Guelph Film Society

"It is said that Kurosawa's original cut still exists, locked away in a Toho camera, but the director has publicly disowned the current version, which essentially has the tone of a Japanese version of 'Poltergeist' (1982) but as if Dario Argento had been involved in the filming; at times, the use of shadows even recalls a Mario Bava film.

[...]

Although far removed from Kurosawa's cold, patient, and more suggestive suspense and horror films, 'Sweet Home' is not only a fascinating rarity, but also serves as a missing link between the early Kaidan films and the American influence on the later explosion of J-Horror following 'Ringu'. It's an anomaly that surpasses many productions of the era in special effects, boasts lavish production values, a distinctly melancholic atmosphere, and spectacular monsters. One could hardly ask for more from a lost film." Jorge Loser (Espinof)

"As can be judged from the synopsis, Sweet Home is hardly a shining example of cinematic innovation. Kurosawa and Itami doubtlessly went for box office appeal, resulting in a conventionally structured script echoing Robert Wise’s 1963 genre milestone The Haunting (though with an interesting female-centered narrative revolving around the strength of the mother-daughter bond). Luckily they also realized that in order to pull in the crowds, they had to give audiences bang for their buck. So while all the elements and clichés of the genre are firmly in place (with Itami himself as the token hermit with the mysterious past), the thrills, chills and special effects (courtesy of American make-up fx master Dick Smith, of The Exorcist fame) come thick and fast. Kurosawa keeps the camera moving, employs fast yet effective editing, and strikes a nice balance between the use of garish colours and ominous shadows." Tom Mes (Midnight Eye)

Emi: Some things in life aren't fair, but there's also a lot of pleasant moments.

***

[Steve]

ahoy folks, i literally just thought of doing a discussion on SWEET HOME by the great horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa while watching a video essay on the original BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL (1996) video game, so forgive the abruptness of this Absurdist interlude. with the release of yet another RESIDENT EVIL film adaptation this Friday (by the great Zach Cregger... *squeeeee*), i thought it would be neat to explore the series' roots.

Enter the survival horror...

some much needed context: SWEET HOME was simultaneously released as a film and video game back in 1989 (the film distributed by Toho and video game by Capcom). both the film and video game were financial successes, although their artistic merit is debatable, with fans and critics going both ways in terms of favourability. SWEET HOME the video game is often considered the first of the survival horror genre; RESIDENT EVIL is considered to be the first to perfect what would become standard within the subgenre.

flash forward to 1993, a young video game developer named Shinji Mikami (considered to be the godfather of survival horror nowadays) sought to remake SWEET HOME with the upcoming release of the then boundary-pushing Playstation game console. production began on what inevitably became RESIDENT EVIL (titled BIOHAZARD in the game's native Japan) to which the game saw its initial release in 1996.

all you need to know about RESIDENT EVIL: the game follows a bizarre string of murders in the Arklay Mountains, in which victims have been discovered partially eaten. a special police unit called S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) visit said area, and through a pleasant interaction with rabid dogs, are forced to seek refuge inside the mysterious Spencer Mansion.

it's here that the S.T.A.R.S. team discover far more than they anticipated. RESIDENT EVIL features various bioweapons lurking down dimly lit corridors, which the player must either dispose of or carefully avoid depending on available resources. the team must also solve obtuse puzzles to unlock new areas of the mansion, in hopes of uncovering the truth about what's really going on with this viral outbreak and ultimately escape with all their limbs intact.

from the few clips i've seen, SWEET HOME is a bit on the goofy + schlocky side, but overall looks like a fun riff on the haunted house subgenre (ala HOUSE by Nobuhiko Obayashi). we've only explored PULSE (2001) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa for GFS, however previous experience with his films and the RESIDENT EVIL franchise are not required for this Meetup.

i'll share a couple videos on SWEET HOME/RESIDENT EVIL later this week in the comments section to shed more light on what's become one of the more successful franchises across both the East and West.

