Spiral (Uzumaki)

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.

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.

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.

Required viewing for horror fans, Japanese-cult-cinema fans, and anyone who digs settling in for an unsettling David Lynch evening.

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.

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

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

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

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

Special effects can be tastefully managed even on a shoestring budget, but here they are merely ludicrous.

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.

Eerie and slimy enough to give Tim Burton nightmares, Uzumaki is a superb piece of fantasy cinema.