The H.P Lovecraft Series

Volumes 1-4

Lurker Films

Distributed by Microcinema

Web: Http://www.microcinema.com

 

H.P Lovecraft was an enigmatic pulp horror writer who never really achieved fame during this lifetime. However, after his death his strange fiction triggered a renaissance in dark fantasy. When the great cultural revolution of the 1960’s dawned and Colin Wilson heralded Lovecraft as the cult visionary of alienation in his work “The Outsider” H.P Lovecraft’s stories became an instant success. Concepts from his books became part of our horror culture, from film to music and of course, various re-visionings in fiction and literature. Indeed, some strange individuals even claimed the Elder Gods were real and Cthulhu occultism was all the rage, something which would have made Lovecraft turn in his grave considering he was an atheist and rationalist.

 

Over the years many films have been made of his various works. Lovecraft himself was wary of film and did not believe any of his works could be adapted to the screen.  Roger Corman produced a range of B Grade adaptations of Lovecraft tales and of course who can forget Dean Stockwell in the flawed but enjoyable Seventies romp The Dunwich Horror. Stuart Gordon, of course, offered us the Re-Animator series as well as From Beyond and Dagon, all fairly impressive adaptations of Lovecraft into the modern, if not gore filled, world of big budget horror.

 

At the same time the world of independent film has not ignored Lovecraft either and I tend to think that due to the unique nature of Lovecraft’s vision, creativity is what makes good films within this genre not necessarily huge budgets. Lurker Films have released a series of volumes of H.P. Lovecraft anthologies on DVD. These are distributed by Microcimena and represent a grand exploration of the Lovecraft mythos expressed in a myriad of different forms.

 

Each of the DVDs includes a major adaptation of a Lovecraft tale and a range of short films and other content. These are impressive products offering a nice selection of films of varying quality and in various styles and genres.

 

image003.jpgVolume 1: Cool Air

 

Cool Air is the major film on Volume One and is an impressive start to the series. Filmed in black and white, it embodies a unique style which really communicates the vision of this unique tale. Randolph Carter moves into a decayed boarding house in the summer of 1925. Under the stress of hard work Carter suffers a heart attack and is revived by a rather strange doctor. Carter soon realizes there are many unusual things about Dr.Munoz -  he never leaves his apartment and the room is kept at the coldest temperature possible. As the story unfolds Carter uncovers the truth about the doctor and learns along the way the significance of the human will.

 

This film won the 1999 Lovecraft Festival, and the award is very well deserved. While this may be a low budget independent film, the mood created is melancholic and moving, it is well paced, very well acted and surprisingly well filmed.

 

The other short films are of varied quality, An Imperfect Solution, interprets part of Lovecraft’s serialized horror adventure Herbert West: Re-Animator and there is also Nyarlathotep, a strange tale about a mummy, based on a dark moody prose poem of the same name by Lovecraft, who claimed he heard it in a dream. The Hound involves a pair of grave robbers who come to a rather gruesome end.

 

There is also The Hapless Antiquarian which is a nice short produced in the format of a 1920’s silent film, sepia tint and all.

 

Extras include and interviews with the cast and crew of Cool Air and an interview with scholar S.T. Joshi.

 

 

802_lovecraft2_cover_176x249.jpgVolume 2: Dreams of Cthulhu (The Rough Magik Initiative)

 

The major release on Volume two is Dreams of Cthulhu (Rough Magik), it was originally made as a pilot for the BBC and is hence of very high quality.

 

The cult of the Sleeping God is on the rise. A young mother sacrifices her two children to an idol of the "Sleeping God". It is soon discovered that the woman is a "dreamer", and that she has fallen under the spell of the "Sleeping God", she is quickly secreted away to an isolated location.

 

Mr. Moon (Paul Darrow) is called in to investigate what has occurred and decides to take in for questioning psychiatrist Kenneth Reese Warren. It seems Warren is an ex member of the "Night Scholars" - a British Intelligence organization dedicated to monitoring the Sleeping God phenomenon. Now, it seems, the Sleeping God is back and the Night Scholars are once again moved into action.

