Review of ‘Uzumaki (Spiral)’ (2000) – A New Level in J-Horror

“Curse of the Spiral – The Fingerprint of Life.”

Uzumaki is one of my personal favorite J-Horror films, and I’ve seen it numerous times. This is a unique, weird, creepy tale indeed, and makes us aware of how nature affects us in many complex ways – on several levels of the psyche. If you’re a Lovecraft fan – be sure to include this gem on your list.

Uzumaki goes beyond the bounds of normalcy and uses the basis of the spiral, the circle of life, full of never ending twists and turns… the Ouroborus of life, death and rebirth, the ebb and flow of natural life force’s rhythmic movement. It makes me dizzy just thinking about it!

Uzumaki is set in the small rural Japanese town of Kurouzu. One of the main characters is a young girl named Kirie. She notices strange things starting to happen when her boyfriend’s father becomes obsessed with the spiral shape and starts acting irrationally. His obsession with the spiral grows as he makes it his life’s mission to consume it and study it, recording the shape any object – snails, flowers, fruit – he can find representing the spiral. He eventually goes insane from his desire to become one with it… the ultimate spiral!

This behavior soon spreads throughout the town like a virus, contorting and reshaping the bodies of the residents into all kinds of extreme, horrific, inhuman manners. The obsession of the spiral increases as it engulfs them mentally and physically, driving them to heightened limits of insanity and ultimately leading them to their deaths.

Have a look at the trailer… if you dare! English subtitles provided.

Uzumaki was directed by Higuchinsky (Tokyo 10+01 2003) alongside Kengo Kaji (Tokyo Gore Police 2008), who was the screenplay supervisor. The manga itself was written by Junji Ito (Tomio 2011), who created the concept. Uzumaki stars Eriko Hatsune (Emperor 2012), Fhi Fan (Spiral 2000) and Hinako Saeki (Red Sash 2017).

For those who love guts and gore, there are a few pleasantly disturbing parts in this dark comedy. Subconscious parts of the viewer’s mind wake to unknown, nightmarish concepts of body horror.

The best part about Uzumaki is that the plot is not immediately revealed to the viewer. It builds up gradually… or should I say, spirals, to its ultimate point, entangling the viewer in the process.

All in all, this culmination of superb acting, amazingly eerie set dressing and scenic features bring a nightmarish atmosphere for those in the cursed rural town of Kurouzu, surpassing the intent of the movie and concept behind this innocent symbol.

This movie is not only entertaining, it’s intriguing and makes you think…

TRIVIA TIME

• If you paid close attention, you’d notice some areas of the screen are digitally twisted into a spiral pattern at least five times in the movie (not necessarily in this order): the first time you see the sunset sky, on the top right a bird’s eye view of Kirie and Shuichi returning home from school, on the ground to their right to Kirie’s left in the bushes when she’s walking over to Shuichi’s house with a gift a ceiling panel to the right of the stairs in Kirie’s house as she walks down at night the end of the hospital hall, dead center.
• The movie was filmed before the manga had completed its run, and reveals a different ending and origins storyline than that featured in the book.
• Six and nine, being nearly spiral numbers, can be seen on several occasions, including on the license plate of the reporter’s car, as room number in the hospital, as a date in a video recording at the end of the movie.
• (at around 42 mins) A ghostly imprint of Kirie’s face appears in the middle of the screen when she walks into Shuichi’s house looking for his father, and it is the same face she seen=s when watching his father’s grisly video recording.

Creeping you out yet?

Uzumaki is layered with Lovecraftian concept and is a must watch for fans of both the Japanese cinema and Lovecraft. If you’re a manga lover, especially of Japanese animation, then you probably already know Jinju Ito. His talent is amazing, and Uzumaki is just one of his outstanding creations! Be sure to check his work out.

Make sure to add Uzumaki into your collection, and let us know what you thought about it. It’s one of those films that you can watch repeatedly and find new hidden pieces.