Uzumaki takes place in the idyllic, working class town of Kuruzou-cho somewhere in the countryside of Japan. Kirie (Eriko Hatsune) is an average schoolgirl, with a boyfriend, Shuichi (Fhi Fan), and a father (Taro Suwa) who makes pottery. On her way to meet Shuichi, she sees his father (Ren Osugi) crouching in an alleyway, recording a snail slithering up a wall. When she meets Shuichi, he seems to be acting weird as well, talking about running away from the town, which he feels has gone wrong. Kirie is confused at first, but soon learns that his father has become obsessed with spirals, surrounding himself with them and Shuichi believes that there is a force behind it that is threatening the whole town.

Shuichi's father eventually commits suicide and things get even worse when the clouds from the crematorium begin to swirl into a giant spiral of their own. Shuichi's mother has a break down, and becomes obsessed with eliminating spirals starting with her own fingertips. As Shuichi witnesses his parents' self-destruction, Kirie notices that her father is also becoming fixated on the growing spirals in town. They want to try and fight or escape from the spiral-related madness growing around them, but don't even know where to begin. A detective teams up with them to try and crack the mystery, but just as he's about to reveal the secret of the spiral, he's killed in a freak car accident.

No need for spoiler warnings here, as I'm not giving away the ending, but the fate of our heroine, Kirie, is never truly revealed. I mentioned before that the films slowly rolls back on itself, becoming a spiral of it's own making, and while that would be a weakness in another film, it's the opposite here. Whereby the film giving an explanation would not have been as effective as the lack of explanation it provides, drawing the viewer further into the horror they've just witnessed.

Uzumaki is a highly visual film, twisting the commonplace into something increasingly alien and dangerous. Higuchinsky plays it smart, and rather than relying too heavily on computer or physical effects to accomplish his goal, he uses every tool at his disposal from CGI ("Spot the Spiral!"), to prosthetics, to more traditional camera and lighting effects. In the end, there are so many hidden things in the background that repeat viewings should be mandatory. Despite the challenges presented by Juni Ito's manga, this is a very effective film that is able to communicate the idea of an overwhelming yet intangible horror without ever truly showing it. Higuchinsky uses this seeming ambiguity to augment the overall nightmarish quality of the piece. Not bad for something that the director describes himself as just a "film about spirals."

The DVD:

Picture: The movie is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1). The picture quality is very good, really emphasizing the green filtered visuals.

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo Surround in Japanese with optional English subtitles.

Extras: The Extras on this DVD consist of a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (w/Subs), Video footage of spirals taken by Ren Osugi in the movie and the trailer.

Conclusion: I think that Uzumaki will genuinely surprise most of the people that watch it. A lot of the film works on an almost subliminal level, drawing you deeper into its sinister world and when it ends, it will stay in your mind long after you've finished watching it. For a Japanese film that cost less than $1 million to make, the DVD itself comes with a decent amount of extras. Uzumaki is definitely worth buying to watch again and again. Believe me when I say you've never seen anything like it.