There are a ton of similarities between Junji Ito's famed horror manga, Uzumaki (which is getting a mini-series from Adult Swim very soon), and the 2019 A24 horror movie, The Lighthouse. Both forms of media relate in theme, genre, and atmosphere. The characters in both stories are secluded from the rest of the world, affected by some kind of cosmic horror only they could know, and are trapped in a small village on a small island with the very thing that seems to be driving them insane.

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Here are five similarities between the black and white film and the black and white manga, and 5 differences that set the two stories apart.

10 Similarity: Deterioration Of The Characters' Mental Health

In both stories of Uzumaki and The Lighthouse, the stories seem to focus on the main characters and their descent (or spiral) into madness. In The Lighthouse it is a lot more apparent with Robert Pattinson's character (Ephraim Winslow/Thomas Howard), growing wariness towards Willem Dafoe (Thomas Wake). In Uzumaki, it seems like everyone except for Kirie becomes insane by the spiral, with Kirie becoming incredibly fatigued by the madness at the end of the story. Readers witness the story through her eyes and see the madness that surrounds her, which makes the reader feel like they are being surrounded as well.

9 Difference: The Lighthouse (2019) Is Based On A Real Theory

Along with being based on an unfinished Edgar Allen Poe story, The Lighthouse is actually based on an unsolved missing persons case from the Flannan Isles lighthouse. While the film takes a Lovecraftian and unexplainable twist, the actual case has a number of different theories to explain how the three (not two) men working at this lighthouse disappeared and left absolutely no traces. Some theories include alien abduction, fairy folk, and a number of other supernatural occurrences.

8 Similarity: Cosmic Horror

Lovecraftian themes are pretty common in both of these stories. In Uzumaki, it is the idea of the spiral itself. Readers nor the characters ever learn what exactly the spiral is and how it is plaguing the town. Junji Ito is a master at the uncertain. In most of his stories, the characters never know why (or how) behind the creatures and things after they do. Nearly everything goes unexplained and beyond comprehension.

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The same can be said for The Lighthouse. While it is a lot more subtle and could be explained away by the madness the men go through, something seems to be going on in that tower. The theory is that the lighthouse itself is of eldritch horror.

7 Difference: The Uncertainty Of Events

As mentioned in the previous entry, The Lighthouse makes both, the viewers and the characters, feel uneasy about what is really happening. In Uzumaki, the characters know that a spiral is taking over, readers know that the town is being plagued, and everyone generally knows what is going on at every step of the way. But in The Lighthouse, many of the events are riddled with "did that really happen, or was it in their head?" During the storm, Wake attacks Winslow, but a moment later, Winslow is told that he was the one attacking Wake.

6 Similarity: The Supernatural Storms

Both Uzumaki and The Lighthouse have giant supernatural storms just before the climax of either story. In Uzumaki, the storm started as a spiraling cloud, creating small tornadoes that broke the town apart and gathered up some of the residents. In The Lighthouse, the storm creates a ton of obstacles for the keepers and becomes an extremely climactic moment in the film. It completely floods their living quarters and the wind sounds nearly alive. The storm lasts for days and ruins every chance they have of being picked up to go back home.

5 Difference: Slower Escalation in Uzumaki

uzumaki lighthouse

Uzumaki is a slow burn when it comes to the spiral taking over. Kirie, in fact, doesn't even really think much of it until the later chapters of the manga. The strangest thing about this is that readers immediately know that something is deeply wrong with the town and the spiral, a trait which Kirie's boyfriend, Shuichi, shares with the readers.

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The town also drastically changes from one chapter to the next after the events of the storm. While in The Lighthouse, viewers and the characters feel pretty distraught early on.

4 Similarity: The Endings

Both endings are pretty dark and spell certain doom for the characters. In both cases, the cosmic horror has won. The idea is just so beyond human comprehension. In The Lighthouse, the characters succumb to the lust they have for the light at the top of the tower. It drives Winslow to kill Wake and ultimately falls right into the eldritch horror's lap. In Uzumaki, the spiral is unbeatable. It sucks up the enter town, leaving no room for escape. Kirie and Shuichi spend their last moments together, curling around one another just before they join the spiral.

3 Difference: The Characters

Kirie and Shuichi are a lot more likable than Winslow and Wake. Winslow and Wake are pretty angry guys with not a lot going on other than they don't really get along with each other. Shuichi is driven mad by the spiral, as he has seen it since the beginning and continues to warn Kirie of its power. However, she brushes him off. But Shuichi doesn't let that affect him. Every time Kirie is in dire trouble, he comes to help save her from the spiral's grasp. Kirie is also extremely likable, as she is overall a very kind and gentle girl. She stays in denial for a pretty long time but then tries desperately to save her loved ones from the spiral.

2 Similarity: The Lighthouses

The biggest similarities are the actual lighthouses in both stories. In Uzumaki, there is a chapter called "The Black Lighthouse" which has the same alluring properties as the lighthouse in the film. Something Lovecraftian draws the characters to the top of the tower, a strange lust to know what's up there and what is so special about the light. And in both stories, the light at the top is some kind of cosmic horror. In The Lighthouse, viewers never really got to see what the light was, just that it gave the men total ecstasy, only to shine bright and have the man injure himself. In Uzumaki, the fresnel lens melted and shaped itself into a spiral. The lens seemed to look at the characters just before the light went off which burned brightly throughout the downward spiral of the tower. Kirie and her brother just made it out, but one of their friends was burned alive by the lighthouse's beam.

1 Difference: Different Mythos

The Lighthouse has a slightly different mythos than Uzumaki. While they both deal with cosmic horror, The Lighthouse also deals with some mariner folklore. First, there is the mermaid. Mermaids are known to be pretty evil creatures who seduce men and then drag them underwater to drown. The mermaid in this story acts as an omen to Winslow's demise at the end of the film. There is also the situation of the seagull. In the classic poem, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, the main character kills an albatross, (another seabird) and is forced to wear it around his neck. Killing a seabird is bad luck for the killer and his crew. Wake comments on Winslow's ongoing distaste for the seabird and the bad luck that would ensue, however, Winslow doesn't listen to him.

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