What's the Best Lovecraft Adaptation?

Diana Hignutt · Oct 6, 2010

I love me some H.P. Lovecraft. I'm a big fan of his books and stories. I've only seen a couple of movies based on his work, and most of those kind of suck, with a few exceptions. From Beyond wasn't too bad. It's been a long time since I saw The Dunwich Horror, but I don't remember that being too good. Vincent Price in The Haunted Palace is fine, but not spectacular in that adaptation of The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

So, what should I be on the lookout for, as far as good Lovecraft adapations? I appreciate your input in advance. Thank you.

Shadow_Ferret · Oct 6, 2010

My favorite is "The Call of Cthulhu" which came out in 2005. It's a SILENT black and white film. I think it's just a wonderful adaptation.

Calla Lily · Oct 6, 2010

There aren't any. Srsly. HP's atmospheric psychological horror doesn't adapt well to the screen.

Dunwich Horror was a joke. I swear, it was only filmed so Sandra Dee could do a nude scene.

Corman convinced American International to let him film a Lovecraft as a reward for all his successful (read: money-earning) Poe films. But when push came to shove, AI wouldn't take the risk, slapped the Poe poem over the credits, and marketed Haunted Palace as a Poe film.

(We won't get into the adaptation errors, although I enjoy the FX, and Price + Chaney Jr. is a winning combination any time.)

The more recent adaptations--From Beyond, its sequel, and Reanimator --just make me angry. HP was never, ever about sex! And comedy doesn't mesh with HP's weirdness. IMNSHO.

The only one I enjoy is Die, Monster, Die. But that's because I love Karloff, and laugh at Nick Adams trying to act (he was his generation's Keanu Reeves, as far as range goes.) However, "The Colour Out of Space" is my favorite HP story, and DMD is more like a loosely based adaptation. Real loose.

My opinionated opinion.

Diana Hignutt · Oct 6, 2010

Shadow_Ferret said:
My favorite is "The Call of Cthulhu" which came out in 2005. It's a SILENT black and white film. I think it's just a wonderful adaptation.

I shall obtain it. Thanks!

Diana Hignutt · Oct 6, 2010

callalily61 said:
There aren't any. Srsly. HP's atmospheric psychological horror doesn't adapt well to the screen.

Dunwich Horror was a joke. I swear, it was only filmed so Sandra Dee could do a nude scene.

Corman convinced American International to let him film a Lovecraft as a reward for all his successful (read: money-earning) Poe films. But when push came to shove, AI wouldn't take the risk, slapped the Poe poem over the credits, and marketed Haunted Palace as a Poe film. (We won't get into the adaptation errors, although I enjoy the FX, and Price + Chaney Jr. is a winning combination any time.)

The more recent adaptations--From Beyond, its sequel, and Reanimator --just make me angry. HP was never, ever about sex! And comedy doesn't mesh with HP's weirdness. IMNSHO.

The only one I enjoy is Die, Monster, Die. But that's because I love Karloff, and laugh at Nick Adams trying to act (he was his generation's Keanu Reeves, as far as range goes.) However, "The Colour Out of Space" is my favorite HP story, and DMD is more like a loosely based adaptation. Real loose.

My opinionated opinion.

I will also check out DMD. I love "The Colour Out of Space". Thanks!

Anyone else?

Shadow_Ferret · Oct 6, 2010

Diana Hignutt said:
I shall obtain it. Thanks!

If you have Netflix, you can watch it instantly.

SirOtter · Oct 6, 2010

Shadow_Ferret said:
My favorite is "The Call of Cthulhu" which came out in 2005. It's a SILENT black and white film. I think it's just a wonderful adaptation.

I agree wholeheartedly. It was a bit on the short side, though. I was enjoying it so much I was disappointed when it ended much too soon.

SirOtter · Oct 6, 2010

callalily61 said:
But that's because I love Karloff, and laugh at Nick Adams trying to act (he was his generation's Keanu Reeves, as far as range goes.)

LOL! True, much too true. Nick was not a great thespian.

Karloff was the best.

shawkins · Oct 6, 2010

Probably Guillermo del Toro's At The Mountains of Madness (2013).

If you were OK with From Beyond and Reanimator, you might try Dagon. Ignore the title. Dagon is kinda-sorta The Shadow Over Innsmouth. It was by the same director and I thought it was the most effective of the three by a wide margin. There was a gratuitous last minute nude scene, IIRC, but the tone of Dagon isn't salacious to nearly the same extent that Stuart Gordon's previous two Lovecraft outings were.

I thought it was actually pretty damn good, considering the budget. I may watch it again tonight.

Jcomp · Oct 6, 2010

shawkins said:
Probably Guillermo del Toro's At The Mountains of Madness (2013).

Beat me to it...

Calla Lily · Oct 6, 2010

I forgot Dagon. Meh. Hardly any points of connection to the short story. Why change the location? Why why why the obsession with rewriting HP creatures as inter-species rapists? :rant:

At least the Dagon in Conan 2 just wanted to kill and eat everyone, like a good HP creature.

