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Ren Osugi, Hinako Saeki, Keiko Takahashi, Eriko Hatsune, Fhi Fan ... see more see more... , Eun-Kyung Shin , Keiko Takahasi , Masami Horiuchi , Shin Eun Kyung , Taro Suwa , Tooru Teduka , Ren Ohsugi

Based on the phenomenally popular horror manga by Junji Ito, Uzumaki is the debut feature of Japanese music video director Higuchinsky (born Akirhiro Higuchi). Something strange is going on in the sma... read more read more...ll town of Kurozu-cho. Kirie Goshima (Ericko Hatsune) notices Toshio Saito (popular character actor Ren Osugi), the father of her longtime friend, Shuichi (Fhi Fan), videotaping an extreme close-up of the spiral pattern on a snail's shell. Shuichi explains that his father is acting strangely, and impulsively asks Kirie to elope with him. She shyly demurs. Later, Toshio asks Kirie's father, a potter, to make him a plate with an uzumaki, or spiral, pattern. Shuichi and his mother, Yukie (Keiko Takahashi), are increasingly alarmed by Toshio's obsession with all things spiral. When Shuichi throws away his father's collection of spiral objects, Toshio is unconcerned. "The idea's enough," he tells his family, "One brings forth one's own uzumaki." He then proceeds to do just that, in bizarre and disturbing ways. At school, Kirie sees a boy gleefully hurl himself to his death at the bottom of a spiral staircase. Another boy shows up to class late, moving suspiciously slowly, and covered in slime. A popular girl, Kyoko (Hinako Saeki), curls her hair into Medusa-like spiral patterns that eventually engulf the entire hallway. As the town slips deeper into madness, a reporter, Ichiro Tamura (Masami Horiuchi), shows up to help Kirie and Shuichi search for the reason, which seems connected to a strange occurrence years ago at nearby Dragonfly Pond. Uzumaki is not to be confused with Joji Iida's Rasen, the sequel to Ringu, which also featured Saeki. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Flixster Users

61% liked it

6,150 ratings

Critics

52% liked it

23 critics

G, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Higuchinsky

Release Date: May 3, 2002

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DVD Release Date: July 6, 2004

Stats: 480 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (480)

  • brooklynspo
    November 20, 2007
    brooklynspo
    It might have amused me as as a random story in a comic book, just a weird little invention by some cartoonist but as a movie... it don't play - for me anyway.
  • lewiskendell
    February 27, 2012
    lewiskendell
    I'm struggling to think of something positive to say about this movie, but nothing is coming to mind. Just didn't enjoy it at all, and it's probably one of the worst Asian horror movies I've seen.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    October 15, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Lovecraftian concept by way of some Fulci and japanese esoteria thrown in the mix. The entity here is not a monster, or a serial killer, but a "concept" eating an entire town, slowly, little by little. It has it's flaws for sure, but i liked, and found it out far more effective t... read morehan dozens of so called "horror" flicks made in the last years. It's more disturbing than scary, and as a doomsday story it works very well, how do you stop spirals? You can't, you could stop a virus, polution or zombies, but spirals? Good luck with that.
  • WrenchLT
    January 21, 2011
    WrenchLT
    Weird but original Japanese horror about a cursed town whose inhabitants slowly become infactuated with spiral shaped objects leading them to their deaths. Not too bad overall. Has a few grisly deaths but nothing gory. An eerie atmosphere is present throughout, it's not scary tho... read moreugh but there are a couple of creepy moments that'll catch you off guard if you notice them.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    November 8, 2010
    MidnightMadwoman
    Junji Ito is a twisted, twisted man. I've read these comics, and I'm a little afraid to see the film.

    Having seen this film, I really expected much more. The straight-scares of the comic book yield to incomprehensibility, unfounded zaniness and styrangely rendered set pieces. ... read moreThat's not to say that there aren't scary moments - the woman ona quest to rid herself of spirals is pretty chilling - but I wish that this movie had restricted itself to the parts of the book that were more grounded in reality, rather than including it as well as the more fantastical and surreal elements. Things like sub-dermal snailshells or monstrous hair looked much better on paper.
  • ceWEBrity
    July 31, 2008
    ceWEBrity
    There are a ton of good ideas to be found in Uzumaki, but almost all of them fall apart in the face of poor direction and the movie's inability to pick between playing it straight and playing it for laughs. I haven't read the manga, but I'm tempted to write this off as a mishandl... read moreing of supposedly excellent source material. This is a unique movie with an interesting concept (that it doesn't actually take anywhere) and great images in abundance, but it cheapens itself. The final product is a collection of plot points and ideas that simply refuse to be ruined, even in the face of oppressively bad movie making. The editing is hysterical and gimmicky, though it does get away with a few neat tricks, and the acting is an embarrassment. Most of the special effects are goofy, and it's hard to tell if that's because of the budget or because the movie is fighting for yuk-yuks.

