Uzumaki (Japan/2000), directed by Higuchinsky
Review written by Gauntgirl, 2001
Uzumaki is an absolutely adorable film - think of it as the Sanrio of horror films (for those of you not up on your Japanese culture, Sanrio is the company responsible for the Hello Kitty phenomenon). Hello-Kitty-horror may not be for everyone, but for those who love their anime and manga (yours-truly included), Uzumaki is a delight. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Uzumaki is based on the popular manga by Junji Ito. You can read an interesting interview with Junji Ito about horror comics at Pulp-mag.com.
Uzumaki is the story of a town manipulated by spirals. The story's young heroine, Kirie, inexplicably seems to be one of the only people in town who isn't directly affected by the spirals. However, her best friend, Shuichi, isn't so lucky. Shuichi's father is the first to develop the spiral affliction. He becomes so obsessed with every spiral and spinning surface he sees that he is eventually compelled to climb inside the washing machine where he dies a 'twisted' death. Shuichi's mother and Shuichi himself aren't far from the spiral's spell. In fact, the spiral is slowly pulling everyone into its influence. This spiral force isn't fully explained in the film, although is does seem to have something to do with its power to draw attention into it, therefore those most susceptible to spirals are those who most want attention. There are hints that the town's curse is connected to some ancient mysticism. A reporter enters the story with information about an ancient religion involved in worshiping snakes and mirrors, and their connection to the town's lake. But, alas, he is killed off before he gets the chance to explain what the hell is going on.
This is not a film that you watch for the plot, at least not if you don’t speak Japanese. There are several moments in this film where it becomes evident that something was seriously lost in the translation – both language translation and cultural translation. From a North American perspective, there’s a lot about this film that seems disjointed, like something important was left on the cutting room floor. I’m also a little disappointed that there wasn’t a real ending to this film, just a collage of funky, spiral images. Like Ring, it could be that the ending was left open for the sequel, however, I am not aware of one in the works.
I want to stress that the disjointed plot and lack of a real ending are minor points for me. There is such wonderful imagery in this film that I was swept off my feet. The characters are all very weird but very cute at the same time. Their bizarre mannerisms are often points of creepy comedy. Equally so is the popcorn-style of special effects – you know, wonderfully cheesy stop-motion. And the soundtrack is a kooky mix of Japanese pop and creepy electronic sound-scapes. Overall Uzumaki is some weird, creepy fun!
Did I mention the snail kids? They’re my favorite – slimy!
