Uzumaki by Junji Ito

Images so uniquely haunting, you'll never forget them.

As a lover of all things horror, I have not consumed something truly viscerally horrifying in a very long time. When I saw nothing but praise for this book, I had to see if it lived up to the expectations. It did.

This story takes place in a sleepy Japanese village, tucked away by the sea. Following a young woman, we witness the descent of this town into a haunting by uzumaki: the spirals. It begins as a series of connected short stories building upon the horrors witnessed in the chapter before, until the last issue finally begins to flow issue to issue more like a classic story. Personally, I quite liked this style. It covered many aspects of the haunting, other characters, and provided a deep world building experience without the lengthy swaths of explanations more inexperienced authors would throw in.

From the first few panels, there is imagery that is truly scarier than anything I have seen in recent horror movies. I would also recommend putting down the food while reading, especially if you are adverse to certain textures. Personally, I am really adverse to specific textures and one whole chapter had me gagging. Which often sounds like a negative, but it means Ito has his thumb so perfectly placed on the switch of human emotion that he can evoke such strong reaction with a single image. Not all horror comes in the form of fear but also exists, often more effectively, in disgust, fear, and general "ickiness." Ito understands this, utilizing it for the ambiance's benefit. 

For anyone familiar with classic Korean and Japanese horror, it follows the traditions established by many other genre authors. It is more ambiguous than Western horror, so you often never see the enemy. For people who are fans of this sort of horror and/or manga should absolutely give it a try. 

Rating: ★★★★★