8. Happiness Of The Katakuris - Takashi Miike
I know what you're thinking here, "Miike is one of the most insane directors that ever lived on planet earth! How can you possibly choose one film in which he went over the top? The man is insane!!" For those unfamiliar with Miike's work his filmography is equally prolific in output and general insanity. He belongs on this list because from viewing his films I'm not even sure he ever thinks of what a target audience might be. Some times it feels he is producing these oddities strictly for his own amusement. The reason I have chosen The Happiness of the Katakuris is just the outright creative whimsy and absurdity of it all. Miike is mostly known for violent horror tinged films with gonzo hyper stylized violence, but here he combined several competing ideas into a single film. A family comedy, zombie horror film and a Rodgers and Hammerstein style musical. The result is as charmingly deranged as a trip directly into someone's subconscious as they sleep. This is actually a complement to Miike since early film makers likened going to the movies as sharing dreams with others. The story of Happiness of The Katakuris involves a family that opens an Inn Near Mount Fuji in a remote area where no major road exist to drive there. Their first guest is a suicidal traveler who unfortunately works up his courage to commit the act. Sniffing bad publicity the family hides the body but future guests discover the deed causing more bodies to pile up until the films zany musical climax. During the entire film strange events and daft musical numbers work hard to chew up the scenery. This is a glorious example of a film maker out of control and going straight for the over the top gold medal. If you are going to see a Miike film this is one of his least violent and more creative films. In summary Miike is akin to the Hunter S Thompson of film making. His work is very stream of consciousness and seemingly audiences be damned.