SYNOPSICS
Uzumaki (2000) is a Japanese movie. Higuchinsky has directed this movie. Eriko Hatsune,Fhi Fan,Hinako Saeki,Eun-Kyung Shin are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2000. Uzumaki (2000) is considered one of the best Drama,Fantasy,Horror movie in India and around the world.
In a small town in Japan, Kirie comes upon her boyfriend's father silently videotaping a snail. He seems unaware of her presence and she thinks no more of it. Later, the mans obsession with spirals becomes more and more bizarre, ending in his suicide in a washing machine which turn his body into a spiral. Soon other inhabitants become possesed with different forms of spirals, one student seems to be mutating into a snail, another's hair becomes strangely medusa-like. The entire town becomes possesed.
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Uzumaki (2000) Reviews
seriously creepy
A town in Japan is being taken over by a horribly brutal abstract shape: the spiral. It's becoming a theme in everything from animals to clouds to people and twisting them, mentally and literally. This film shows it happening to several groups of people. Some demonic possession is implied, but nothing is entirely sure except that the best bet is to get the heck out of dodge. The film progresses really well from normal life to abnormal phenomena (giant snails and crazy people) to the truly supernatural (walking dead). As a jaded American horror movie fan, this was just what I needed. Maybe it was just the novelty of a different culture's film, but it seemed to have a very original progression, set of characters, and the premise was definitely new. The Japanese may think "horror shapes" (uzumaki means "spiral," I'm told) are old by now, but it was nice for me because I'm used to monster/alien/virus/disaster/undead films. In an American movie, you know who's going to die (the annoying/nasty/lascivious/racist characters) and who will live (the children/heroine/dogs/cats/nice guy). That's not true in Japanese horror. It was not predictable how they would fight the evil or how it would end up. Also, it had this really new (but probably typically Japanese) color leached Pacific Northwest style cloudy day thing going, which was a fresh visual effect for me. The horrific moments were seriously creepy, relying on a little gore but mainly just impossibly overdone facial expressions (think The Ring) and body manipulations. This should be one of the greats, up there with once-original ideas like the first Nightmare on Elm Street or Night of the Living Dead.
Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel...
The residents of a small island community are slowly becoming obsessed with spirals. Young schoolgirl Kirie first notices this strange behavior when she comes across the father of her solemn boyfriend Shuichi videotaping a snail, lost in a reverie. Soon, other people begin to manifest the same strange obsession. A boy leaps to his death from a spiral staircase with a smile on his face. Shuichi's increasingly weird dad starts a spiral collection and throws a fit when they run out of spiral fishcakes for dinner. When he commits suicide by spinning himself to death in a washing machine, the investigation begins. Don't waste your time trying to fathom the mystery behind Uzumaki, just enjoy it. Or, if you must, take the few vague clues that the movie provides and come up with your own theory behind the spiral madness. References are made to an ancient cult of serpent worshippers who spent a lot of time at Dragonfly Pond. Spiraling stormclouds are seen to touch down at said pond, where a beast-god may once have lived. Offerings of ancient mirrors are unearthed from the bottom of the pond...but none of these facts are ever tied together and handed to you with the words "Reasonable Explanation" printed on the wrapping paper. It doesn't really matter anyway. As the spirals consume the cursed island, the amazing visuals rule the film: bodies twisted into tight circles, hair coiled into gravity defying spirals, eyes spinning like whirlpools, people transformed into snails. It's as though Lovecraft penned a slightly disgusting comedy, and the film feels very much like the manga comic on which it was based - colorful, exaggerated and silly, but also sick and disturbing as well. This is a beautifully shot and well acted film with some stunning effects. If you're not the type to concern yourself with sensible details and neat story lines, you may just enjoy the sheer weirdness of Uzumaki. It's a comic book come to life. Seven out of ten stars.
Intriguing Horror
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.
Twistin' time is here.
Hypnotists can use a rotating spiral to send their subjects into a trance; director Higuchinsky risks achieving the same result with his dreamlike horror movie Uzumaki, which makes very little sense and crawls along at a snail's pace. Fortunately, just like the many spirals that proliferate the film, Uzumaki is extremely twisted stuff and, with its impressive visuals and creepy atmosphere, should prove intriguing enough for fans of bizarre Japanese cinema to resist falling asleep. Eriko Hatsune plays pretty schoolgirl Kirie Goshima, who comes to realise that her home town has fallen under the influence of spirals (that's right, you read correctly.... spirals). Members of her community are becoming obsessed with the shape, which results in some downright strange behaviour and even physical transformation: there is a spate of suicides, a man loses control of his eyeballs, a girl grows medusa-like gravity defying hair, and people even turn into snails! The film is split into four chapters—Premonition, Erosion, Visitation, and Transmigration (although these titles do nothing to help explain what the hell is going on)—and each is weirder than its predecessor; by the end of the final chapter, almost nothing has been resolved, but viewers will at least have been treated to some very memorable scenes of Asian weirdness, a couple of unexpected, gory deaths, and some subtle subliminal whorls hidden amongst the action to keep sharper-eyed viewers happy. 5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
Bizarre and entertaining.
"Uzumaki" takes place in a small Japanese rural town,where people are going mad.They go nuts over vortexes and spirals.The crisis is getting worse,because people are turning into snails and vortexes appear everywhere."Uzumaki" has to be one of the most bizarre and original horror movies I have seen.The plot is really clever and the gore scenes are really funny as the film doesn't takes itself too seriously."Uzumaki" is wonderfully photographed and the use of colors is top-notch.The characters are likeable and there is enough shocking surprises to satisfy fans of Japanese horror.Despite of some hilarious scenes,the overall tone of this film is pretty dark."Uzumaki" is not as good as "Ringu","Ju-on" or "Audition",but if you like Japanese horror movies you won't be disappointed.7 out of 10.