Paperhouse (film)

Infobox Film
name = Paperhouse


image_size = 200px
caption = Film poster
director = Bernard Rose
producer = Tim Bevan
Sarah Radclyffe
Jane Frazer
Dan Ireland
M.J. Peckos
writer = Matthew Jacobs
narrator =
starring = Charlotte Burke
music = Stanley Myers
Hans Zimmer
cinematography = Mike Southon
editing = Dan Rae
distributor = Vestron
released = 1988
runtime = 92 minutes
country = flagicon|UK
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:37209
imdb_id = 0098061

"Paperhouse" is a 1988 British film directed by Bernard Rose. It was based on the novel "Marianne Dreams" by Catherine Storr. It marked lead actress Charlotte Burke's only major film role, and also stars Ben Cross as the heroine's father. Other actors of note in the film include Jane Bertish, Samantha Cahill and Gemma Jones.

Plot synopsis

While suffering from glandular fever, 11-year-old Anna Madden draws a house. During her feverish dreams, she finds herself visiting the place. When she draws a face at the window, on her next visit she finds a crippled boy named Marc living in the house. From her doctor's conversation it turns out that Marc is a real person.

Anna sketches her father into the drawing so that he can help carry Marc away, but she inadvertently gives him an angry expression which she then crosses out, and the father (who has been away a lot and has a drinking problem, putting a strain on Anna's parents' marriage) appears in the dream as a furious, blinded ogre. Anna and Marc defeat the monster and shortly afterwards Anna recovers, although the doctor reveals that Marc's condition is deteriorating.

Anna's father returns home and both parents seem determined to get over their marital difficulties. The family goes on holiday by the sea. Anna, who had drawn a lighthouse into her sketch as a refuge from the sinister house, and had also supplied a helicopter to rescue Marc, visits a lighthouse on the edge of a cliff at the seaside and sees a helicopter overhead while Marc's voice invites her to join him. A rope ladder dangles from the helicopter, drawing Anna dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Anna's parents arrive in time to prevent her falling.

Critical reaction

Film critic Roger Ebert gave Paperhouse four stars out of four and called it "a film in which every image has been distilled to the point of almost frightening simplicity" and ended by saying "this is not a movie to be measured and weighed and plumbed, but to be surrendered to".

On the television show "Siskel & Ebert", Paperhouse received a "Thumbs Up" from Roger Ebert who commented "I suppose "Paperhouse" will be classified as a Fantasy-Thriller, but I thought it was a lot more than that. A dream movie that uses images so real and so concrete, they seem more convincing than most real-life dramas." He also noted on how effective the soundtrack was and said that "Paperhouse" showed that director Bernard Rose was extremely talented. Gene Siskel gave the film a marginal "Thumbs Down", but he agreed that Bernard Rose was very talented and said, "for about two-thirds of the way I was fascinated by this film". He also commented on how well the dream scenes were handled and said, "these seem to be legitimate fears that child might have". He stated that "when the film got more explicit... I thought the film went over-the-top with imagery and I got a little tired of it. Until then, I was fascinated by it."

The critics who have submitted their reviews to Rotten Tomatoes have given Paperhouse a "fresh" rating of 100%, but the users give it a "fresh" rating of 70%.