Finfrosk86 Heard of this through a list over under-appreciated movies, I think it was, and after reading about it, I had to check it out. Now, I wish it had actually been really good, but I was not convinced.The story is good, though. I found it interesting, and the movie definitely has some strengths. Unfortunately it has a good deal of weaknesses too.First thing that comes to mind is the mothers acting. It is horrible. The main kid (girl) is pretty good though, also the other kid does alright. Another thing that was very obvious was the bad lip syncing. It is way off in some places. Especially the mothers dialogue. Several times words are spoken, but her mouth is shut, and vice versa.(also, haha, weird thing: apparently, in 1988 UK it was OK to hit bitch- slap children)The movie in general also reminded me of something that could have been shown on television, for children. (think Barne-TV, if there are any Norwegians reading this) "Barne-tv" back in the day, was a half hour with different shows for kids, sometimes there were mini series. Paperhouse gave me that vibe.It didn't scare me, although there is this kind of creepy atmosphere at times. I also liked some of the visuals, like the dream world, it's pretty simple, but it works. One jump scare also got to me.Paperhouse is super uneven, and some of the dramatic parts just did not work for me, at all. Towards the end I was a little like: Is this gonna end soon? At the same time, there are really good parts too. I wished it would have known a little better what it wanted to be, because it's kind of all over the place.Had I seen it as a child, so that I would have had some nostalgic connection to it, I would probably have liked it a lot better.Someone should remake this, with tighter direction, and a lot more on the horror side. That would be awesome.

Johan Louwet I had my doubts about watching this as I was fearing for another "Bridge to Terabithia" in which I was very disappointed. But I'm very glad I have watched this. Even though it does have its scary moments I would define this much more as a drama movie with fantasy elements rather than horror or thriller. I was really impressed by the acting of both kids Anna and Mark who showed good chemistry. Their relationship was heart-warmingly beautiful even more because they actually never meet in real life only when Anna is sleeping. A drawing coming to life in a dream I did see it before in "Mirrormask". While Mirrormask isn't bad Paperhouse does it much more effective and touching and doesn't add these random things that puzzled me and where I couldn't understand the symbolism of. The ending is bitter-sweet and satisfying. Even though 90 minutes seemed perfect I wouldn't have mind that the movie had been a bit longer (I guess I just wanted more moments between Anna and Mark). It's based on a book, I'm interested in reading it now.

Fitz I'm glad that this is available on DVD now. This film is an excellent example of the triumph of content & style over empty-headed flashing lights & constant loud noises.Essentially, if you have a short attention span or lack the wit & imagination to engage with literary narrative you won't like this film. The reasons for this are quite simple, but unfortunately rarely achieved: Matthew Jacobs has done a fantastic job of transposing the story of Catherine Storr's novel 'Marianne Dreams' successfully to a screenplay. An unenviable task as anyone who has seen a film of a book will undoubtedly know.The casting is excellent, allowing director Bernard Rose to use the actors in a way that is rarely seen now; they indulge in the craft of acting! I know, I know, actors doing their job & acting instead of resorting to mugging inanely at the camera lens whist a kaleidoscope of car chases, explosions & fire fights break out around them is a genuinely rare treat, but it does actually happen in this film.This brings me to the final reason that this is a film for the imaginative thinker & not the spoon-fed tabloid reader - Apart from a solid script, direction & acting, it relies on atmosphere, suspense & implied horror. If it is to be categorized as horror then the presentation of 'Paper House' is more in the vein of Sophocles than Tobe Hooper.In conclusion then, if you like lots of loud noises, explosions, constant cuts, & bright flashing colours you'd be better off watching 'Transformers', but if you like a suspenseful story which unfolds through a skillful & evocative use of narrative without insulting your intelligence by force feeding you cacophonous nonsense then this might just be your thing.

b_pratt This is one of three 80's movies that I can think of that were sadly overlooked at the time and unfortunately, still overlooked. One of the others was Clownhouse directed by Victor Salva, a movie horribly overlook due to Salva's legal/sexual problems. Another would be Cameron's Closet which strikes me as somewhat underrated--not great, but not nearly as bad as the reviews I've seen. Paper House is well worth your time and I think that it is one of those very quiet films that will just stick in your brain for far longer than you might think. I mean, 10 years after I've seen it and I still give it some pause, whereas something that I might have seen 6 months ago has gone into the ether.