Paperhouse (1981)
UHM is an independently owned site that relies solely on ad revenue, so we ask that if you like this site and what we do to help support by temporarily disabling ad block (if you're using one). If you'd rather help in other ways you can also send a tip by clicking here (or the button below). Any amount helps and will go towards the costs to maintain the site. Anyone who donates will also be listed in our thanks page.
Before director Bernard Rose tackled Clive Barker's Candyman in '92, he did a fairly underrated fantasy-horror film called Paperhouse. I heard a lot of positive reviews for this movie, so I decided to check it out for myself and I'm glad I did, because it's one of those underrated flicks to come out of the 80s.
More fantasy than horror, the feature boasts a pretty original story that follows a lonely young girl who escapes from her own reality when she draws pictures, but more specifically a house. In that reality she has a young crippled friend named Marc. Whatever she draws becomes true in that reality and eventually she decides to draw her father, who is always gone in the real world. She messes up with the drawing of her father and she faces the consequences of what that does to him in reality.
The acting is very well done, especially by the young girl and her friend Marc. The movie is slow but interesting and it doesn't have anything horror-related until towards the end when the dad appears. I enjoyed the directing and the premise, but it would have been nice if there were more horror elements thrown in. When I first read about this movie I thought the girl would draw a lot of other things that come to life, I didn't know it was all just about the house, but I should have known from the title.
I remember passing up this movie a lot at Blockbuster when I was younger, but I know if I rented it back then I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I would now. This is one of those thinker-types of horror flicks and it should please all those who like that. I liked it, but I expected a little more horror and less fantasy. It's still a good movie with a great story.
A good movie to check out if you're looking for an original fantasy horror film with an excellent story. Don't expect much horror though.