Cute Devil (1982) Kawaii Akuma | Region-Free (Blu-Ray) | English Subtitles | Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi

Title: Cute Devil (1982)

Alternate Title: Kawaii Akuma

Genre: Drama Fantasy Horror

Plot Synopsis
Ryoko, a music student in Vienna, suffers a breakdown after her boyfriend dies in a car crash—she becomes convinced she has psychic powers that caused the accident. After three years in a mental hospital, she returns to Japan where her brother-in-law Koji asks her to work as a governess for Alice, his niece. Alice, now around eight, is the daughter of Koji’s sister Keiko. As Ryoko settles into her role, she starts to suspect Alice may have had something to do with the death of Ryoko’s sister Fuyuko. Strange happenings, ghost-like visions, and Alice’s increasingly disturbing behavior push Ryoko into deeper uncertainty about the boundary between grief, guilt, and something far more sinister.

Cast and Crew

• Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi

• Writers: Machiko Nasu

• Cast:

  • Kumiko Akiyoshi as Ryoko

  • Hiroyuki Watanabe as Koji

  • Tina Jackson as Alice

  • Miyoko Akaza as Keiko

  • Nao Asuka as Fuyuko

IMDb Link: Cute Devil (1982) 

Reviews from Letterboxd

1. More_Badass – ★★★★½
   “A made-for-TV Japanese remake of The Bad Seed courtesy of House’s Nobuhiko Obayashi, but between the wild pulpy tone, the lurid motivations, and the petty pint-sized evil, this felt more to me like his Orphan. Tina Jackson’s diabolical brat earns that Cute Devil title too; the holy shit opening awesomely establishes her villainous bonafides. Tragedy leads grieving sister Ryoko and the devilish Alice to collide in this intense slice of phantasmal horror weirdness. Between the cliffside house setting (rendered via increasingly moody matte paintings) and its dark secrets (revealed via ghostly visions), much of Cute Devil unfolds with a neo-Gothic vibe of sorts. One crossed with Bad Seed’s tyke slasher fun, as Obayashi has an absolute blast with the killer kid cunning and violent antics. TV movie limitations don’t stop Cute Devil from wringing a plethora of stylish fever-dream imagery or a breakneck succession of madcap developments from the premise. Gaslighting, tragic melodrama, murder, booby traps, ghosts, insane asylum, a roaring classical score, and an ending that cackles at the opportunity to update a Hays Code film for the era of unhinged ‘80s horror: it’s all here.”

2. Jaime Rebanal – ★★★★
   “Wouldn’t have guessed at first that this was a movie made for television, but that might just be a testament to Nobuhiko Obayashi’s skill as a filmmaker. Every moment of this feels creepy, but it’s inviting—almost like we’re made to rethink the nature of a very comfortable setting when we realize circumstances might be a bit too perfect. Not an unfamiliar setting for a horror movie, but considering the fact that Cute Devil is indeed a television remake of The Bad Seed, it also feels like Obayashi is sticking closely to attaining the same theatrical feeling, down to the usage of classical music. It all works, because this all plays out like great melodrama, too. And at times, it’s also just very moving.”

3. Sci-Fi Wasabi – ★★★☆☆
   “Pretty much Japanese girl Damien except with a fraction of the budget. Master Obayashi helms this made-for-TV horror romp about Alice, a disturbed child and her fresh outta the looney bin aunt, Ryoko, who comes to stay with them (who’s actually the most sane person in the movie). I was immediately all-in after laughing my ass off at the first kill, that looked like someone shot a life-sized dummy out of a window with so much force that I honestly thought Alice had telekinetic powers. Loved how soap opera dramatic it became at times, especially when mother would suddenly slap the shit out of Alice, before reverting to her stoic self like nothing happened. The pervert with the anime sound effect yo-yo was also a hoot. Nowhere close to peak Obayashi, but a passable 94min romp. They play the ‘Comin’ Thro’ the Rye’ melody, also known as ‘Common Frae the Town’, which was a jingle I recognised from Swing Girls during the crosswalk scene, as the crosswalks in that prefecture play that tune (for blind people) and it’s replayed several times throughout this flick.”

4. Jordan – ★★★★
   “New obsession formed. Obayashi’s made-for-TV “horror” film is more entertaining, hilarious, spirited, and inventive than 99.9% of the industry. The amount of music blaring over literally the entire movie is a hilarious choice that makes its amped up evil-child plot pure hyperbole. Goodbye anybody I’ve ever claimed to revere – Obayashi has taken your place. I’m about to destroy his filmography like no other.”

5. Xander Red Ramen – ★★★★½
   “Another hidden gem. This evil killer kid tv-movie was so in-your-face, fast paced, stylish and absurd from start to finish- I was never bored!”

Meta Description:
Made for Japanese television in 1982, Cute Devil blends psychological horror, gothic atmosphere, and dark family secrets as a troubled music student returns home, haunted not just by her guilt, but by a young niece whose behavior suggests something truly evil is at play