Spiral

Name: Spiral
Genre: Horror
Released: May 1, 2002
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 62

2002

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Discotek Media | Release Date: May 1, 2002

Summary: A horror film about the residents of a small Japanese village that become obsessed with spiral-shaped objects.

Director: Higuchinsky

Genre(s): Horror

Runtime: 90 min

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Critic Reviews

Kim Morgan

It's creepy, but it's not horrifying. Still, the movie has its distorted, haunting moments that will stick with you, and it's stunning to look at. Read full review

Sean Axmaker

A mix of H.P. Lovecraft madness, David Cronenberg biological mutation and David Lynch small-town weirdness, it teasingly dangles explanations never delivered and escapes never sought, while diving into one of the most gonzo horrors to twist onto celluloid in years. Read full review

Ross Williams

Unfortunately, this horror gem won't even receive the same fate as a crappy "Children of the Corn" sequel, that of ending up on the back shelf of the local Blockbuster. This all but guarantees, that some kid won't accidentally come upon it and scare the crap out of himself. And that's just sad. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Higuchinsky turns the screen into another giant vortex, drawing the characters and the audience deeper into a dark, captivating spell. Read full review

Edward Crouse

With playful, compelling gore having slowed to a near trickle stateside, Uzumaki demands attention. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Perhaps the most gripping thing about the ultimately disappointing Japanese horror film Uzumaki is the patient way the picture develops mood. Read full review

Megan Lehmann

At some point, all this visual trickery stops being clever and devolves into flashy, vaguely silly overkill. Read full review

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User Reviews

kammi666

Dec 11, 2010

Ah, Uzumaki how I love you.. This movie is by no means a serious movie, nor was it meant to be. but it is pretty and original and good for laughs. At points its creepy as all hell (the bug scene is insane), then it goes completely bonkers (girl with the AWESOME hair).
But theres nothingAh, Uzumaki how I love you.. This movie is by no means a serious movie, nor was it meant to be. but it is pretty and original and good for laughs. At points its creepy as all hell (the bug scene is insane), then it goes completely bonkers (girl with the AWESOME hair).
But theres nothing better than a side of cheese with a good movie, so if your a fan of b movies and cheesey horror, its definately worth a watch.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheQuietGamer

Jan 28, 2017

It's often hard for books and other forms of literature to make the transition to movie form. Especially when they are as large as Junji Ito's horror manga "Uzumaki," which this movie takes inspiration from. While it's able to capture the strangeness and ultimately deliver some solid fanIt's often hard for books and other forms of literature to make the transition to movie form. Especially when they are as large as Junji Ito's horror manga "Uzumaki," which this movie takes inspiration from. While it's able to capture the strangeness and ultimately deliver some solid fan service, it fall short at delivering the actual tale. A few of the manga's more memorable moments are brought to life onscreen with crazy visuals, but ultimately the director spends too much time playing around with his visuals as opposed to getting through the lengthy source material. There's simply too much lollygagging through the Uzumaki's opening chapters.

That's really the problem with the movie. It just drags it's feet so much that it never really manages to get to the more twisted moments from Junji Ito's horror masterpiece. Director Higuchinsky is obsessed with his camera angles. They do a good job of adding to the already weird nature of the concept and I appreciate the little spirals he has hidden throughout. The moments from the manga he is able to use do look pretty great. You just don't get to see as many of them as you would like.

The reason for that is the pacing is painfully slow at times. There are so many scenes where things are drawn out to the point where nothing is happening. The movie dives into moments where it incorporates it's own subplots in. While I appreciate the added depth to Kirie and Shuichi's relationship, was there really any reason to include the time wasting new character Tamura the reporter? Initially his inclusion looked promising as he was being used as the movie's attempt to add some sort of explanation to the spiral curse. That ends up never happening though. The movie wastes so much time on things like this and on the character's pointless conversations, we never get to the more exciting parts of the manga.

Eventually things end up running into a dead end, forcing an original conclusion. Both a good and a bad thing. While it means there's even less of the manga we get to see brought to life, it actually ends up being the movie's freakiest moment. Given that this is a horror film it's worth noting that this isn't a scary movie. It's just really weird and occasionally shows some deranged imagery. It's ultimately the kind of movie that's really only going to appeal to fans of the manga. Even then it's kind of a mixed bag. I got a kick out of seeing some of the more memorable moments onscreen, but the original stuff and at times frustrating slow pace got in the way of my enjoyment. For those unfamiliar with Junji Ito's Uzumaki, one can perhaps still find enjoyment in the shear originality, unique camera angles, and bizarre visuals, but the slow pacing and shear oddness are likely to get in the way. It's definitely a very Japanese movie as well, so people might find themselves face to face with a culture barrier as well. I personally found it to be a memorable, but sadly disappointing adaption of something I loved.

6.7/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Sep 30, 2008

This really didn't capture the feel of the manga for me. I highly recommend any of Junji Ito's comics if you like Japanese horror. I get sort of sick thinking about his work, but I think that is the point. The film adaptations don't do that for me.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

JLuis_001

Jun 19, 2021

This film is already 21 years old, so by not, it looks a bit old, but that's not a negative thing, at least in my opinion, because it has that aura and looks of Japanese horror films that I really like.

Now that's just part of what I liked, but there are other things that didn't satisfy meThis film is already 21 years old, so by not, it looks a bit old, but that's not a negative thing, at least in my opinion, because it has that aura and looks of Japanese horror films that I really like.

Now that's just part of what I liked, but there are other things that didn't satisfy me at all, and that weren't really rewarding.

The pacing is not good, especially since it doesn't seem to delve into the mystery although it's quite intriguing, and the scares are rare, and they appear mainly towards the final act.

No extraordinary stuff, but I say it's worth the look.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

KarlJ.

Jul 17, 2007

I didn't like it. Not scary, not good looking.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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