Months before I started this film blog, I recorded a podcast on Sweet Home (1989). It’s a relatively obscure Japanese horror movie from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa with one particular claim to fame: there’s a Famicom game (that’s the Japanese version of the NES, Nintendo’s first console) also titled Sweet Home based on the film. That game essentially kicks off the “survival horror” genre, with developer Capcom going on to create the far more famous Resident Evil / Biohazard series; the first Resident Evil, set in a dilapidated mansion, takes a lot of inspiration from Sweet Home.

In the podcast, I discuss with my co-host how the film doesn’t quite live up to my expectations, and apparently it isn’t all that close to the game it shares a title with, either. Even so, it’s a quick look into Japanese horror movies before Ringu, released several years later, would come to dominate the genre. There are even some impressive – or at least impressively grotesque – special effects to look out for. It’s not the best movie, but I have a strange soft spot for it, and if you’ve any interest in Resident Evil it’s worth checking out this odd bit of pre-history for the series.

Sweet Home / スウィートホーム (Suwīto hōmu)

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Japanese Release Date: 21st January 1989

Version Watched: 100 min