WARNING: The following contains some spoilers for "Marionette Mansion" by Junji Ito, available now in English as part of the collection Shiver from Viz Media.

Junji Ito is perhaps the most famous horror mangaka currently working today, and he is certainly one of the most famous of all time. His stories -- The Enigma of Amigara Fault, Uzumaki, Tomie, and more -- all have passionate and dedicated followings, and for good reason. They are beautiful, they are fun, and most importantly, they are terrifying.

Marionette Mansion, also published as House of Puppets, is one such story by Junji Ito. It features many of his tropes-- big empty modernist houses, hideous body horror, and, of course, an unknowable and terrifying monster at the center of it. That being said, it stands out from many of his other short stories, both due to quality and content. As you might expect, Marionette Mansion revolves around puppets. Needless to say, it's very scary.

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Without going into too many spoilers, the story focuses on Haruhiko, a boy who travels around the country with his father, brother and little sister Natsumi as a performing troupe of puppeteers. No one, save the father, is particularly content with this lifestyle of constant uprooting, and eventually, the older brother runs away. Before he leaves, however, he shares a cryptic theory with Haruhiko: we don't control puppets, they control us. He also takes one thing with him when he goes: Jean-Pierre, the magician puppet, who is royally creepy to look at.

After Haruhiko's father sickens and dies, we leap forward a few years. Haruhiko and his sister have been living together, trying to make ends meet. Things are peaceful enough, and Haruhiko even reunites with an old girlfriend from his childhood. Eventually, however, they discover that their older brother lives nearby. They go to visit and find him living in an opulent mansion with his family. Of course, as usual with a Junji Ito story, things in the big house get pretty twisted.

The brother and his family have allowed themselves to be turned into puppets, constantly operated by several trained puppeteers hidden in the ceiling above. They describe their existence as very relaxing and peaceful, and seem completely happy, to the point that Natsumi wishes to join them. Haruhiko has his doubts, however; being put off by the creepy puppet servants and the bizarre lifestyle. To make matters stranger, at the center of it all, being maneuvered around the house, is the magician puppet Jean-Pierre. Things pan out from there, and not everyone makes it out alive.

H.P. Lovecraft is a large influence on Junji Ito. This shows itself with his love for unexplained, horrific creatures and the terrible fate one can encounter by pure bad luck. This certainly features here -- the central threat of Marionette Mansion is never really explained; instead, left ambiguous. Also, none of the characters really do anything to deserve their horrible fates. Morality, bad decisions... these have very little to do with who survives and who does not-- it's just wrong place, wrong time.

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Junji Ito also shares a negative trait with Lovecraft in that his characters often aren't very strongly defined. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it can allow the audience to project themselves onto the characters. And the slightly stiff writing can lend the stories a bit more of an unsettling, otherworldly feel. Marionette Mansion's characters, however, are quite well defined. They have strong wants and desires, defined relationships, and you find yourself rooting for Harhuiko and his loved ones even as things go bad. There's still that bit of surreal distance that gives things a frightening edge, but you can actually sympathize with the characters.

As well as all that, there's the draw of the puppets. Jean-Pierre alone makes this thing worth a read. His design is absolutely terrifying, with his bizarre elongated face and spindly puppet limbs. As well, the magician puppet is notable for his bizarre malevolence, which seems almost completely random. The other puppets stand out as particularly nightmarish, too. (The puppet ballerinas may haunt your dreams for quite a while.)

All in all, Junji Ito fans will find a lot to enjoy here. If you want something spooky to read in the days before and after Halloween, check out Marionette Mansion.

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