Krazy House

Ah, how I love it when a film comes out of nowhere and turns out to be an absolute delight. I was completely unaware that Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil had been working on something new, as it turns out they'd been prepping their first international production. Krazy House has enough local talent to keep their vision clean and unfiltered, but some smart casting choices should give this film some additional global exposure. That said, I doubt it'll do much to translate their very particular style of comedy. At least fans don't need to worry they watered anything down.

Haars and van der Kuil are an interesting success story, working themselves up from virtually nothing. They started directing New Kids episodes online and are now working with renowned studios like XYZ and Prime co-producing their movies. It's their unique sense of comedy (it helps being aware of popular Dutch culture, though not doing so may in fact add an extra layer of absurdity) that made New Kids a roaring success, and propelled the boys into the world of film. It's a move I'm glad they made since I don't do TV.

Krazy House is a spoof of 90s US sitcoms, the kind that were everywhere growing up as a kid in the lowlands. Think Full House and Married with Children, only mixed with some absurd genre elements that reminded me of Kevin Smith's more recent work. It's an explosive cocktail that gave the directors the freedom to explore just about anything they felt like while having a good laugh in the process. People looking for something sane and straightforward will no doubt find themselves trapped in a personal hell, but fans of the duo can look forward to a pretty unhinged adventure.

The Christians are a devoted, God-loving, American family living in a 90s sitcom world. Bernie is the clumsy father of the family, living with his hard-working wife, his two ungrateful children, and a loving dog. After messing up the kitchen and failing to fix things himself, he calls on a couple of Russian handymen to come and help him out. The men accept the job, but they end up making an even bigger mess of the place. It appears they're looking for something hidden inside the house, and the longer they stay, the more they get involved in the lives of the Christians.

Because of the set limitations (these shows were usually filmed in studio lots), the directorial duo relies on some cinematographic trickery to add a bit of visual appeal. The start of the film is shot in ugly 4:3 sporting drab, washed-out colors to mimic the look of these shows. Later on we switch to a more cinematic aspect ratio, the lighting on set becomes moodier and there are even some stylized black-and-white flashback scenes. The result is a film that looks way better than expected, at times even using the cinematography for an extra layer of comedy.

One of the most notable (and grating) parts of the sound design is no doubt the laugh track that runs underneath the first third of the film. In combination with some grotesquely cheap music, it perfectly captures and accentuates the cringe levels of the 90s sitcom. In the second half the score and sound design become moodier, as the vibe of the film takes a 180° turn. It's a very capable score, not too present or leading, but adding atmosphere and comedy where possible. Also bonus points for the Russians listening to some oldskool gabber while doing their job.

Probably the biggest difference with their previous films is the international cast. It's mighty cool having actors like Nick Frost and Jan Bijvoet on the team, though it does mean that you won't be seeing any exaggerated Dutch characters. It comes with the territory, as this is a spoof of a predominantly US phenomenon, but I wouldn't have minded just one Dutch weirdo for old time's sake. Other notable appearances come from Alicia Silverspoon and Gaite Jansen, but the entire cast seemed to be well aware of the type of film they were making.

The start is a bit of a mindfuck, as Haars and van der Kuil keep things relatively close to the original material. It's cringe comedy at its purest, which might not be for everyone. Once the Russians make their way into the show the comedy becomes more overt and in-your-face, building up to a rather manic finale. Mind you some of the humor is quite dark and insensitive, so if you're triggered by that kind of entertainment you may want to think twice before sitting down for this. Krazy House is a film that thrives on Dutch brashness and doesn't pull any punches.

It's not often that directors are able to nail their international debuts, Haars and van der Kuil did one better by upping their game and delivering their best film to date. Krazy House is a delightful descent into madness, starting out as a goofy spoof of the 90s US sitcom while continuously adding more juicy genre fun and a wicked sense of humor to create a mad genre experiment. The reception of the film has been a bit more muted than I'd expected, hopefully, this is just the start for the duo, with more internationally-supported productions in the works. Cinema needs guys like these to keep on pushing the limits. If people are really fed up with endless remakes and sequels, a film like Krazy House deserves to be celebrated just for its creativity alone.