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The movie centers on the inhabitants of a small Japanese town who become increasingly obsessed with and tormented by spirals. This abstract concept manifests in grotesque ways, such as a teenager's long hair beginning to curl and take over her mind, or a corpse wound around itself.
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.
Succumb to its creepy charms, and you'll never see inner-ear anatomy diagrams, umbrellas, or escargot in quite the same way. You might even hand over laundry chores to someone else.
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.
May 15, 2002
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.
February 11, 2010
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.
October 03, 2002
Seattle Times
Required viewing for horror fans, Japanese-cult-cinema fans, and anyone who digs settling in for an unsettling David Lynch evening.