Uzumaki

Uzumaki is an entertaining film for any horror fan. True, cultural differences between Japanese and American perceptions create some difficulty in fully appreciating the horror aspects. I found some of the film slightly funny instead of scary; but it is captivating nevertheless. I believe that if I were to view more films of the genre I could fully appreciate the intent of this film, because it is skillfully done. There are subtleties that I perceived, but that did not fully impact me. I hope to see the film again soon. One reviewer lamented the want of a DVD that we can all play on our equipment. I must concur that it's a shame, because this is a film I would love to own.

The little lead actress is compelling and quite adept. Her delicate and minute facial expressions mirror her dialogue well, and this comes across even with the subtitles. I think her performance is what kept me intrigued with the film long enough to really get into it and keep watching. I recommend that if you are a horror fan, and see this film playing, take the time to see and enjoy it.

As is frequently the case when Manga is translated into live action, there is quite a bit lost in the translation. However, this remains a highly entertaining film. The premise is unusual and it is presented in the quiet, understated style so prevalent in Japanese films (ha!). The special effects are a little 70s camp but, it adds to the comic book feel of the film. I wouldn't recommend this film to everyone but, if you are familiar with (and enjoyed) other Japanese horror films like "Evil Dead's Trap", this film will appeal to you.

This film Uzumaki "The Vortex" is a pretty weird experiment in cinema and a proud part of my vast movie collection,its a strange movie about a town that gets posessed or cursed by the VORTEX damnation,A lot of people start going insane about the shapes of the spiral in the VORTEX to the point in which some choose to die by becoming a VORTEX themselves, I know that whats new is J-Horror or Japanese Horror as people know, but this film really takes the cake, it has no visible comparition to any other J-Horror movie (Ringu,etc,etc) because its a twister of twisted material for your eyes, its a nightmare from which its hard to wake up. I really recommend this film for Japanese Horror movie fans and weird movie fans like Eraserhead and stuff that plays with your mind, the movie is a little slow and has no start nor ending to the story, actually the ending is kind of stupid but the whole thing works. Check it out.Ill give it a good 9 out of 10 on Scare factor on J-Horror movies.

I happen to have read all of Junji Ito's English released manga. I watched the Tomie film and it was a big steaming pile of turd. THANKFULLY Uzumaki actually does justice to the manga. I think those who have read the manga will really appreciate this film more, as many screenshots and camera angles are exactly like in the manga and it is interesting to see how the book characters are played in the film. This film reminds me of eerie indiana. The ending differs to the manga, which I was expecting. Kirie looks like her manga counterpart, and her male friend suits the whole very well. Very creepy I have to admit, this film feels like a feverish nightmare, the kind you have when you were a kid. Not really scary at all, but freaky, if you get my drift? Another great horror from Japan, get yourself a copy.

UZUMAKI (aka: SPIRAL) is a bizarre film, in a good way. It's about a high school girl named Kirie (Erico Hatsune), who lives in a small town in Japan. Right from the outset, things begin changing around her, leading to a sort of madness and death among those in her life. There's an odd obsession with spirals that appears to enter and take total control of the mind. This is presented in a truly disturbing way.

Is it a curse? Mass insanity? Something in the atmosphere?

There are several spiral shapes, like a snail shell, a beauty salon sign, a piece of pottery, etcetera. However, as you watch, you will notice spirals where there really shouldn't be any. This messes with the viewer's head, and really ups the creep factor. While there are some gruesome parts, it's the unsettling nature of the film that makes it scary.

Having watched this, it's hard to believe that Director Higuchinsky only made one other horror movie...