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Heed the Call of Cthulhu

post #1 of 36
7/23/07 at 4:25pm
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http://www.creature-corner.com/?type=news&id=2656
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post #2 of 36
7/23/07 at 4:29pm
Almost needless to say, but it'll warrant a look from me (although Tori Spelling...weird).
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post #3 of 36
7/23/07 at 4:40pm
Looks disturbingly atmospheric.

Could be another great (there aren't many) Lovecraft film.

EDIT: Checking out its imdb page (in hopes of finding a release date), I read some discouraging word of mouth. Let's hope it's better than the blurbs I read, becuase according to imdb trivia, Screenwriter/executive producer (and co-director?) Grant Cogswell sold his house and everything he owned to help finance 'Cthulhu'. Ouch.

EDIT: Check out the recommendations at the bottom of its imdb page... Latin Boys Go to Hell? Capote? WTF?
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post #4 of 36
7/23/07 at 4:44pm
I'd always suspected Tori was a Deep One.

Looks interesting, I like the crate of people on the beach. Like innsmouthlook81, I'll check it out because I'm a Lovecraft devotee. We're used to searching through piles of crap to find the rare gem.
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post #5 of 36
7/23/07 at 4:45pm
..."and 'Smallvilles's Tori Spelling as Cthulhu..."
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post #6 of 36
7/23/07 at 4:53pm
A quote I read from someone on imdb who really liked it (saw it at the The Seattle International Film Festival last month): "the filmmakers have described it as a gay, post-apocalyptic, anti-Bush, horror film"... Hm, OK.

SPOILERS below (homophobic imdb comment that doesn't bode well). This could be a troll review, but the lack of horror sounds discouraging.

Where's the Lovecraft?

OK, I'm a long-time reader of H.P. Lovecraft, and I'll admit I have been disappointed again and again with film adaptations of his works. But this extremely loose adaptation of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" would have Mr. Lovecraft spinning in his grave. The protagonist is a gay professor who travels the long two hours to his estranged mother's funeral. His homosexuality takes up a disproportionately large part of the movie, and I'm not quite sure why. Does it MATTER that he is gay? Isn't it rather cliché and a negative stereotype to show him in bed with a "street kid" and to include random Gus Van Sant-ish scenes of moody (and way too clean) rent boys on the "mean streets" of Seattle at the beginning of the film? What does that have to do with Fish-Creatures and Unutterable Horror!!? And why is he hooking up with his (straight) childhood buddy halfway through the movie and indulging in a loving sex scene with lots of back-patting and kissy-face when he is supposed to be investigating the suspicious disappearances of the locals at the hands of eldritch, nefarious creatures? Why was I subjected to a scene of the two friends as teenagers jacking off together at sunset under a pier? Where's Cthulhu??? I feel like I went to see "Brokeback Beach" instead of a chilling thrilling tale of the macabre. Who CARES if the guy is gay? I don't care! He can do what he wants on his own time! I just wanted to see scary stuff. Total monster screen time for this picture clocked in at about 30 seconds, unless you count Tori Spelling, then maybe you can bump it up to 15 minutes. Sigh...I don't know what these idiots were thinking. I won't even begin to relay the plot, because there wasn't one. I read a quote from the filmmakers that said they "didn't know anything about the horror genre and had no respect for it when they started this project." Well then, why did you make the film? Why choose Lovecraft to massacre?

I feel like I lost two hours of my life yesterday.


EDIT: Apologies for raining on anyone's parade with imdb potential-nonsense. The images in the trailer appear promising.
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post #7 of 36
7/23/07 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8
(saw it at the The Seattle International Film Festival last month)
I saw Cthulhu at SIFF last year. (For the record, the quoted blurb review is not mine.)

My reaction: Pretty good movie. Not a Lovecraft horror film, but still, pretty good movie.

More than anything, it's a tone poem, an exercise of mood and environment, that establishes a "Northwest Voice" in filmmaking. If you've seen Police Beat, another movie created in Seattle-and-environs, you know what I mean. Same blue-green-brown color scheme, same elegaic pace, same wet-and-gray settings, same thematic preoccupations (people feeling out of place in an adopted landscape, primarily), and so on. Essentially, the movie takes the basic underlying hook of the Lovecraft story and uses it as a departure point to tell a modern story about modern situations with modern sensibilities.

Worth seeing. Well made. Will disappoint a lot of people who are expecting something completely different.
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post #8 of 36
7/23/07 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cervaise
Not a Lovecraft horror film, but still, pretty good movie... Will disappoint a lot of people who are expecting something completely different.
Ya mean like a Lovecraft horror film?

