Lovecraft Lives!
They said it couldn’t be done.
That some of the stories were unfilmable. The task would be too great even for some of the greatest directors of all time. The material would just be too overwhelming.
Even some of the best would make a barely passing grade. Yet it happened.
It had to happen.
Someone took a film that could not be filmed, deemed to great of chore, and turned it into a cinematic triumph. Without cheating. Without reputation. They turned a well-known story into something of a milestone.
For years, and generations, no one touched H.P. Lovecraft’s story “Call of Cthulhu.” It would be crazy. That would be too insane. Like some of the characters in Lovecraft’s own stories who went mad from the very thoughts, scratching at the very surface of horror.
But someone did it. The Lovecraft Historical Society put into every loving detail and cranked out at the sweat of their own labors a masterpiece that could put Hollywood to shame. They made “Call of Cthulhu” into a movie. And it’s a snappy one at that. Very good stuff. Worthy of putting this film into horror fame.
Perhaps it was the mood in the story that was so unmistakable. It could be due to the absolute devotion of the source material from 1926. Maybe it was just a bunch of guys who wanted to make a dream come true through their own undying efforts.
The Lovecraft Historical Society put in three years to make this film, meticulously crafted, every scene counted for something. And even Cthulhu himself made an appearance at the end… as if the hand of the lords took it right out of Lovecraft’s own nightmare and put it on celluioid screen. The film has been show in various Film Festivals. It’s been well received by critics and audiences alike.
Basically the story centers around a narrator who follows his grandfather’s footsteps into putting together the final pieces of a puzzle before going mad. Through the streets of Providence, Rhode Island to the Louisiana swamps to the uncharted islands in the Pacific. Every step closer takes a piece of sanity away. But, as the old Providence scribe puts it, there are some things best left untouched, not be discovered through innocent eyes.
But some people are determined, not to be pushed away. There are gods in the universe that replaces the imagination. That the forces of good and evil no longer mattered. That mankind was slapped in the middle of it. And Cthulhu himself was the greatest, most frightening of Lovecraft’s pantheon of legends.
The film created by the historical society is also the stuff of legends.
“Call of Chthulhu” movie is silent. Filmed as if it’s in 1926. Just a year before talking pictures became dominant. So it’s made during Lovecraft’s time. Directed by Andrew Leman and a screenplay written by Sean Branney.
Making it into a silent movie is a smart move. Many times, in fan made films, the actor’s voices sound amateur. That they tend to sound like it’s been made in someone’s back yard.
Not this one. We don’t have to worry about hearing the actor’s voices. Not one word, indeed. Which helps to create a wonderful atmosphere.
There are some scenes which leaves scars into your memories. The scenes are haunting in B&W, leaving behind engravings of your creativity. It subscribes to things left in your imaginations. Just like Lovecraft’s own stories.
There’s the scenes of the madman in the psycho ward, holding his hands up in surrender of his own madness. There’s the swamps where the cultists worship the gods. Then there’s the ending where the greatest of Lovecraft’s gods come to life through stop-action animation. A kind of throw-back to Ray Harryhausen days.
It’s a heartfelt attempt in filmmaking. And it works. Despite a couple of flaws, such as the over-reliance of titles, the films carries the burden of reputation. That Lovecraft remains unfilmable until now. Thanks for a few braves souls. You can find it on DVD.
I'm surprised that some of the critics never read any of the Lovecraft stories when they were kids. Too busy playing football or baseball, I suppose. I suggest you should read some of the later Lovecraft tales between 1925 to 1937.
I remember reading "At the Mountains of Madness" well into the wee hours when I was a teenager. I couldn't put the book down. But I also couldn't get to sleep that night.
Take this movie home with you, kiddies, and prepare to be scared with delight. Then you’ll thank your "unlucky" stars that you’ve watched it in its glorious B&W. It owes much to mood and story. And a belief. Horror hasn’t been this good in a long time.