***

join us this Sunday, September 20 at 10am at the Red Brick Cafe for our one-off celebration of (hopefully... finally?!... a decent) RESIDENT EVIL [adaptation] and its not-so-humble inspiration.

you can stream SWEET HOME for free here:

"The extreme nature of the gore isn't beside the point - it is the point. Raimi goes so far over the top in presenting these displays that they take on a campy, almost humorous appearance. It's impossible to take all this blood seriously. So, instead of being sickened, we're strangely amused - and this is all intentional." James Bernardinelli (ReelViews)

"Then the carnage comes, and when it does, it delivers on all promises and more, with a parade of gushing wounds, demonic howls, and oceans of gore which approach the line of good taste, toe it, then gleefully dance across." Zack Handlen (The A.V. Club)

"Effective scares, respectful nods to its inspiration and a few new twists make the question of whether this new Evil Dead succeeds in matching its inspiration superfluous. This is one remake that succeeds on its own blood-soaked terms." Ian Buckwalter (NPR)

"Alvarez triumphs because he made one crucial decision: Avoid digital animation and use only practical in-camera special effects. He uses every trick from classic Hollywood and invents a few of his own." Tirdad Derakhshani (Philadelphia Inquirer)

*****

Shelly: Why does she keep making those horrible noises?

Ash: I don't know!

Shelly: Look at her eyes. Look at her eyes! For God's sake, what happened to her eyes?

*****

Abomination Mia: I will feast on your soul!

Mia: Feast on this, motherfucker.

*****

[Steve]

ahoy folks. and now for something completely different. welcome to Classics + Remakes month! we'll be exploring some cult/indie classics that changed the face of horror cinema. i thought it would be interesting to contrast horror classics with their remake counterparts, especially films that made significant or noticeable changes to their original incarnations.

first up is the classic campy, low-budget horror debut THE EVIL DEAD by the acclaimed American writer/director Sam Raimi. a combination of supernatural horror, possession, gorno/splatter, and cabin-in-the-woods subgenres, THE EVIL DEAD is considered by some to be one of the earliest comedy-horror films. Raimi, however, has gone back and forth on the intentionality of the comedic elements with this initial entry, often changing his mind publicly about the film's intended genre.

a group of five twenty-something university students head out to a cabin in the woods for a little weekend getaway. as they approach the cabin, one bad omen after another presents itself, which they shrug off as merely momentary setbacks. little do they know, they're about to awaken some serious evil via the Naturom Demonto, aka the Book of the Dead.

filled with cheap practical effects, spooky demonic possessions, some truly inventive camera work, co-edited by then unknown Joel Coen of the soon-to-be-well-known The Coen Brothers, and the birth of one of horror cinema's most memorable heroes, THE EVIL DEAD delivers on all fronts, even if it's a little cheesy and campy at times (err, most of the time).

*****

EVIL DEAD, however, is an entirely different beast. the premise is essentially the same, but the overall tone and presentation are significantly altered. with a much higher budget and three decades of sensibility shifts, EVIL DEAD is the darker, more metal version that Raimi always intended to make.

much like Raimi himself, Uruguayan writer/director Fede Alvarez also made his debut with an EVIL DEAD film. this updated remake was produced by Raimi and THE EVIL DEAD star Bruce Campbell, who both gave their blessings to Alvarez's vision and we're on set overseeing the production.

with some minor and major character changes, a timely allegory added in that plays out surprisingly tastefully, and possibly the highest amount of fake blood ever used on-screen (an estimated 70,000 gallons/ 260,000 litres!), EVIL DEAD lives up to its name and then some.

*****

we'll continue Classics + Remakes month with THE FLY (1958) by Kurt Neumann + THE FLY (1986) by David Cronenberg on October 25, and conclude with RINGU (1998) by Hideo Nakata + THE RING (2002) by Gore Verbinski on November 1.

hopefully you'll JOIN US for our first Groovy discussion on Sunday, October 18 at 10am at the Red Brick Cafe.