I would very much expect that with the title being "Cthulhu" and all...
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post #9 of 36
7/23/07 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8
I would very much expect that with the title being "Cthulhu" and all...
I won't deny that the film faces certain... hurdles in its distribution strategy.
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post #10 of 36
7/23/07 at 5:18pm
Homophobic? Well I guess you have to have some kind of prejudice to be a REAL Lovecraft fan and devotee.

Movie, please just don't be terrible.
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post #11 of 36
7/23/07 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nekkerbee
I'd always suspected Tori was a Deep One.

Looks interesting, I like the crate of people on the beach. Like innsmouthlook81, I'll check it out because I'm a Lovecraft devotee. We're used to searching through piles of crap to find the rare gem.
Truer words were never spoken, on both counts. Too bad Ms. Spelling probably STILL wouldn't get the "Dep One" reference, even after making this film.

In all seriousness, I'll give this a look-see, but didn't we kind of already do a movie about Innsmouth, called "Dagon", which was pretty fucking good?

As for Al's quip about the porn star names, I'm told there is a formula for coming up w/ one of your own: as the 1st name, use the name of your 1st dog, and as the last name, the street you grew up on. By that logic, I'd be. . . Buddy Pine! Not bad. Now you try.
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post #12 of 36
7/23/07 at 5:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by IggytheBorg
As for Al's quip about the porn star names, I'm told there is a formula for coming up w/ one of your own: as the 1st name, use the name of your 1st dog, and as the last name, the street you grew up on. By that logic, I'd be. . . Buddy Pine! Not bad. Now you try.
I would be Freckles Henes Park.

Anyway, I'm always up for more Lovecraft, but so far any film based on his work that isn't Re-Animator or From Beyond has been...well, terrible, at best. Granted, I haven't yet seen The Call of Cthulhu, but it is on my Netflix queue, so I'll be fixing that real soon.
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post #13 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by innsmouthlook81
Homophobic? Well I guess you have to have some kind of prejudice to be a REAL Lovecraft fan and devotee.
Yeah, the anti-gay comments didn't really seem all that necessary in the pasted review, but the lack of horror is a sure downer.

I'll still give a shot.

Chris, bump that Call of Cthulhu up to the top of your queue.

And my porn name would be LANCELOT VISTA.
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post #14 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris O.
I would be Freckles Henes Park.

Anyway, I'm always up for more Lovecraft, but so far any film based on his work that isn't Re-Animator or From Beyond has been...well, terrible, at best. Granted, I haven't yet seen The Call of Cthulhu, but it is on my Netflix queue, so I'll be fixing that real soon.
Don´t wait for NetFlix...blind buy this badboy!!
You WON´t regret it ! (unless you´re one of those dweebs that misses things like colour or dialogue...action...comedy sidekicks...a decent effects budget...star-crossed lovers...a cuddly toy (YAY!!)...the world being saved...or tits,)...which I don´t think you are, you should be in your element.

ORDER NOW!!
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post #15 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:16pm
Thread Starter 
Never had a dog, but my first pet was a frog named Jumper. So.... Jumper Shore. That works.

Iggy- yeah, Dagon sorta covered that story. I really, really dig that film, too. Very creepy.

And yeah, Lovecraft had all sorts of issues, not the least of were his strange ideas towards women and overt racism. Where was that thread where we all agreed that he wasn't much of a writer, but the imagination and ideas to come out of that guy... man.
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post #16 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham
Don´t wait for NetFlix...blind buy this badboy!!
You WON´t regret it ! (unless you´re one of those dweebs that misses things like colour or dialogue...action...comedy sidekicks...a decent effects budget...star-crossed lovers...a cuddly toy (YAY!!)...the world being saved...or tits,)...which I don´t think you are, you should be in your element.

ORDER NOW!!
I agree with this. But it could have used tits. Big puppety Cthulhu tits.
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post #17 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:53pm
Actually, thinking back, weren't there tits in the swamp?
Half-hidden, black and white tits, but tits all the same.

...oh, and porn-name 'Smokey Kennett'.
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post #18 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:56pm
As someone whose never read any Lovecraft, wheres the best place to start?
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post #19 of 36
7/23/07 at 6:58pm
1923.
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post #20 of 36
7/23/07 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham
ORDER NOW!!
Operators are standing by.

And if you call now, we'll guarantee that you will be among the 1st to be eaten when the Great Old One, mighty Cthulhu, returns to our realm in glorious resurrection (when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for him, of course) to teach us new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy ourselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom!

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!!!

ORDER NOW!!




