Lately,
I've been knee deep in library books, getting equally knee deep into tales of:
Arkam, The great Old Ones, weird cults, sleepy/creepy coastal New
England villages, Miskatonic
University
While you
may or may not be a fan (admittedly, some of his early stuff is hack work), you
can't deny the influence, on all things horror, that the guy Stephen King cites
as his primary inspiration has had. With this in mind, I decided to revisit
(and visit for the first time) some of the Lovecraft adapted horror cinema out
there---I'm sure everyone has their favorites, but these are the ones I have in
my crazy, hoarder-type, DVD collection...so, let's begin.
"Re-Animator"(1985)--Yeah, really obvious, but
Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna managed to create a funny/repulsive little
franchise that incorporates elements from Lovecraft's tale in all 3
installments--plus, let's be honest--Barbara Crampton!! Classics all of 'em!
"Dagon"(2001)--A creepy, frankly scary, little
yarn, that, while sporting a change in venue and some character shuffling, is a
pretty awesome re-creation of the fabled Innsmouth. Gordon really cooks here,
serving up slimy handfuls of frog/fish goodness! Definitely check this one
out--very underrated.
"In The Mouth of Madness"(1994)--While it doesn't
exactly have Lovecraft's name attached, c'mon man! A variation/hybrid of
several stories, this film contains a few genuinely unnerving set pieces.
Probably the most overlooked film in John Carpenter's catalog (equally the
fault of the unsatisfying, ambiguous ending and Sam Neill's criminal over
acting...), this is probably one you'd want to skip, unless you're a diehard JC
fan or have 90 or so minutes to waste...
"The Call of Cthulhu"(2005)--A black and white,
silent film that is just pure genius! Andrew Leman's faithful adaptation really
shines because of it's look and ambition. Superb sets on a shoestring budget,
and it really captures what a film made in HP's time would have looked like. In
a word--Excellent!
"The Dunwich Horror"(1970)--Psychedelic dream orgies,
Dean Stockwell acting hella fucked up while looking like Harry Reems, 75% of
Sandra Dee's left tit, and a guy that appears to be the Caucasian version of
Grady from "Sanford & Son"--Daniel Haller's AIP released effort,
if nothing else, keeps you watching! Sets and characters that typify the gothic
cinema of the era (Hammer/AIP), this is one that's not to be missed! Campy and
fun.
"From Beyond"(1986)--Stuart Gordon again-and he
brings along a cast that's like a genre nerd's wet dream! Fire up those pineal
glands, and pop this entertaining gem into your DVD deck! Adding a liberal
amount to the sparse source material, this film manages to expand into a sci-fi
pulp comic brought to vivid life. Ken Foree, Jeff Combs, and the amazing Ms.
Crampton (who also dons a leather/latex bondage get up...just picture that for
a sec...take all the time you need...) romp through this freaky, nasty, bloody
story of science run amok.
"The Unnamable"(1998)--Basically a "monster
kills teens fucking in a haunted house" film, director Jean-Paul Ouellette,
however, manages to work in almost all of the original story's finer points.
Kind of a decent popcorn film, and it creates a cool back-story only hinted at
in Lovecraft's work. Check it out.
Well, let
me grab my bookmark, read some more, and pop this DVD of the "Masters of
Horror" episode from Stuart Gordon into the player....
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