Johan Louwet
I had my doubts about watching this as I was fearing for another "Bridge to Terabithia" in which I was very disappointed. But I'm very glad I have watched this. Even though it does have its scary moments I would define this much more as a drama movie with fantasy elements rather than horror or thriller. I was really impressed by the acting of both kids Anna and Mark who showed good chemistry. Their relationship was heart-warmingly beautiful even more because they actually never meet in real life only when Anna is sleeping. A drawing coming to life in a dream I did see it before in "Mirrormask". While Mirrormask isn't bad Paperhouse does it much more effective and touching and doesn't add these random things that puzzled me and where I couldn't understand the symbolism of. The ending is bitter-sweet and satisfying. Even though 90 minutes seemed perfect I wouldn't have mind that the movie had been a bit longer (I guess I just wanted more moments between Anna and Mark). It's based on a book, I'm interested in reading it now.
Maziun
If you're wondering how „Inception" could look , if it was a horror movie (that was the original idea ) , „Paper house" gives you a little hint . This movie is obviously not as complex as Nolan's blockbuster , but you still should give it a chance . Especially if you're a fan of intelligent horror movie (which is so hard to find). There is some similarity here to "Pan's labyrinth" and "The Shinning".At first it may seem that "PH" is a family friendly entertainment when you look at the summary of the movie . Well , it's not . I'm not saying this is a violent movie , but it's definitely for adults . The mood is very creepy and the whole story surprisingly has a lot of sadness in it. For the first time in my life I saw a horror that actually had a heart . Some might even say "PH" is more of a psychological drama instead of horror . Was it real ? Was it only imagination of Anne ? Maybe it was some kind of telephatic link between her and Mark ? Or maybe she's got mental problems ? Who knows . I know that I cared about both heroes and the ending is beautifully bittersweet.Charlotte Burke gives a great performance and I'm surprised she didn't became a star . She makes Anne a very complex character for a child – innocent , annoying , vulnerable and likable. The rest of the cast is good . "PH" doesn't have a big budget since it wasn't made by one of the big studios. Still , the art-direction is very decent . Hans Zimmer and Stanley Myers provide a terrific atmospheric score that is worthy of an Oscar . The directing is good . "Paper house " can be psychologically very intense at times and touching at other moments.Good movie . It's hard to find it , but it's worth the effort . I give it 7/10.
Spikeopath
While suffering from glandular fever at home and confined to her bedroom, 11 year old birthday girl Anna Madden draws a house in her sketch pad. Bizarrely the house comes to be real in her dreams when she falls asleep. So upon waking she starts to draw other things to go with the house, including a boy at the window (Marc). However, things start to turn bad when another character she draws enters the Paperhouse.Four years earlier than Paperhouse we had seen A Nightmare On Elm Street open up a can of worms for the horror movie dream aspect. By the time of Paperhouse's release, the format was already looking tired as two sequels to Freddie's jolly had been and gone and a wave of imitators had blighted our screens (anyone remember the awful Dream Demon for instance?). This may go some way to explaining why Paperhouse, a brilliant, and hauntingly poetic movie, upped and vanished from the radar. Its director is Bernard Rose, who four years later would direct Candyman and put him in the shop window of the horror faithful. Thus prompting many to seek out some of his earlier work and getting Paperhouse talked about again. Not everyone took to it, for it's not overtly horror in name. It contains genuine moments of terror, but its themes and atmosphere are more in keeping with something like Pan's Labyrinth than with Candyman, Candyman, Candyman.Paperhouse is open to interpretation by the individual viewer, it toys with ideas such as what is the reality here? Is Anna in limbo, is it coincidence that she is sick? There's a number of issues that on the surface are not obviously addressed, but they can be if you open up to it and use a thought process. Don't get me wrong, this is not a complex movie, it's thoughtful, even cheekily daring, but it's not a cranial head scratcher that doesn't make sense. In fact, rightfully so, the wonderful breath holding ending ties up any loose ends, but this again is if you have invested fully in the movie. There's psychological aspects to it as well, Anna is about to enter puberty, a notoriously "difficult" time, not just for the child, but for the parents too, most notably the father of girls. This appears, in my line of thinking, to be very much at the heart of Paperhouse. Certainly the father/daughter axis is the crux of the piece, but metaphors and some scenes beg for analysis. In tone it's easy to draw a line to two other undervalued "horror" movies from the 1980s, The Lady In White and The Company Of Wolves, so fans of those films should definitely check this out. What you or I make of Paperhouse is what makes the movie so special, answers to questions are not given, just hints. It's fine writing from Matthew Jacobs who adapts from Catherine Storr's novel Marrianne Dreams.The film also looks terrific thanks to production designer Gemma Jackson. The two-story house and its isolated grassy surrounds are suitably creepy, but as Anna starts to add things to her drawing, this in turn lets Jackson work her magic. The contents of the house range from the eerie (ice-cream maker/radio) to the poetic (a room full of lighted candles), while a blue bicycle is almost abstract in its intricacy. Involved on the acting front is only a small cast that features Charlotte Burke as Anna, Glenne Headly as her Mother, Ben Cross as the father, Elliott Spiers as Marc and Gemma Jones playing Dr. Sarah Nicols. This was the only film Burke ever made, which is sad because she's fabulous. Starting out bratish and borderline annoying, the character quickly pulls us on side as her confusion gives way to a grasp of the situation; that in turn makes her resourceful and brave, thus fully involving the audience. That's testament to Burke's performance and marks it down as one of the better turns from a British child actor.More fantasy than horror but definitely evocative and haunting. A real smart little movie begging to be seen more now in these post Pan's Labyrinth days. 9/10
Raysing
I saw paperhouse the first time when I was about 15, 16, and I have to admit I enjoyed it a lot more back then than I did when I watched it again recently. But apart from that, it still deserves a decent score. There are some creepy moments in this film, especially a very foreboding Ben Cross who acts brilliantly as the ultimate "nightmare" dad.Anna (Burke) is removed, a loner, leaving childhood, entering the real world where make-believe fantasy, dreams and monsters and boogeymen are no longer supposed to exist.From the viewers perspective, it could be this desire to remain in the childlike world of imagination that creates a parallel dream world where her drawings come to life, but at the same time, this strange ability of hers brings the boogeymen to life as well...