PAID FOR BY THE CTHULHU FOR PRESIDENT '08 CAMPAIGN.
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post #21 of 36
7/23/07 at 7:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Riviello
And yeah, Lovecraft had all sorts of issues, not the least of were his strange ideas towards women and overt racism. Where was that thread where we all agreed that he wasn't much of a writer, but the imagination and ideas to come out of that guy... man.
I'd laugh if you took that as too much of a critique of the guy who gave us a whole new realm of horror experiences.

If you're starting off with Lovecraft I'd recommend The Colour Out of Space, or Whisperers in Darkness, two stories less concerned with mythos than kicking your ass.
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post #22 of 36
7/23/07 at 7:36pm
...or 'The Rats in the Walls' to ease you in gently.

Or, probably the best if you want to dive into the Mythos headfirst, 'The Dunwich Horror'.

I would personally avoid the 'biggies', 'Call of Cthulhu' and 'Mountains of Madness' until you get a foothold and know if you might like them. They're fucking long and not that action-packed.
...and for Hastor's sake, avoid any story about Randolf Carter...OK, 'Statement...' is allowed because it's short, but 'Dreamquest...', 'Silver Key...' and 'Through the Gates...' should only be tackled by those who have negative SAN points...you have been warned!!
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post #23 of 36
7/23/07 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham
Don´t wait for NetFlix...blind buy this badboy!!
You WON´t regret it ! (unless you´re one of those dweebs that misses things like colour or dialogue...action...comedy sidekicks...a decent effects budget...star-crossed lovers...a cuddly toy (YAY!!)...the world being saved...or tits,)...which I don´t think you are, you should be in your element.

ORDER NOW!!
I would blind buy it, but I've been spending WAY too much on DVDs the last couple of weeks. I just ordered MST3K vol. 11 (I missed 10, ain't no way I'm missin' another one!) and my copy of the Oldboy Ultimate Edition FINALLY shipped out (I ordered it back in DECEMBER, for fuck's sake). Before that I rejoined Columbia House and got 8 movies for $22.

Unfortunately, money's a bit tight right now, and I've been spending much more than I probably should. I really need to take a break on the frivolous spending for the time being. As it is, I think I'll just take Darkmite's advice and bump the flick up to the top of my queue.

Thanks guys!
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post #24 of 36
7/23/07 at 8:27pm
For some reason most of the stuff shown in the first half or so of the trailer made me feel like I was watching a perfume commercial, just a bit more dreary than the usual ones. Like the shot with the swimming polar bear as the girl turns and walks away or the shot of the two guys sitting at the dining room table looking all moody at each other. Up until it started getting violent, I kept expecting to hear random, pretensious single words spoken in an apathetic voice followed by a title card displaying something like "Cthulhu by Calvin Klein."

And on a barely related note that I just feel like mentioning, lately I've developed this weird hobby where I invent imaginary bands, but only while I'm at work (that way I can say I get paid for it). I've got a list of over 300 so far and one of them is a tribute to Cthulhu. They're named Kazoolhu. The only instruments they use are kazoos.
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post #25 of 36
7/23/07 at 8:45pm
Gotta say I LOVE the image on the poster. The strange box on the beach with all of the flailing limbs. Strange and cool.
But I agree...if there's no horror or strangeness and it's just an exercise in atmosphere than how is it a Cthulhu film? What's the point.

I mean, the box full of people could just be a remnant from burning man.
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post #26 of 36
7/23/07 at 9:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8
Isn't it rather cliché and a negative stereotype to show him in bed with a "street kid" and to include random Gus Van Sant-ish scenes of moody (and way too clean) rent boys on the "mean streets" of Seattle at the beginning of the film? What does that have to do with Fish-Creatures and Unutterable Horror!!?
I thought the point of Call of Cthulhu was that unchecked immigration and miscegenation presented a danger to western civilization, threatening to drag us white folks down into heathen barbarism. If you're afraid of sea life, there's plenty of that in Lovecraft as well, but in all honesty the guy was the Pat Buchanan of horror fiction.

I'm not judging him; he was a man of his time. I think what I'm saying is that anyone who tries to adapt or build upon his work today has to work with what were his lasting contributions to the genre, namely his ability to establish mood and atmosphere. This trailer seems to have it nailed. I'll look forward to seeing if the full-length film does as well.
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post #27 of 36
7/23/07 at 10:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham
...a cuddly toy (YAY!!)...
I have no idea where he got it from, but a buddy of mine from law school gave my wife a plush Cthulhu at her baby shower. Can't wait 'til he's old enough to have THAT explained to him.

And yes, there was the briefest flash of bare tit in the swamp scene in "Call of Cthulhu" much to my surprise. Bit o' unexpected gore, as well.