That some of the stories were unfilmable. The task would be too great even for some of the greatest directors of all time. The material would just be too overwhelming.
Even some of the best would make a barely passing grade. Yet it happened.
It had to happen.
Someone took a film that could not be filmed, deemed to great of chore, and turned it into a cinematic triumph. Without cheating. Without reputation. They turned a well-known story into something of a milestone.
For years, and generations, no one touched H.P. Lovecraft’s story “Call of Cthulhu.” It would be crazy. That would be too insane. Like some of the characters in Lovecraft’s own stories who went mad from the very thoughts, scratching at the very surface of horror.
But someone did it. The Lovecraft Historical Society put into every loving detail and cranked out at the sweat of their own labors a masterpiece that could put Hollywood to shame. They made “Call of Cthulhu” into a movie. And it’s a snappy one at that. Very good stuff. Worthy of putting this film into horror fame.
Perhaps it was the mood in the story that was so unmistakable. It could be due to the absolute devotion of the source material from 1926. Maybe it was just a bunch of guys who wanted to make a dream come true through their own undying efforts.
The Lovecraft Historical Society put in three years to make this film, meticulously crafted, every scene counted for something. And even Cthulhu himself made an appearance at the end… as if the hand of the lords took it right out of Lovecraft’s own nightmare and put it on celluioid screen. The film has been show in various Film Festivals. It’s been well received by critics and audiences alike.
Basically the story centers around a narrator who follows his grandfather’s footsteps into putting together the final pieces of a puzzle before going mad. Through the streets of Providence, Rhode Island to the Louisiana swamps to the uncharted islands in the Pacific. Every step closer takes a piece of sanity away. But, as the old Providence scribe puts it, there are some things best left untouched, not be discovered through innocent eyes.
But some people are determined, not to be pushed away. There are gods in the universe that replaces the imagination. That the forces of good and evil no longer mattered. That mankind was slapped in the middle of it. And Cthulhu himself was the greatest, most frightening of Lovecraft’s pantheon of legends.
The film created by the historical society is also the stuff of legends.
“Call of Chthulhu” movie is silent. Filmed as if it’s in 1926. Just a year before talking pictures became dominant. So it’s made during Lovecraft’s time. Directed by Andrew Leman and a screenplay written by Sean Branney.
Making it into a silent movie is a smart move. Many times, in fan made films, the actor’s voices sound amateur. That they tend to sound like it’s been made in someone’s back yard.
Not this one. We don’t have to worry about hearing the actor’s voices. Not one word, indeed. Which helps to create a wonderful atmosphere.
There are some scenes which leaves scars into your memories. The scenes are haunting in B&W, leaving behind engravings of your creativity. It subscribes to things left in your imaginations. Just like Lovecraft’s own stories.
There’s the scenes of the madman in the psycho ward, holding his hands up in surrender of his own madness. There’s the swamps where the cultists worship the gods. Then there’s the ending where the greatest of Lovecraft’s gods come to life through stop-action animation. A kind of throw-back to Ray Harryhausen days.
It’s a heartfelt attempt in filmmaking. And it works. Despite a couple of flaws, such as the over-reliance of titles, the films carries the burden of reputation. That Lovecraft remains unfilmable until now. Thanks for a few braves souls. You can find it on DVD.
I'm surprised that some of the critics never read any of the Lovecraft stories when they were kids. Too busy playing football or baseball, I suppose. I suggest you should read some of the later Lovecraft tales between 1925 to 1937.
I remember reading "At the Mountains of Madness" well into the wee hours when I was a teenager. I couldn't put the book down. But I also couldn't get to sleep that night.
Take this movie home with you, kiddies, and prepare to be scared with delight. Then you’ll thank your "unlucky" stars that you’ve watched it in its glorious B&W. It owes much to mood and story. And a belief. Horror hasn’t been this good in a long time.
posted by K.M. Paters at 12:12 PM
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