Staff Kills: Annie’s Top Five Lovecraft Adaptations
by Annie Riordan
Although considered to be something of a God among horror fans, Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s murky tales of cosmic madness, tentacled deities and horrors too horrible to be properly described have often been considered the most difficult – if not downright impossible – stories to adapt to the big (or small) screen. Lovecraft was a master of unseen terrors that no rational mind could comprehend without going mad. But too often, filmmakers have eschewed the deeply disturbing atmosphere of insanity and dread that the man expertly wove in favor of showing us scaly monsters and scantily clad girls. However, there are a few people who have gotten it right.
1 The Call Of Cthulhu (2005) – The most faithful Lovecraft cinematic adaptation to date, the forty seven minute long Cthulhu tells Lovecraft’s story of an octopus-headed sea god exactly as it was written, employing the filming techniques that would have been available in the 1920s, the period in which the tale takes place. Complete with intertitle cards, exaggerated silent film facial expressions and a darling little claymation Cthulhu, The Call Of Cthulhu may not be scary, but it’s hugely satisfying in its absolute faithfulness. Released by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, who are currently at work on a film version of The Whisperer In Darkness!
2 Dagon (2001) Although entitled “Dagon,” this Spanish set tale by Stuart Gordon is actually closer to “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” in plot. A young man unwittingly returns to the seaside village where he was born, only to find it inhabited by hideous fish-people and a sexy mermaid girl who seems to know more about him than she should. Dagon bears Gordon’s signature stamp, sporting a dark sense of humor and plenty of bare breasts, but the town of Imboca (Boca meaning “mouth” – get it?) is pure Lovecraft all the way: rotting, filthy, waterlogged and spongy with mold and decay. You’ll be longing for a hot shower when this one is over.
3 Cthulhu (2007) Another misnamed movie, also more closely resembling “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” I had my doubts about this one. After all, it took years to finally make its DVD debut and Tori Spelling was it biggest name star. But this tale of an isolated Oregon coast town is absolutely chilling. Boasting a very good performance by Jason Cottle as the prodigal son/gay black sheep of the Marsh family, who returns home to his seaside birthplace for a funeral and instead finds a hideous legacy awaiting him, Cthulhu – although improperly titled – is bone-cold-creepy, capturing a dark, bleak and forlorn quality that practically aches with loss and oozes dread. With nary a tentacle in sight, nor a drop of gore, Cthulhu is still one of the most genuinely disturbing Lovecraft inspired flicks I’ve seen.
4 Cool Air (1999) This bare bones indie flick debuted on Lurker Films first collection of short Lovecraft inspired movies simply entitled The H.P. Lovecraft Collection, Volume 1. Filmed in black and white on stark sets, Cool Air tells the tale of a young disillusioned writer, who takes a room in a boarding house to write his pulp horror stories. Hmmm, that sounds familiar. When a sudden illness causes him to seek the attention of the reclusive doctor who lives upstairs, a strange friendship ensues, and the doctor’s preference for subzero temperatures is revealed in a heartfelt narration of events past. When a heatwave descends and the doctor’s refrigeration machine conks out, a hideous truth comes to light. Despite some shaky acting from the supporting cast, Cool Air is very faithful to its source material and features a stunning performance by Jack Donner as the afflicted Dr. Munoz.
5 Re-Animator (1985) Based on Lovecraft’s Herbert West serial, Stuart Gordon took HUGE liberties with this 1985 shock-splatter film, throwing in all of the sex and gore that Lovecraft himself never dreamed of. Still, the basic story is untouched: a brilliant but arrogant med student has discovered the secret of immortality in the form of a chemical reagent. Unfortunately, it has some adverse effects upon those who receive an injection of the glowing green crap. Jeffrey Combs rules this film with his dead-on portrayal of the uptight, assholish – but oddly likable – Herbert West, upstaged only by David Gale’s perverted severed head. ReAnimator may not be the most faithful adaptation of a Lovecraft tale, but it was responsible for the renewed interest in Lovecraft and the wave of films, both good and bad, which followed, dedicated to the authors works.
Honorable Mentions:
The Dunwich Horror (1970) This hippie-horror flick may seem a tad ridiculous now, but it perfectly captures the dark and perverse inner workings of a seaside New England town and the creepy family that holds it in its grip. Young Wilbur Whateley is determined to get his hands on the original Necronomicon and finish the work that his grandfather started, opening a doorway between this world and the realm of the Old Ones. With the unwitting assistance of a stoned looking Sandra Dee, an intense Dean Stockwell as a disco-afroed Wilbur goes to work, deflowering Sandy on a stone altar and conjuring up a tentacled horror which goes on a killing spree. Dated, but intriguing.
Uzumaki (2000) This weird Japanese flick isn’t really based on any one Lovecraft film, but seems to be made up of pieces from several. An isolated island community is slowly taken over by a strange obsession with spirals. A young schoolgirl watches helplessly as her neighbors, fellow students and finally her boyfriend are taken over by an unseen force from beneath the cursed waters of Dragonfly Pond, which seems to be turning everyone into giant sea snails. This slimy, gooey little shocker is Lovecraft comedy in the vein of Stuart Gordon, with the look and feel of the Manga on which it was based – colorful, exaggerated and sickening…but fun!