    For all intents and purposes, Uzumaki is a J-horror that is as far away from J-horror as it can possibly get, which is admirable because the genre exhausted its tropes almost immediately. I like that it sort of floated away from conventional narrative structure - there's no explanation for the spirals, no act structure and a downplayed climax - but all these decisions don't make much of a positive impact on the picture.

    Worth seeing, but only once, and possibly while drunk.
  • newvogueravyn
    February 27, 2008
    newvogueravyn
    I like that they kept some of the stylised manga elements, it makes the film more fun. I was a bit non-plussed by the abrupt ending though, were they planning on a sequel I wonder?
  • kiriyamakazou
    June 5, 2006
    kiriyamakazou
    'Uzumaki' manages to slip off to the side where Japanese horror is concerned, as some of it is frankly too weird. The weirdness is brilliant, funny, and shocking. Unfortunately it sometimes overshadows the horror of the film. Things go from strange to stranger. Rotating large eye... read moreballs, death by washing machine and eyeballs planted in windscreens. More and more people start dying in horrific ways, and when a millipede decides to visit someones ear it is a skin crawlingly, shuddering piece of cinema with some excellent sound effects. The film has an inconsistent pace, sometimes moving frantically and then slowing to a complete stop. We notice from very early on, that the director has gone editing mad with somebody popping up on all sides of the screen. The acting often fits the OTT nature of the film, but isn't very impressive. The film has some cartoon-like moments, especially sound effects and the violent deaths. As we begin to speed towards the end we are treated to giant snail people, a fantastic CGI hairdo and a weird twisting body moment. These singular images are unforgettable, but then the film just sort of ends. There is a sort of explanation about cults, snakes and mirrors in the middle somewhere but unless you are paying close attention you might not get it. A visual masterpiece, if not a horror one.
  • shitfaced8
    July 4, 2011
    shitfaced8
    This Asian Horror had a lot of good going for it, but unfortunantly failed to really pull me in. It did have great atmosphre, some genuinely zany special effects, a concept that is very unique and at least one scene that will stay with you after the movies run time and leave you ... read morewishing that the rest of the movie was more like that. (The scene in question is when the mother is in the hospital and stabs herself in th ear with broken glass.) Unfortunantly the movie manages to be a bit of a disappointment despite all of these good qualities. I felt like it never really decided what is was going for. The humour and the sillier aspects get in the way of the genuinely creepy supernatural horror that this film would otherwise be. The pace is very slow, and I suspect that the director was going for an Audition style "slow burn" set up, but in the end it just ends up being slightly dull (also doesn't come through with an insane ending like Audition did, instead at the end the viewer will simply be left thinking "that's it?") This film isnt terrible either, and is worth watching for fans of supernatural and Asian horror, for me it did fall slightly flat though. Not as memorable as I would have hoped for, but worth a watch.
  • threefolddado
    February 12, 2008
    threefolddado
    Lots of David Lynch influence here.

View All Uzumaki Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dennis Harvey
February 11, 2010
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Pic duly places less emphasis on narrative than on the sort of surreal set pieces that might have worked better in the graphic-novel form. Full Review

J. R. Jones
April 18, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Adapted from a horror comic by Junji Ito, this debut feature from Japanese music-video director Higuchinsky begins eerily but doesn't take long to descend into silliness. Full Review

John Petrakis
October 3, 2002
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune

Gussied up with so many distracting special effects and visual party tricks that it's not clear whether we're supposed to shriek or laugh. Full Review

Frank Scheck
May 15, 2002
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

Ultimately the, yes, snail-like pacing and lack of thematic resonance make the film more silly than scary, like some sort of Martha Stewart decorating program run amok.

Megan Turner
May 1, 2002
Megan Turner, New York Post

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

Elvis Mitchell
May 1, 2002
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

Things really get weird, though not particularly scary: the movie is all portent and no content. Full Review

Edward Crouse
April 30, 2002
Edward Crouse, Village Voice

Puts most American would-be chillers to shame. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
June 3, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

A brilliant horror film with an original idea and style to spare. Full Review

Jovanka Vuckovic
May 1, 2004
Jovanka Vuckovic, Rue Morgue Magazine

'Uzumaki is a masterfully rendered living portrait of warped, apocalyptic art...'

Ross Williams
January 15, 2004
Ross Williams, Film Threat

Mostly the film creates an infectious feeling of apprehension that slowly crawls up your spine. Full Review

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Uzumaki Trivia

  • Horror tale of a small town in Japan taken over by an evil spiral that drives people insane or turns them into giant snails?  Answer »
  • In Naruto series , 4th Hokege's name might be?  Answer »
  • In obscure japanese horror 'Uzumaki' based on the famous comic book, what shape was the village cursed with?  Answer »
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