 

This is very impressive exploration of the Cthulhu mythos. It is superior production with credible acting, excellent locations and some great twists and turns. It is quite a complex story and has a lot going for it. In addition, it is set within the world of Delta Green, based on a role playing game developed by Chaosium and this helps bring the film to a wider audience.

 

There are two shorts by Bob Fugger which are quite good quality. The Terrible Old Man short is a modern version of Lovecraft's tale and offers a nice updated take, while in From Beyond we have a faithful rendition of the tale which is extremely effective. Sure it doesn’t have the whizz bang factor of Stuart Gordon’s version, but it is a lot closer in spirit to the original tale and certainly an excellent adaptation.

 

There is also Experiment 17 and 18 directed by Christian Matzke, a commentary on Rough Magick and bonus interviews including a continuation of the interview with Lovecraft Scholar S.T. Joshi.

 

 

803_lovecraft3_cover_176x249.jpgVolume 3: Out of Mind

 

This is a very impressive offering. Made by Bravo! Canada, this film starring Christopher Heyerdahl as Lovecraft offers an informed and entertaining look at his life and work, it is the very first time it has been available on DVD. However, this is not a documentary; it actually enters into Lovecraft’s inner world of dreams and nightmares, exploring it within a fictional tale. The film has lots on “in jokes” for those who know their Lovecraft but is also respectful as well as informative and entertaining.

 

An added bonus is two commentary tracks on the film by Director Raymond Saint-Jean, Christopher Heyerdahl, and cinematographer Serge Ladouceur.

 

The Music of Erich Zann is also quite a masterful short film and unique in the Lovecraft canon in that music plays a major part. Charles Dexter Ward takes a room in a boarding house and every night he hears strange but mesmerizing music coming from the room upstairs. One evening he meets the old man who is responsible for the hypnotic violin music and asks if he can sit in on a practice session. Reluctantly the mute musician agrees, and the two become friends. However, of course, there is a strange secret to why he only plays at night.  This is a striking and impressive tale with some great music to boot !

 

The outsider is a great short with a pretty awesome creature, considering the budget the achievement with special effects on this one is impressive.

 

Again, there are more interviews including the continuing discussion with Lovecraft Scholar S.T. Joshi.

 

804_lovecraft4_cover_176x249.jpgVolume 4: Pickman’s Model

 

Volume 4 is focused on the classic Lovecraft tale Pickman’s model offering various adaptations and interpretations.

 

Chilean Gothic is a very professional Lovecraft adaptation; it won the Festival Internacional de Cine de Valdivia best script award. Based on a screenplay by Gilberto Villarroel, it was originally shot on 16mm then edited on Betacam SP with English subtitles and was made for broadcast on TV in Chile.

 

Gabriel Martinez is a journalist obsessed with finding the truth about the death of a colleague and friend Aníbal who was brutally murdered while researching a piece on American painter Richard Upton Pickman. Pickman’s paintings are disturbing portrayals of monsters and creatures that originate within myth and folklore.

 

Martinez finds out what he can about Pickman and through an art professor and his old landlord locates him in Santiago.  Martinez decides to visit the painter and when he arrives, his mind begins to unravel as he discovers the terrible truth about Pickman and his art...

 

This is quite a textured and layered piece of cinema, it works on many different levels and through the use of hints, partially shown art and ciphers, the imagination of the viewer makes up the rest and this makes it even more effective work.

 

Other versions include a very dark and moody interpretation of the myth from Italy and a somewhat less than successful black and white version of the tale. Other films include a rather nice CGI animation In the Vault about a gravedigger and interviews with authors Ramsey Campbell and Robert B. Price about Lovecraft and his influence on their work.

 

This Lovecraft Series is really quite an astounding achievement. Each volume offers innovative adaptations of H.P Lovecraft into the modern cultural milieu; we not only get a major release on each but lots of short films, interviews and extras. These DVDs really are goldmines of horror and suspense and a joy to experience. Each one also comes with a nice 8 page informative booklet.

 

It is always a joy to see what will come next and I cannot wait to see the next one – Volume 5: Strange Aeons.