Sweet Home

This Japanese film, loosely inspired by POLTERGEIST, has some great scenes of eye-popping horror action, rendered by Dick Smith (of THE EXORCIST fame). The bulk of the film, however, seems to drag tremendously in comparison to these scenes; maybe I'm poisoned by Hollywood pacing, but I don't think so. Worthwhile viewing for fans of Japanese horror, but not a masterpiece.

You can't talk about Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Sweet Home without mentioning that it would later go on to inspire the Resident Evil series and is primarily the reason we have the survival horror genre as we know it today. It's a film whose reputation proceeds it, partly due to the fact it has had no official release since it was VHS, thus has been confined to relative obscurity and infamy because of this. I did manage to track down a Blu-ray release of this although it's only an upscale from a seemingly forgotten DVD source, but it's better than nothing. I get very strong Hausu vibes from Sweet Home with its female perspective at centre stage, with the maternal strength they possess. Despite being an early Kiyoshi Kurosawa picture, he nails the feel of what I can only describe as a Japanese take on The Evil Dead, even if the pacing is a little wonky. But when coupled with the pretty gruesome effects work, makeup and awesome synth score by Masaya Matsuura, Sweet Home has enough visual madness to cut through the muddy picture quality.

This is a fun movie directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and produced by Juzo Itami, who also appears in his last acting role as an Early Times whiskey-swilling mysterious good 'ol boy alongside wife and frequent star Nobuko Miyamoto. In the doc Building the Inferno from Criterion's 'Jigoku' disc, Kiyoshi Kurosawa mentions that he tried to get Jigoku's production designer Haruyasu Kurosawa to work on Sweet Home.

It's a shame that didn't happen, however it still has fx by Dick Smith and Kazuhiro Tsuji. But don't let those names fool you, it is not an art-house film for the international market but an atmospheric pop flick. They manipulate shadows and use practical fx in a manner that suggests an appreciation for Bava, particularly in one sequence involving a medieval poleaxe and a wheelchair.

The movie was made concurrent to the Famicom game of the same name by Resident Evil/Biohazard game designer Shinji Mikami. This is a key film in the development of the survival horror genre, so why is it only available on unsubbed VHS or crappy DVD-Rs of the old VSoM tape? There were major cuts and reshoots by Itami following the release of Kurosawa's theatrical cut, shaping it into a more commercially viable film. So Toho has that cut locked away, and following Itami's suicide and Kurosawa's relative success as a very different sort of storyteller there is probably little economic motive to release either cut in a restored version.

It's a delightful bit of trivia to learn that 'Sweet home' had a companion release in 1989 in the form of a videogame by Capcom, effectively serving as the origin of the acclaimed 'Resident evil' series. The very premise alone suggests "survival horror," and as the film progresses, one most definitely can see how it became a source of inspiration. More importantly, though - putting aside that kernel of knowledge, from the very beginning this is fantastically captivating, and it only ever gets better.

I immediately love the great attention obviously given to set design and decoration, costume design and characters' appearances, and instant, gathering uneasy atmosphere. Outstanding use of lighting and shadow, effects, camerawork including unconventional angles and fetching shots, sound design, and set pieces cement that atmosphere even before events truly begin to pick up. The art direction and production design is phenomenal; filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa has clearly assembled a highly experienced, expert crew, and all the effort readily pays off.

Well-rounded and diverse characters are portrayed a bit ham-handedly in early scenes of exposition, and that slant is echoed in all aspects including composer Masaya Matsuura's score. But initial playfulness shifts deftly as eerie incidents begin to manifest, and the music lends much to the disquieting ambience, building excitement, and acutely jarring moments. Likewise - it would require an overabundance of words to expound on all the ways in which the cast excels, but suffice to say that all involved dexterously keep in step with the shift in tone, and masterfully realize their roles with marvelous range, nuance, and physicality. Every meticulous detail and delicate touch in the film's craft is fully and ably employed in the execution of a feature at once greatly suspenseful, unsettling, and yet most definitely fun.

Some horror movies take so long to move towards disturbing and frightful imagery that the viewer feels a bit bereft. In that vein, 'Sweet home' takes its time to advance toward concrete dread and terror such that the narrative flow feels perfectly natural. To my pleasure, however, it's so intent on eliciting visceral reaction that the majority of the runtime fulfills our craving for the genre instead of just setting up the course of events. What we get is more fiercely realized exercise of all those elements that had already initially impressed. Visual and practical effects, makeup, lighting, and props are all employed with exquisite results, including considerable blood and gore. Truthfully, the concept and design of most instances of the horror-laden specifics remind of the work of John Carpenter (a tall comparison if ever there were one). Fear is subjective, but scenes are unquestionably chilling, jolting, wonderfully unnerving, and at times genuinely horrifying.

At that - while the film's focus is certainly on horror, Kurosawa's skill as a writer squarely matches his eye as a director. The screenplay is magnificent in every regard - strong characterizations, dialogue, scenes, and an absolutely solid overall narrative, with turns and surprises that feel as vividly alive as the Mamiya mansion and all within. At its absolute core 'Sweet home' may be a haunted house flick, but it's a grave mistake to dismiss it as just another slice of spooky goings-on in an old home - this is so, so much more than the root premise portends.

I excitedly sat to watch with marginally high expectations but no meaningful foreknowledge, and I've been totally blown away. This is utterly exceptional. I claim no perfect knowledge, but in my opinion this is one of the very best horror movies I've ever seen, and I'm flabbergasted that from where I stand it seems to be such a comparatively obscure title. In my mind it at least stands toe to toe with the very best horror that the storied US or British film industries have ever had to offer, and I firmly believe it far exceeds most genre pictures one could name.

I could continue but I'd start repeating myself and exhausting the thesaurus. Kiyoshi Kurosawa has made a riveting, nearly unrivaled treasure of horror. Anyone who enjoys this type of movie needs to watch it immediately. There's little more to be said; this gets my utmost, profound recommendation: 'Sweet home' is a masterpiece.

This film was made into a game by Capcom for the Japanese Nintendo system in 1989. This game was also called Suito Homu (Sweet Home in English). This led to another game in 1996 called RESIDENT EVIL! So, a whole genre of video games (called Survival Horror) traces back to this movie and its game! That's the main reason I give it a 10.

Almost everything about the Resident Evil games was drawn from "Sweet Home!" There are monsters, it's set in a mansion, you are fighting for the lives of your team members while trying to solve a mystery, and you are collecting keys, weapons and other items are you investigate the place.

For more info on this, check WIKIPEDIA.ORG under "Sweet Home" and my books,"The Sweet Home of Resident Evil" and "Resident Evil is Snapping at your Heels" on LULU.COM.