H. P. Lovecraft's the Old Ones

See, this was a really low budget film with obviously not prime acting talent. But, you know what? They had fun with it. They knew their shortcomings and worked with what they had.

So it's a schlocky, campy, horror/comedy.

Proof that an entertaining Lovecraftian film CAN be made by an indie film outfit on a low budget and still not anger the Lovecraft fans (like WAYYYYYYY too many HPL movies do).

The creature effects weren't great, but they used practical effects and had fun with them. Made it have that campy 80s schlock horror feel.

I thought it was all worth a watch and I'll probably watch it again sometime.

Right, well when I stumbled upon this 2024 adaptation of works from writer H. P. Lovecraft, then of course there was no doubt about me sitting down to watch it, nor a single moment of hesitation. Sure, I wasn't really harboring much of any grand expectations to writer and director Chad Ferrin, given the fact that 90% of all movies based on the writing of H. P. Lovecraft is dubious and questionable at best. But still, I gave Chad Ferrin the benefit of the doubt and sat down to watch "H. P. Lovecraft's the Old Ones".

Writer and director Chad Ferrin, whom was basing his writing on the works of H. P. Lovecraft, put together a fair enough script and storyline. I will say that the movie proved watchable and entertaining enough for what it was, but it was by no means an outstanding foray into the universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. And at times it felt like Chad Ferrin was just trying a bit too hard, because it felt like he was trying to cram as much of H. P. Lovecrafts elements into the 84 minutes runtime. There were bits and pieces plucked and borrowed from the majority of H. P. Lovecraft's various stories. Sometimes less is more, you know?

This is what happens when you pour all stories into a single pot and try to make a tasty soup from all those elements. Sort of a erratic and chaotic mess in a way.

The dialogue throughout the course of the movie was somewhat of a mouthful to sit through. Much of the dialogue just have you chuckling and wondering 'who talks like that?'

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list in this movie. And that is actually something that I do enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie. And it should be said that the acting performances in this movie were actually fair. The only thing that was missing, was either Jeffrey Combs or Barbara Crampton showing up for a cameo appearance.

The character gallery in the movie was okay. But there were some problems with the writing at places. Especially with a character like Russel Marsh, whom was thrusted 90 years into the future, because he didn't feel at all perplexed with modern society, technology and evolution.

The movie did have a bit of gore, and that definitely counted for something. And the effects in the movie were actually good. I was rather surprised with the level of special effects in the movie. The practical effects were good and I definitely liked the creature effects, such as the Old One and the Shoggoth. Thumbs up to the special effects department for managing to pull that off so well.

Something that the movie could have done without was the pointless full nudity scenes. Those particular scenes would have worked equally well even if the actress was dressed. Having full body nudity in the movie just sort of added a very unnecessary immature and sleazy aspect to the movie. While I am not a prude, I just don't think that having a naked lady in the movie helped to further the narrative one bit.

"H. P. Lovecraft's the Old Ones" was a fair attempt at a modern adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's work, and it is worth checking out, no doubt about that. I will say that I found "H. P. Lovecraft's the Old Ones" to be far better than I had expected it to be. However, I have to say, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes less is more.

The movie is made with a love of the work of H. P. Lovecraft, I will say that much. And that is definitely a factor that helps keep the movie afloat.

While I did manage to sit through the entire movie, I was only mildly entertained. But this is hardly a movie that will find its way back to my screen a second time.

My rating of "H. P. Lovecraft's the Old Ones" lands on a five out of ten stars.

HP Lovecraft is hard work and The Old Ones has a pretty impossible to film concept anyway, but this movie is too low budget and poorly made to hold an audience.

The basic idea of ancient beings possessing humans for centuries and one escaping into the modern world hoping to destroy them could have been entertaining, but sadly this independent film doesn't have the scope or budget or acting talent or script to make it work.

Too much of the dialogue is spoken in demon possessed tones that you cannot understand what is being said, and the filming locations are junkyards, swamps and wastelands that don't fit the action or situation at all.

I tried very hard to stay the course but gave up after about 50 minutes as too many scenes dragged on where the demonic humans chasing the main character spoke reams of dialogue in their devil voices, and simply made no sense.

Far too ambitious a source material to be tackled on the cheap like this. It looks laughable when it ought to be impressive and is rather a bore as well.

Well, at first, I struggled to stay engaged due to the seemingly subpar acting and script. However, I persevered and was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the film.

Adapting Lovecraft's stories is no easy feat, especially on a limited budget. Despite its challenges, the film managed to deliver some impressive special effects. The ending felt authentically Lovecraftian, adding a satisfying touch to the narrative.

As a fan of Lovecraft's work, I appreciate the efforts put into trying to visually capture his cosmic horrors. Kudos to the filmmakers for their ambitious undertaking.

7/10.

The film is actually a remake of the famous '80s "From Beyond," a former videotape hit. Of course with a much reduced budget, but instead a strange humor, and a few sequences changed here and there. It's not a badly made movie, if you compare it to other bigger or lower budget movies, for fans of the genre it's worth watching. And for those who haven't seen the original "From Beyond" yet, take the time to watch it. ("Something is coming").

The ending is predictable and leaves the impression of a hopeless situation for the "Good Samaritans", those who try to help. The funny thing is the leftovers sequence. Greatness, I have brought you gifts. What gifts? Leftovers?