The Happiness of the Katakuris on AllMovie

One of an amazing seven features directed in 2001 by Japan's prolific shock auteur Takashi Miike, The Happiness of the Katakuris is a gleefully morbid musical comedy about a family of oddballs who open an inn in the mountains. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, none of their guests leave their rooms alive. In order to protect their business, the family resorts to burying the corpses in the backyard, but this only leads to a zombie problem. Meanwhile, the daughter falls in love with Richard, a mysterious British navy officer, who looks suspiciously Japanese but claims to be the nephew of Queen Elizabeth herself. Just when Richard bungles onto a clue that might lead him to uncover the string of disappearing guests, a nearby volcano begins rumbling to life. Propelled by musical numbers rife with movie and pop culture references, The Happiness of the Katakuris is a departure from Miike's famously gruesome thrillers.