Lars Von Trier’s ‘House That Jack Built’ Baits Controversy With Shocking Posters of Characters Tied Up and Contorted
Lars von Trier’s serial killer drama “The House That Jack Built” has returned to stir up controversy all over again with the release of seven teaser posters featuring slightly graphic images of the movie’s main characters tied up with their bodies contorted. Anyone who took issue with the film’s depiction of violence towards women probably won’t be thrilled with Zentropa’s marketing, which is putting its female victims’ contorted bodies front and center.
“The House That Jack Built” is Von Trier’s first release since “Nymphomaniac.” Matt Dillon stars in the title role, a man who looks back on the four murders that proved instrumental in his development as a serial killer. Jack’s victims are played by Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Sofie Grabol. Dillon joins the four women, plus Von Trier and co-star Bruno Ganz, on Zentropa’s teaser posters. The images bring to mind the controversial “Nymphomaniac” posters that depicted the main characters having orgasms.
Von Trier premiered “The House That Jack Built” at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with a polarizing response due to its graphic violence against women, children, and animals. The movie caused dozens of walkouts at its first screening and left some critics praising von Trier’s vision and others condemning it as repulsive. Von Trier personally loved the response.
“[It] made me very relaxed,” von Trier told Cineurope at Cannes about the reaction. “It’s quite important not to be loved by everybody, because then you’ve failed. I’m not sure if they hated it enough, though. If it gets too popular, I’ll have a problem. But the reception seemed just about right.”
IFC Films has U.S. distribution rights to “The House That Jack Built” but has not announced an official release date. The film is opening November 29 in Denmark, hence the release of the new teaser posters below.
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
“The House That Jack Built”
Zentropa
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