The Call of Cthulhu

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society

R1 DVD

Microcinema

Web: http://www.microcinema.com

There have been many adaptations of the work of H.P Lovecraft with the Cthulhu mythos developing a cult following in both literature and film. While many films have attempted to re-create the mood and feel of his many works, the Call of Cthulhu has proved the most difficult with the quality of film adaptations varying greatly and none especially successful. This adaptation is a real triumph; it follows the story closely and embodies the unique mood and feel of the work. It is all the more impressive when you realize this is the work of a small independent society rather than a large studio !

The story begins in a non-descript Arkham Asylum, where we find the clearly disturbed great-nephew of Professor George Gammell Angell of Brown University. He is outlining to a doctor the terrors that have befallen both himself and his family and requesting that all of his papers be destroyed for the benefit of mankind. It is from this nexus that the story unfolds in a meandering sequence of flashbacks and visions.

Each of the flashbacks tell the story of those poor souls who experience dreams of a strange city and its inhabitant Cthulhu and return with various forms of madness, if at all. These tales climax in the tale of the fishing vessel Alert and its experience in the South Sea. During a storm the ship takes refuge on an uncharted island, what they find is beyond their comprehension, as this isle is the great city of R’lyeh and is the home of the great god Cthulhu.

This version of the classic tale is nothing short of spectacular. It has been made to look like a 1920’s silent film and creates a mood which is second to none. The film looks perfect with the beautiful sepia sheen of a 1920’s film; it has deliberate occasional scratches and lines and creates the illusion with style. The soundtrack was made by a team of five composers and in conjunction with dialogue cards and no speech, creates a quite unique viewing experience.

The Call of Cthulhu has received rave reviews and won numerous awards, it is a must have DVD !