That film was very stylish, and definitely got across a gaslight era, Lovecraftian feel. I really enjoyed it, and I did blind buy it on CC chewer recommendations. But it's not for everyione, so a rental is probably a wise move.

I was kind of psyched for this new vehicle reading this post earlier this afternoon at work. But after watching the trailer. . . WTF is it w/ these movie trailers that give you NO FUCKING IDEA what the movie they're advetrtising is about? I'm seeing more & more of these lately, and I hate them more than the ones that show you the whole movie in the ad, basically. I no longer have high hopes for this one.
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post #28 of 36
7/23/07 at 10:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8
Operators are standing by.

And if you call now, we'll guarantee that you will be among the 1st to be eaten when the Great Old One, mighty Cthulhu, returns to our realm in glorious resurrection (when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for him, of course) to teach us new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy ourselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom!

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!!!

ORDER NOW!!




PAID FOR BY THE CTHULHU FOR PRESIDENT '08 CAMPAIGN.
"You Must Spread SOme Rep Around Before Giving it to Darkmite8 Again." Bra-VO! If you get me one of them stickers, I will put it on my bass guitar case, which I'm trying to cover in stickers like a suitcase of yore, immediately upon receipt.
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post #29 of 36
7/23/07 at 10:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris O.
IAnyway, I'm always up for more Lovecraft, but so far any film based on his work that isn't Re-Animator or From Beyond has been...well, terrible, at best.
I KNOW you didn't mention "'Dagon" and "In the Mouth of Madness" as being worthwhile because they aren't technically based directly on a Lovecraft work, RIGHT?
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post #30 of 36
7/23/07 at 10:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by IggytheBorg
I KNOW you didn't mention "'Dagon" and "In the Mouth of Madness" as being worthwhile because they aren't technically based directly on a Lovecraft work, RIGHT?
I completely forgot about those two. I hang my head in shame. I thought Dagon was pretty decent, and I genuinely LOVE In the Mouth of Madness. It's one of my favorite Carpenter flicks. So yeah, I amend my statement. Thanks for keeping me on my toes, Iggy.
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post #31 of 36
7/24/07 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by IggytheBorg
I have no idea where he got it from, but a buddy of mine from law school gave my wife a plush Cthulhu at her baby shower. Can't wait 'til he's old enough to have THAT explained to him.
http://www.toyvault.com/cthulhu/index.html

There's all sorts of old ones available in plush form.
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post #32 of 36
7/24/07 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rheokhu
I thought the point of Call of Cthulhu was that unchecked immigration and miscegenation presented a danger to western civilization, threatening to drag us white folks down into heathen barbarism. If you're afraid of sea life, there's plenty of that in Lovecraft as well, but in all honesty the guy was the Pat Buchanan of horror fiction.

I'm not judging him; he was a man of his time. I think what I'm saying is that anyone who tries to adapt or build upon his work today has to work with what were his lasting contributions to the genre, namely his ability to establish mood and atmosphere. This trailer seems to have it nailed. I'll look forward to seeing if the full-length film does as well.
Just to be clear, I didn't write that mini-review, just copied & pasted it.

But yeah, I get what you're saying. I'm just hoping the flick has actual horror in it... more than just surreal imagery. David Lynch has the skills to push the surreal nearly into horror territory, but...

Call of Cthulhu & Dagon got the vibe down, and there's always room for a different interpretation, but I hope it's not unrecognizable as Lovecraft influenced/inspired/adapted/etc (upon actually viewing the film). I'm hoping that the mythos makes up a decent amount of the story.

And yeah the arms coming out of the crate on the beach on the poster is very eerie. I'll try to be cautiously optimistic, maybe?

EDIT: Iggy, there's a bunch of merch (over 1000 designs, most are specifically Lovecraftian) here: http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Cthulhu
That design specifically: http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Cthulhu...1233/opt_/fpt_
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post #33 of 36
8/22/07 at 5:39pm
So I finally saw Call of Cthulhu, and I have to say that I liked it, but didn't love it. I thought they did a really good job of capturing the atmosphere of Lovecraft's story, and the Expressionist aesthetic was used to great effect and really fit in well with the weirder elements of the tale. Unfortunately, it kinda fell apart at the end when Cthulhu finally showed up. Beyond that, however, I really did enjoyed the flick, just not enough to buy it or anything.
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post #34 of 36
8/23/07 at 12:20pm
Good to hear.
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post #35 of 36
8/24/07 at 7:39am
I thought "Through the Gates of the Silver Key" was kind of amazing.
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post #36 of 36
8/26/07 at 12:42am
That Cthulhu plushie was too good to resist the call of.

Sadly they don't carry Cthulhu slippers.
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