Overview: A family moves to the country to run a rustic mountain inn when, to their horror, the customers begin befalling sudden and unlikely fates.

Blu ray Verdict: So, in an effort to keep the Katakuri family together and happy, Masao (Kenji Sawada) opens a guest house in a secluded mountain area. Unfortunately, the first guest lacks clothes and apparently a reason to live, and kills himself. In a panic, the family sings, dances, and buries the body in the forest. The next guests are a sumo wrestler and his underage girlfriend, who both cark it while getting - ahem - intimate. Such a rising body count will test the Katakuri family's unity and their ability to break into impromptu song and dance numbers.

I was under the impression that 'Happiness of the Katakuris' was a zombie musical (like 'Battlefield Baseball'). Zombies only appeared in one scene in 'Happiness of the Katakuris' and yet the lack of zombies didn't disappoint me at all. Miike proves just how versatile his insanity is by directing something insane, yet far away from his standard fare. We get dancing zombies in one scene, a very strange claymation scene that seems to exist for no real purpose, and cheesy musical numbers that are well over the top. This funny and happy Miike is so much cooler than the Miike obsessed with exploding brains and unsettling torture scenes.

That said, and in conclusion, 'The Happiness Of The Katakuris' definitely has its moments of light-heartedness, laughs, and 'interesting' claymation. Very entertaining and fun. A lot of people (including myself) were cracking up in disbelief and bewilderment. Definitely see it! This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

* New High Definition digital film transfer
* Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
* Original uncompressed Stereo PCM audio
* Audio commentary by director Takashi Miike
* The Making of the Katakuris - An original documentary from the film's production featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the cast and crew
* Interviews with the Katakuris cast members Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida, Tetsuro Tanba and Miike
* Animating the Katakuris - A look at the creation of the film's stop motion effects with animation director Hideki Kimura and Miike
* Trailer and TV Spots
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
* Booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Johnny Mains and a re-printed interview with Miike conducted by Sean Axmaker, illustrated with original stills

MVD Entertainment Group first announced the distribution of Arrow Video (UK) in North America with a host of cult titles receiving deluxe treatment in video, audio, supplements and artwork. The original launch titles were: 'Day of Anger,' 'Blind Woman's Curse,' and 'Mark of the Devil.'