Suffering from glandular fever 12-year-old Anna finds herself living a largely lonely existence in the confines of her bedroom. Turning to her drawings as her only means of any kind of distraction, she finds that what she draws she envisions in her dreams at night. Befriending a young disabled boy named Marc. The temporary solace she finds with him is ruptured by the link between the dreamworld she is inhabiting and the boring reality of her everyday life. One that her dreams into a dark and chilling nightmare.
Directed by Bernard Rose whose limited directorial CV would include intriguingly enough, his screen adaptation of Clive Barker's Candyman. Paperhouse which preceded was itself based off of the 1958 novel Marianne Dreams and marked something of a more understated, emotional, and poignant dark fantasy drama. Flawed though it undoubtedly is it is still a movie that is better than the sum of its parts. Putting a different spin on the dreamworld concept that has been utilized in A Nightmare on Elm Street to name the obvious, as well as the lesser-known Dreamscape. The movie although it does feature horror aspects is more a haunting drama about the friendship between a young girl and a terminally ill boy. Hindered sadly by the score which while for the most part effective, does become a bit overbearing in earlier scenes and the slightly mixed quality of acting. Charlotte Burke's performance although for the most adequate does become rather wooden in areas, and it's likely, not surprising that this would prove to be her only professional acting credit. American actress Glenn Headly fares slightly better, effecting a very convincing English accent is far from the best I know her to be capable above. The rest of the performances however are excellent with Gemma Jones, Ben Cross, and Elliot Spiers as Mark, the crippled boy that Anna befriends.
Rose manages to evoke an ethereal, dreamlike quality to the dream sequences and an emotive mood that hangs over the entirety of the movie. However, he does fall short when it comes to horror aspects which rather than having an air of foreboding just don't cut the mustard. Given some of the dialogue in the scenes though, I would defy any director to have been able to have pulled them off. The movie's denouement as well just doesn't come off quite as well as it should of either, which I felt wrapped things up a little too conveniently. Nevertheless, Paperhouse makes for a mainly rewarding experience and it manages to pull off a stark, ramshackle aesthetic in the dream sequences and admirably utilizes its low budget to remarkable effect all things considered. It's sad to know as well Marc Spiers sadly passed away six years after this film was released at the all too young age of 20 with only a handful of acting credits to his name. Something that lends a more poignant edge to the film. Anyway, despite its obvious shortcomings it's still worth a fairly touching and atmospheric piece of work from Rose, who as he did with Candyman proved that he had an aptitude for creating a brooding or haunting ambiance in his work, and who may have very well been a wasted talent.
Directed by Bernard Rose whose limited directorial CV would include intriguingly enough, his screen adaptation of Clive Barker's Candyman. Paperhouse which preceded was itself based off of the 1958 novel Marianne Dreams and marked something of a more understated, emotional, and poignant dark fantasy drama. Flawed though it undoubtedly is it is still a movie that is better than the sum of its parts. Putting a different spin on the dreamworld concept that has been utilized in A Nightmare on Elm Street to name the obvious, as well as the lesser-known Dreamscape. The movie although it does feature horror aspects is more a haunting drama about the friendship between a young girl and a terminally ill boy. Hindered sadly by the score which while for the most part effective, does become a bit overbearing in earlier scenes and the slightly mixed quality of acting. Charlotte Burke's performance although for the most adequate does become rather wooden in areas, and it's likely, not surprising that this would prove to be her only professional acting credit. American actress Glenn Headly fares slightly better, effecting a very convincing English accent is far from the best I know her to be capable above. The rest of the performances however are excellent with Gemma Jones, Ben Cross, and Elliot Spiers as Mark, the crippled boy that Anna befriends.
Rose manages to evoke an ethereal, dreamlike quality to the dream sequences and an emotive mood that hangs over the entirety of the movie. However, he does fall short when it comes to horror aspects which rather than having an air of foreboding just don't cut the mustard. Given some of the dialogue in the scenes though, I would defy any director to have been able to have pulled them off. The movie's denouement as well just doesn't come off quite as well as it should of either, which I felt wrapped things up a little too conveniently. Nevertheless, Paperhouse makes for a mainly rewarding experience and it manages to pull off a stark, ramshackle aesthetic in the dream sequences and admirably utilizes its low budget to remarkable effect all things considered. It's sad to know as well Marc Spiers sadly passed away six years after this film was released at the all too young age of 20 with only a handful of acting credits to his name. Something that lends a more poignant edge to the film. Anyway, despite its obvious shortcomings it's still worth a fairly touching and atmospheric piece of work from Rose, who as he did with Candyman proved that he had an aptitude for creating a brooding or haunting ambiance in his work, and who may have very well been a wasted talent.