The Call of Cthulhu

Making a story by H.P. Lovecraft into a silent film in 2005 may not have been the most obvious move, but it turned out to be a major artistic success. I was a little skeptic myself about this weird approach, but I have to say that Andrew Leman's "The Call Of Cthulhu" is the best Lovecraft adaptation I've seen so far.

The beautiful, dark pictures and the old-fashioned score along with the over the top acting and the make-up of clown-proportions - the whole ancient feel of a silent movie - create a haunting atmosphere. Not only does the viewer feel as if he himself was in the dark about the spooky ongoings, he seems to be taken back to an early age long before mankind could rely on science.

If you're familiar with Lovecraft's novella, you might think that it's impossible to make this rather complicated and possibly special effects demanding story into a silent movie with only 45 minutes running time. Leman somehow pulls it off, though, and proves that less is more. His characters only "say" the most important things we need to know to follow the storyline. A lot of it is explained by facial expressions, newspaper clippings or diary entries. Special effects wise, Leman stays true to the silent film genre without making Cthulhu look ridiculous. The monster is only hinted at in shadows and quick cuts. This may sound weird again, but you have to watch the movie to see how it works.

"The Call Of Cthulhu" remains faithful to both, the original Lovecraft story and the silent movie genre (one little complaint I have would be that the camera-work on the first boat scene looks a little too improved for a silent movie, but that's really being nitpicky). As old-fashioned and reduced as this movie might be, it's still spooky as hell and more effective than most modern popcorn horror flicks.

The story is classic Lovecraft, a man recounts how his discovery of secret knowledge has driven him over the edge and brought him close to death. Its the framework that Lovecraft used again and again to tell his stories of horror. Here the story is that of the cult of Cthulhu which he discovers upon the death of his Great Uncle, a man who was himself driven to the edge of madness and to death by the secrets he uncovered. Essentially a series of flashbacks and narratives this film builds a great deal of unease as bits of story and coincidence create an a narrative that has unpleasant implications. Its not the kind of think that will make you jump out of your seat, but it will make you want to turn the light back on.

Shot now (2005) but in the style of a 1926 silent film this movie manages to make what could be very silly seem very real and menacing. There is something about the black and white imagery that makes it all seem very possible. Many people have said the story was un-filmable because of its structure of multiple tales and because if not handled correctly the hysteria felt by some characters would just be silly, this film however has proved it can be done and in a very satisfying manner.

The film's flaws are mostly technical and except in one case minor. The film, which appears to have been shot on digital video for the most part looks good, though in sequence where fire is seen the film takes on an odd appearance. The films budget also has a some stark sets that seem more like a set than place. Still they are minor complaints. The one major complaint is Cthulhu himself, which is clearly a stop motion model. While its understandable that because of the nature of the beast this was probably the way to go (and probably close to how he might have looked in 1926 had he been put on screen back then), it still removes some degree of the horror that had been created prior to this point. Ultimately its a minor quibble because whats goes before and after makes up for it.

If you like classic horror and the writing of HP Lovecraft see this movie.(just remember its suppose to have been made in 1926, not now). 8 out of 10, one of the best Lovecraft films to get Lovecraft right.

It seems that too many people have little or no appreciation for the art of film making and its history. Being a huge Lovecraft fan and been very disappointed in just about every film adaptation of his works I skeptically found this gem a refreshing change. What could have been its down fall make sit work. Of course those jaded folks who need their horror served up with heaps of blood, guts and slick CGI effects are in for a disappointment. The effects are what they are but even a stop motion of Mighty Cthulhu and classic film tricks don't take away from the challenge, a film adaptation of Lovecraft that is true, this is it. It should appeal to those of high intellect who read the works of Lovecraft in spite of the many short comings in literary style ( I love the themes but how many times can a man us "cyclopean" or "unspeakable, unnamable" "eldritch" "ichor" laden horrors and in every tale?) Better writers then me have noted that his style is ponderous yet his influence and contributions to his genre cannot be missed. Mighty Cthulhu rises from his cold deathless sleep and moves to steal mankind's soul and sanity in a film adaptation that will give a fan of the master a true tale and a good initiation to the novice of the shapes horrors that creep in unnatural geometric chasms between the depths of distant stars gnawing away at the worlds end!! So a silent film made to seem as if it was made in the time of the tale, a vehicle to keep cost down and yet disguise what could be cheesy effects into a subtle nod to the greats such as mighty Kong in all his claymation glory and Harryhausen with all his twisted vision: Cthulhu Lives in this great little treat!!

I am a bit surprised by the terrible reviews Call of Cthulhu has received. While it is not perhaps the best movie ever, or chilling and/or gory like modern horror movies are, that's not the point of the movie.

What it is, and it succeeds in, is a very faithful adaptation of the original story, following also its non-linear storytelling and describing events around the globe. The movie is also atmospheric pastiche of the 20s impressionistic silent movies. As such, it is very much worth seeing, of you are interested in how Lovecraft's stories would have been filmed when they first were written, and/or are interested in 20s impressionism in general.

This film was a great filler for the afternoon. It's the sort of thing that only fans of Lovecraft would actually enjoy. It's black and white and silent, the way a film actually would have been made at the time Lovecraft published his first work featuring Cthulu. The effects are done in a similar manner, looking old fashioned. They're not embarrassingly bad, though. You see no strings or unintentional shadows from off stage. It's not quite an hour long, so don't plan an evening around it. Also, there's no nudity, foul language or awful gore, so if you want, you can watch it with your kids and explain to them the mythology of Lovecraft's Old Ones.