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Uzumaki

Play trailer Poster for Uzumaki 2000 1h 31m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
61% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Kirie (Eriko Hatsune) and Shuichi (Fhi Fan) are friends in a small town who notice that Shuichi's father, Toshio (Ren Ôsugi), has become utterly obsessed with snails, videotaping them in his garden and gathering items that resemble the spiral patterns on their shells. Kirie sees spirals elsewhere, too, even in the way people dress and comport their bodies. When the curiosities turn to tragedies, Shuichi wants to escape to Tokyo, but Kirie is determined to stay and figure out what is going on.
Uzumaki

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Uzumaki uses its creepy, David Lynch-inspired atmospherics to effectively build a sense of dread, but ultimately fails to do anything with it.

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Critics Reviews

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Scott Tobias AV Club Oct 19, 2018
Uzumaki progresses like the life cycle of a butterfly, only the subjects begin as human beings and contort into giant snails, powerless to stop their bodies from betraying them. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey Variety Feb 11, 2010
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. Go to Full Review
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Apr 18, 2007
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. Go to Full Review
Jorge Loser Espinof Oct 1, 2024
5/5
... A chimera in itself, so bizarre that it's disturbing, so extravagant that it becomes more and more valuable with each passing year. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Jason Shawhan Nashville Scene Sep 9, 2021
The spiral is always turning, you know, growing outward even as it pulls you in, first by sight, then by thought, and by then far too late. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Jun 3, 2006
4/4
A brilliant horror film with an original idea and style to spare. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jul 6, 2018 Bizarre premise that might make more sense from a Japanese cultural point of view, but manages to convey a very intense feeling of discomfort and fear that won't leave you cold. Too bad the movie isn't going anywhere. See more
Han S Dec 5, 2017 had something going for it, but not even close to the Junji Ito's comic masterpiece. See more
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Uzumaki

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Cast & Crew

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Higuchinsky

Director

Eriko Hatsune

Kirie Goshima

Fhi Fan

Shuichi Saito

Ren Ôsugi

Toshio Saito

Hinako Saeki

Kyoko Sekino

Masami Horiuchi

Reporter Ichiro Tamura

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Uzumaki

Uzumaki (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Kirie (Eriko Hatsune) and Shuichi (Fhi Fan) are friends in a small town who notice that Shuichi's father, Toshio (Ren Ôsugi), has become utterly obsessed with snails, videotaping them in his garden and gathering items that resemble the spiral patterns on their shells. Kirie sees spirals elsewhere, too, even in the way people dress and comport their bodies. When the curiosities turn to tragedies, Shuichi wants to escape to Tokyo, but Kirie is determined to stay and figure out what is going on.
Director
Higuchinsky
Producer
Sumiji Miyake, Dai Miyazaki
Screenwriter
Junji Ito, Kengo Kaji, Takao Nitta, Chika Yasuo
Distributor
Tidepoint Pictures LLC
Production Co
Omega Micott Inc, Star Max, Space Shower TV, Shogakukan, Tokyo FM Broadcasting Company
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 11, 2000, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 13, 2009
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Stereo
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