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Haruko Wanibuchi
★ Acting

Haruko Wanibuchi

Born 1945 · Tokyo, Japan · Active 1952–2013

Haruko Wanibuchi is best known for her role in the avant-garde horror film House (1977), where she embodies the eerie atmosphere that defines this cult classic. Set against a backdrop of surreal visuals and unsettling narratives, Wanibuchi's performance contributes to the film's reputation as a cornerstone of Japanese horror. With its blend of fantasy and terror, House showcases Wanibuchi's ability to navigate the bizarre, making her a significant figure in the realm of exploitation cinema.

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House

House

1977 ★ 7.4
as Ryôko Ema

In Japan, a young girl known as Gorgeous, so called for her beauty, has plans for a summer vacation with her father who had been in Italy scoring film music. Her father returns home and surprises Gorgeous by announcing she has a new stepmother, Ryoko Ema. This upsets Gorgeous, whose mother had died eight years earlier. Gorgeous goes to her bedroom and writes a letter to her aunt asking to come visit her for the summer instead. Gorgeous' aunt replies and allows her to come visit. Gorgeous invites her six friends, Prof, who is highly academic and very good at problem solving; Melody, who has an affinity for music; Kung Fu, who is athletic and especially skilled at kung fu; Mac, who is highly gluttonous and loves to eat; Sweet, who is bubbly and gentle; and Fantasy, who is a constant daydreamer, to come along with her. On arriving at the aunt's house, the girls are greeted by Gorgeous' aunt, to whom they present a watermelon. After a tour of the home, the girls leave the watermelon in a well to keep it cold. Mac later goes to retrieve the watermelon and does not return. When Fantasy goes to retrieve the watermelon from the well, she finds Mac's head, which flies in the air and bites Fantasy's buttocks before she escapes. The other girls also begin to encounter other supernatural traps throughout the house. The aunt disappears after entering the broken refrigerator, and the girls are attacked or possessed by a series of items in the house, such as Gorgeous becoming possessed after using her aunt's mirror and Sweet disappearing after being attacked by mattresses. The girls try to escape the house, but after Gorgeous is able to leave through a door, the rest of the girls find themselves locked in. The girls try to find the aunt to unlock the door but discover Mac's severed hand in a jar. Melody begins to play the piano to keep the girls' spirits up and they hear Gorgeous singing upstairs. As Prof and Kung Fu go to investigate, Melody's fingers are bitten off by the piano, and it ultimately eats her whole. Upstairs in the house, Kung Fu and Prof find Gorgeous wearing a bridal gown, who then reveals her aunt's diary to them. Kung Fu follows Gorgeous as she leaves the room, only to find Sweet's body trapped in a grandfather clock. Panic-driven, the remaining girls barricade the upper part of the house while Prof, Fantasy and Kung Fu read the aunt's diary. They are interrupted by the giant-sized head of Gorgeous, who reveals that her aunt died many years ago waiting for her fiancée to return from World War II and that her spirit remains, eating unmarried girls who arrive at her home. The three girls are then attacked by household items. Prof shouts to Kung Fu to attack the aunt's cat, Blanche. As Kung Fu lunges into a flying kick, she is eaten by a possessed light fixture. Kung Fu's legs manage to escape and damage the painting of Blanche on the wall, which in turn kills Blanche physically. The attacked Blanche portrait spurts blood, causing the room to flood. Prof tries to read the diary, but a jar with teeth pulls her into the blood, where she dissolves. Fantasy sees Gorgeous in the bridal gown and paddles towards her. Gorgeous appears as her aunt in the reflection in the blood and then cradles Fantasy. In the morning, Ryoko arrives at the house and finds Gorgeous in a classic kimono. Gorgeous tells Ryoko that her friends will wake up soon and that they will be hungry. She then shakes hands with Ryoko and burns her away to nothing. 

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Career Highlights Top 6 by popularity · TMDB

Filmography

65 credits
2010s 1 credit
2013
Neo Ultra Q as Epignoid lover
TV ★ 9.2
2000s 6 credits
2006
Angel as Cat Lady
Movie ★ 6.9
2005
One Missed Call 2 as Sachie Mizunuma
Movie ★ 6.1
2004
Heaven's Bookstore as Heaven Coffee Shop Owner
Movie ★ 5.9
2003
Movie ★ 5.9
2003
Eau de Vie as あやこ
Movie ★ 8.0
2001
Movie ★ 10.0
1990s 14 credits
1997
Movie ★ 7.0
1997
Movie ★ 4.3
1995
Movie ★ 7.2
1995
Movie ★ 7.0
1995
Movie ★ 8.0
1995
Movie ★ 8.5
1995
TV ★ 7.6
1994
N45゜ as Umbrella woman
Movie ★ 7.0
1994
Movie ★ 7.5
1992
Movie ★ 9.0
1991
Movie ★ 9.3
1990
The Legend of Zipang as Queen of Zipang
Movie ★ 5.8
1990
Movie ★ 7.0
1980s 5 credits
1989
Circus Boys as Kimie
Movie ★ 7.3
1986
South to the Horizon as Harue Tamagi
Movie ★ 7.0
1985
Scent of a Spell as Asako Yano
Movie ★ 6.0
1984
Lovely Days as Mitsuyo Iwai
Movie ★ 10.0
1970s 9 credits
1979
Devil's Flute as Akiko Tsubaki
Movie ★ 6.4
1977
House as Ryôko Ema
Movie ★ 7.3
1977
Movie ★ 7.0
1976
Jail Breakers as Yoko Kuze
Movie ★ 6.0
1976
Movie ★ 10.0
1973
Rebellion Reward as Akiko Uemura
Movie
1971
Movie ★ 7.0
1960s 25 credits
1967
Movie ★ 6.1
1967
Movie ★ 10.0
1965
Twilight of Tokyo as Ryoko Kashii
Movie
1964
Movie ★ 7.0
1964
Our Happiness Alone as Kyoko Iwama
Movie
1963
Movie ★ 9.0
1963
Movie ★ 7.0
1962
Movie
1961
Hunting Rifle as Shoko Tagi
Movie ★ 8.0
1960
Movie
1960
Movie
1950s 5 credits
1959
Movie
1959
Blind Love as Momoe
Movie
1955
Movie ★ 9.0
1952
母子鶴 as Eiko as a child
Movie