Transferring great works of fiction have always been a difficult process, on one hand you have to keep the integrity of the story intact and on the other you have to draw out the entertainment value in the tale. There have been some H.P. Lovecraft tales that haven’t been to bad but this adaptation is the first one that approached the tale faithfully. Shot in the style of the 1920’s silent era, the black and white filming adds to the creepiness to the story and your left with a true feeling of dread.
While going through his late great-uncle’s papers, a Boston anthropologist finds documents concerning a mysterious Cthulhu cult that drives him to find out why it haunted his uncle to his death. With the use of new and old cinematic methods is what brings this powerful tale of life, and with actors that seem to fit their roles naturally the audience is taken on a ride that leaves them wanting more. Shooting the entire film in the silent era fashion was a risk that pays off completely, not pushing the story to much and keeping to the original tale is one of the strongest elements that makes this short film one of the best horror films in a long time.
Even though this film is less than an hour long, it opens the door to a cinematic style that has all but been lost in this time of technology based special effects and high definition color. I wasn’t expecting to much from this film considering that the other adaptations that I’ve seen over the years haven’t been very good. But once you start watching the story unfold your instantly transported into this world that Lovecraft created. Hopefully with the success of this film this is the beginning of more Lovecraft stories being adapted faithfully for the screen.
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