Paperhouse

PG-13

1988

1 hr. 32 min.

Fantasy

List

100%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

This dark psychological drama follows young Anna Madden (Charlotte Burke), a lonely British child who begins to inhabit the world that she draws in her sketchbook. When she creates a boy on paper, she later meets the same child, Marc (Elliott Spiers), in her dream realm. Things take a creepy turn when Anna draws her absentee father (Ben Cross), and he appears in her world as a menacing figure out to get her. Can Anna control this strange realm, or will she become a victim of it?

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Peter G

This is one unique fantasy film unlike any other & concerns an ill pre-adolescent girl who while recovering from an ill defined physiological condition begins making drawings of a house, eventually visiting it in her dreams & adding features as she continues exploring it inside as well. In the house she meets young boy who does not at first seem to be able to leave it. In her waking state she hears about a seriously ill boy & develops a psychological connection with him although neither having met each other. Through her dreams she learns the boys name which is the same as the dying boy in her waking state. All this is developed in beautifully touching & moving manner with some wonderful music from the Faure Requiem added where appropriate. Charlotte Burke as the young girl & Elliot Spears as the boy develop a unique chemistry & in Burke's case this turned out to be her only film & she since has chosen to pursue a different career entirely. Apparently PAPERHOUSE has later become a cult film & shortly after it came out a colleague recommended it to me otherwise I may have missed it entirely since it, despite some fine reviews, was not, at first, seen by many. The film has my highest recommendation & after more than 30 years remains a memorable viewing experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Paperhouse is an interesting premise - a young girl that draws a sickly young man and his house in a notebook, only to discover that she can interact with both in her dreams - but it's mostly undone by a pesky main character (a combination of the writing and an underwhelming performance from child actress Charlotte Burke), weird audio mixing, and some budget limitations. The dreamworld setting is actually really intriguing, reflecting the emotional volatility of Burke's Anna as she balances her own identity and desires with a sense of angst, particularly with respect to her largely absent father (who appears as a threatening silhouette banging on the door or hanging in the shadows). The interiors go from a bit whimsical (emulating the child's drawing that inspires them) to pure dark fantasy territory, with crumbling walls and chipped plaster. With an early-career Hans Zimmer contributing an '80s synthwave-through-a-broken-radio vibe to the soundtrack, this film really delivers on atmosphere, and delivers unique thriller elements to a coming-of-age story. The execution is definitely lacking here, showing the weaknesses of a small budget apart from the unique aesthetic, but there is an excellent film here trying to break free from the iffy execution - a dark fantasy about maturity with the potential to disturb. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Septembre C

This was a deeply unsettling film that I watched as a child and was obsessed with. A striking type of horror that must be seen at least once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/22

Full Review

colin m

An interesting idea, reasonably well executed. I wasn't keen on the ending.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Dr N

This movie is a mind exploder.. This is what I want from movies and its not to much

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/13/22

Full Review

dustin d

Paperhouse depicts an archetypal story of a girl whose physical illness and dysfunctional relationship with her ogre father won't get better until she sorts herself out mentally. Every shot is meaningful and beautifully composed. It is intense and emotionally satisfying.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Bernard Rose

Director

Charlotte Burke

Anna Madden

Ben Cross

Dad Madden

Glenne Headly

Kate Madden

Elliott Spiers

Marc

Gemma Jones

Dr. Sarah Nicols

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It is a thoughtfully written, meticulously directed fantasy in which the actors play their roles with great seriousness. Watching it, I was engrossed in the development of the story and found myself accepting the film's logic on its own terms.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

[An] underrated dark horror flick...

Rated: 3/4

Aug 28, 2020

Full Review

Adam Lippe

Examiner.com

The scenes of Anna running around mountains in a moment of escape or toward an enormous lighthouse don't have the feel of something whitewashed like The Sound of Music but rather the dark undercurrent of the delusions of the girls in Heavenly Creatures.

Feb 28, 2012

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A mesmerizing English film exploring the dreamscapes of a lonely eleven-year old girl.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 28, 2004

Full Review

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

A real sleeper: charming, scary, enthralling

Rated: 4/5

Aug 26, 2004

Full Review

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

More peculiar than actually good.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 26, 2003

Full Review

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Synopsis

This dark psychological drama follows young Anna Madden (Charlotte Burke), a lonely British child who begins to inhabit the world that she draws in her sketchbook. When she creates a boy on paper, she later meets the same child, Marc (Elliott Spiers), in her dream realm. Things take a creepy turn when Anna draws her absentee father (Ben Cross), and he appears in her world as a menacing figure out to get her. Can Anna control this strange realm, or will she become a victim of it?

Director: Bernard Rose
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.7K
Sound Mix: Surround

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