Review of Paperhouse (1988) by Jason S — 22 Mar 2011

Anna is drawing a house while in class when another student disrupts her causing Anna to briefly get even with this fellow classmate. The teacher doesn't stand for Anna's back talk and tells her to stand out in the hall. She carries her drawing with her. While waiting in the hall, she begins to get dizzy while staring at the bitch who disrupted her. She passes out and dreams for a bit about running toward the same house she drew. Then she wakes up.

She lives with her mother. Her father isn't there. Not because he's dead, but because he's just never there. While in bed Dr. Nichols, or Sarah, checks on Anna. Sarah mentions of a boy who has been in bed for a year because he can't walk and by some sort of design she draws a boy sitting at the window in the house. She falls asleep and there he is at the window. His name is Mark. "Let me in!" Anna tells him. "I can't," Mark says, "There are no stairs." When she awakes, she draws some stairs. By now you can see how it's developed.

Her dizziness, as it would turn out, is the beginning of a flu like symptom or it could be something that deals with her drawings. It's never mentioned. It's probably really just the flu. She stays in bed, drawing many different things, more like additions to the house. She gets to know Mark who isn't really just a made up person that she drew, but an actual person who is suffering because he can't walk and wants to ride his bike.

When it comes to Anna's father, there is anger. She draws him simply because she wants him in her life, but knowing that it would only be in her dreams it enrages her. So, she scribbles out his face, the house and even Mark. She tosses it in the trash which is a mistake seeing how Dr. Nichols is extremely worried about the boy she's treating which of course has something to do with what Anna just did. So she rushes to get the wadded up drawing before the trash men send it off.

With the stress of finding it and being around trash her symptoms get worse, but she is able to find that drawing! She sleeps, returning back to the house. It's turned into chaos now. Mark is still find, but there was the drawing of her father scribbled out. He carries a hammer around with him wanting to kill Anna and Mark now. Anna, however, can't wake up only putting her and Mark at risk if she doesn't wake up and change things.

This film isn't exactly a horror movie. It falls somewhere into the surreal psychological drama territory. The one other film I could think of that reminds me of this, just a little bit, would be 'The Lovely Bones'. Charlotte Burke, who plays Anna, does a stand out job even if she is a bit bossy and loud. I discovered that this was the only film she ever did. She now lives with a different last name, is married and you can find her on Facebook. Very Charlie Bucket-ish and I admire that.

Bernard Rose's direction is well paced giving the viewer an experience rather than an idea around that experience. I also loved the musical score by Hans Zimmer and Stanley Myers. As great as everything is the film does plunge into an ending which is suppose to symbolize something with Mark being free, but it felt rushed, over played and a bit disappointing.

Overall, a great experience with an old theme that is well polished to suit your interest in dreams and nightmares.