further into Hino s world.