(Ah-nuld, how we miss you on the screen.)

robeiae · Oct 6, 2010

Titanic?

Calla Lily · Oct 6, 2010

If Titanic had climaxed with Cthulhu rising from R'yleh to crush the ship and OM NOM NOM all the passengers, I would've been at the cinema opening night. With bells on. :tongue

shawkins · Oct 6, 2010

callalily61 said:
I forgot Dagon. Meh. Hardly any points of connection to the short story.

No argument, but if we're calling Reanimator and From Beyond Lovecraft adaptations this one counts too. Anyway, I thought Dagon was surprisingly effective in its own way, much more so than the other two. I quite liked the (highlight for major spoiler) way the MC turned out to be a secret fish-guy and swam off into the happy-ever-after with the tentacle princess. I'm a sucker for dark love stories.

callalily61 said:
Why change the location?

Oooh! Oooh! I know this one! I read somewhere (or maybe saw on the DVD extras?) that it was dirt cheap to shoot in Spain. And the name of the town was innsmouth in Spanish. (inna morta?) I'm inclined to him a pass on this change, if not others.

callalily61 said:
Why why why the obsession with rewriting HP creatures as inter-species rapists?

I'm totally with you. I remember wincing the first time I saw that particular scene. "Stuart! WTF? You were doing so well!"

callalily61 said:
At least the Dagon in Conan 2 just wanted to kill and eat everyone, like a good HP creature. (Ah-nuld, how we miss you on the screen.)

Yeah, but Conan killed him by ripping out that big rhino horn he sprouted. I call subtext.

shawkins · Oct 6, 2010

Oh, and also try John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness. It wasn't directly based on any Lovecraft story, but it's definitely Lovecraftian. PoD is my #1 favorite horror movie of all time, period.

robeiae · Oct 6, 2010

shawkins said:
Oh, and also try John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness. It wasn't directly based on any Lovecraft story, but it's definitely Lovecraftian. PoD is my #1 favorite horror movie of all time, period.

Crap. It's one of my favs, too. Double crap.

robeiae · Oct 6, 2010

callalily61 said:
If Titanic had climaxed with Cthulhu rising from R'yleh to crush the ship and OM NOM NOM all the passengers, I would've been at the cinema opening night. With bells on.

When I watch Titanic, it ends with me picking up the TV and tossing it in a trash compactor...

Calla Lily · Oct 6, 2010

shawkins said:
Oh, and also try John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness. It wasn't directly based on any Lovecraft story, but it's definitely Lovecraftian. PoD is my #1 favorite horror movie of all time, period.

robeiae said:
Crap. It's one of my favs, too. Double crap.

You mean there are other people who love this movie?! I've found my home at last! I've seen it so many times I've lost count. My favorite effect is the "dreams that are really messages from the future" sequences, but I love so much of the movie it's hard to choose my second favorite.

Camilla Delvalle · Oct 6, 2010

Dagon, I just love that movie, and my friends love it too. It doesn't follow the short story exactly but there are some things with a good Lovecraft feeling, a happy end and good music. Setting it in Spain with spanish actors was a brilliant move.

The Call of Cthulu follows the short story but it didn't give me the same happy feelings.

Stephen King is very much inspired by Lovecraft. There is even a tv series called Nightmares and Dreamscapes (from Kings short stories I think) where Lovecraft deities are mentioned.

Diana Hignutt · Oct 7, 2010

robeiae said:
When I watch Titanic, it ends with me picking up the TV and tossing it in a trash compactor...

It ends with me shouting for Kate Winslet to scoot her fat ass over so Leo could climg up on the damn floating thing she was hoarding. And then I cry.

Diana Hignutt · Oct 7, 2010

Awesome, I shall also check out Dagon and Prince of Darkness. Thanks guys!

shawkins · Oct 7, 2010

callalily61 said:
You mean there are other people who love this movie?! I've found my home at last! I've seen it so many times I've lost count. My favorite effect is the "dreams that are really messages from the future" sequences, but I love so much of the movie it's hard to choose my second favorite.

It is the genius of John Carpenter that he can make a glass trash can filled with Palmolive seem scary.

robeiae · Oct 7, 2010

I think, though, that I prefer Carpenter's The Thing (just barely). Nothing like watching that movie with the lights out and nobody around at two in the morning...

Calla Lily · Oct 7, 2010

Carpenter's The Thing was very good and at least faithful to the original story. Although the delightful 50s version is full of WIN because Howard Hawks was a frickin' brilliant director (and the author did the screenplay, so ot can't be all bad.

).

DavidZahir · Oct 7, 2010

Dagon and Prince of Darkness are indeed good Lovecraftian films. Like others, I agree that the best is the silent Call of Cthulhu. The same group that did that one, btw, is now in post-production for The Whisperer in Darkness.

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