SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

A Disappointing Continuation

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Eleven year old Anna (Charlotte Burke) suffers from an bout of glandular fever that causes her to have fainting spells, during which she finds herself in the fantasy world that she has created in a series of drawings. While awake, she adds to her sketches, and these elements subsequently appear in her dream world, including a boy, Marc (Elliott Spiers), and her father (Ben Cross), who takes on the form of a hammer-wielding boogeyman.I've seen two other films by director Bernard Rose: the excellent Candyman, and the absolutely terrible Snuff Movie. I'm sorry to say that Paperhouse is more on a par with Snuff Movie in terms of overall quality, being the pretentious kind of drivel that often gets labelled as 'dark fairy-tale fantasy' or 'surreal visual poetry', when the words 'boring' and 'confusing' would be far more apt and to the point.While I am sure that the film works for some as an allegory for all sorts of themes—growing up, loss of innocence, coping with grief, yadda, yadda, yadda—the fact is that Paperhouse is dreary, slow and, contrary to what many have written here on IMDb, poorly acted (the cast perform their lines as though they are reading from an auto-cue).Fans of equally poncey guff like The Company of Wolves will no doubt lap this up, but if I want to see a film about a young woman struggling to come to terms with responsibility and unable to separate reality and fiction, I'll take Labyrinth any day of the week: at least that one has a talking dog astride a bigger dog, some great songs from David Bowie and, last but by no means least, the lovely Jennifer Connelly.

"Paperhouse" is a bit of a lost classic. It comes from a time when movies dared to be original and edgy. When characters didn't have to be black and white, when even your lead actress didn't necessarily have to be a person that it's very easy to identify with.From what I'm told the story is based on a children's book. This movie, however, is clearly for adults. Though not full on horror, "Paperhouse" is too dark and scary for children. Director Bernard Rose clearly made the movie on a shoe string budget, but still manages to create an atmosphere of constant unease.One time movie actress Charlotte Burke plays her role convincingly as does the rest of the cast (though Glenne Headly's overdubbed English accent sounds awkward and out of place). The real highlight, however, are the eerie score and the beautiful cinematography, sometimes reminiscent of a less colourful Dario Argento movie.In the end, "Paperhouse" is plodding on a bit and from today's perspective some scenes seem dragged out. Still, it's a movie well-worth checking out that deserves much more recognition than it ever got.

A headstrong eleven year old girl, bedridden with fever, visits in her sleep the house the doodled on a drawing pad, but is she a child with a vivid imagination undergoing dream therapy or just a precocious child with a magic pencil set? The film is uncertain about the answer and, as a result, is inconstant. Anna's dream world has all the surrealistic clarity of a subconscious vision, but the 'real' world isn't as convincing, and the connection between them is never clearly defined. It's too bad, because the premise is intriguing, but the details needed more thought, and the tone is far too portentous for its own good. Older kids may enjoy the film, but for discriminating adults what might have been a fascinating psychological fantasy is instead little more than another Twilight Zone retread.

I was rooting for this film as it's a remake of a 1970s children's TV series "Escape into Night" which, though chaotic and stilted at times was definitely odd, fascinating and disturbing. The acting in "Paperhouse" is wooden, unintentionally a joke. The overdubs didn't add tension they only reinforced that I was sat watching a botch. Casting exasperated the dreary dialogue which resulted in relationships lacking warmth, chemistry or conviction. As in most lacklustre films there are a few good supporting acts these people should be comforted, consoled and reassured that they will not be held responsible. Out of all the possible endings the most unexpected was chosen ... lamer than I could have dreamt."Escape into Night" deserves a proper remake, written by someone with life experience and directed with a subtle mind.