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The Sweet House of Horrors – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1989
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Lucio Fulci, Vincenzo Mannino, Gigliola Battaglini
Cast: Jean-Christophe Brétignière, Cinzia Monreale, Lubka Lenzi, Lino Salemme, Franco Diogene, Vernon Dobtcheff, Giuliano Gensini, Ilary Blasi, Dante Fioretti, Pascal Persiano

Release Date: May 13th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 47 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"A wealthy couple in a mansion are brutally murdered, leaving their two young children in the care of their aunt and uncle. The distraught kids seek to communicate with the ghosts of their parents, but they aren't the only spirits in the building. Chaos ensues as the confused aunt and uncle try to sell the property, prompting the dead to clearly make their desires known." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2K restoration."

The Sweet House of Horrors comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.9 GB

Feature: 24.8 GB

The source looks excellent; this film has never looked better on home media. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, and image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid. Though grain remains intact, this film was shot on 16mm, and there is an intentional soft-focus look.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Italian language tracks sound more robust. Included are English subtitles for the Italian language track and English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that subtitles can only be chosen via the audio setup menu, and they cannot be turned off while watching the main feature. Also, you cannot toggle between the two audio options while watching the main feature.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival trailer (4 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Lino Salemme (3 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Pascal Persiano (10 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jean-Christophe Brétigniere (3 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Cinzia Monreale (6 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival introduction by Cinzia Monreale (48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Gigliola Battaglini (3 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with editor Alberto Moriani titled Editing for the Masters (18 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with set designer Massimo Antonello Geleng titled Fulci House of Horrors (16 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Cinzia Monreale titled Sweet Muse of Horrors (28 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth.

Extras not carried over from the limited edition release for this standard edition release include a poster, a rigid outer box, and a CD with Vince Tempera’s original soundtrack.

Summary:

The Sweet House of Horrors is one of four made-for-television films known as The Houses of Doom. The other three films are The House of Clocks, The House of Witchcraft, and The House of Lost Souls.

A murdered couple return from the beyond to protect their children and prevent their home from being sold.

The Sweet House of Horrors opens big with the type of sequence that is synonymous with the cinema of Lucio Fulci. In this opening setup, a masked intruder is interrupted by the homeowners, and carnage ensues. Instead of trying to flee, he beats them to a pulp, puts their bodies in a car, and pushes it over a cliff, trying to make it look like an accident. This sequence is gory and vicious in its execution.

After that solid opening sequence, things take a dramatic step backwards after setting the bar so high. Though there are moments where characters are hurt and moments of mischief, nothing comes close to that opening sequence. That said, The Sweet House of Horrors leans heavily into the supernatural realm with only minimal gore.

When it comes to the performances, they have many of the same faults that The House of Clocks does, notably characters lacking depth. Another strike against the performances is the two child actors who are annoying, but not in the same way Bob from The House by the Cemetery was. Notable cast members include Lino Salemme (Demonia), who portrays Guido, the gardener, and Cinzia Monreale (The Beyond), who portrays Marcia, the aunt to the two children whose parents were murdered.

Though the narrative only clocks in at 83 minutes, there are a few lulls making it feel longer than it is. The most surprising aspect of the narrative is an unusually upbeat ending for a Lucio Fulci film. The most disappointing aspect is the special effects, which look crude and call attention to themselves. A strength is Vince Tempera’s (The Psychic) exemplary score, which does a phenomenal job reinforcing the mood; he also wrote a solid score for The House of Clocks. Ultimately, The Sweet House of Horrors is underwhelming and only recommended for Lucio Fulci completists.

The Sweet House of Horrors gets an excellent release from Cauldron Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras.