Aaron Vanek
2003-11-03 02:37:01 UTC
The best Roman numeral is ten, represented as "X". It has such a bad
boy feel. Fox Sports used it in their marketing campaign as they
broadcast the baseball championship series on TV, a few games of which I
missed while I attended the "X" version of the HP Lovecraft Film
Festival, held every year in Portland, Oregon, all organized and
maintained by Andrew Migliore, who is not quite the bad boy of Lovecraft
cinema.
It hasn't actually been ten years of the festival, but it is the tenth
one, as the fest replayed in Vancouver, Canada and Salem, Massachusetts.
But it has been eight consistent years of movies based on weird tales,
notably by HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, but also some by RW
Chambers, Thomas Ligotti, and now Robert E. Howard.
This year was marked by some notable changes, mostly in the
administrative, bureaucratic end of the fest, but very worthy of
attention: Andrew has received a grant from the Oregon Film and Video
Commission for the festival, and he has joined with the Hollywood
Theatre (where the festival has screened the last three years), to help
him with organization of things like advertising, accounting, program
printing, etc. If you think about how much work is needed to run a
festival, you'd be shocked for at least 1d6 SAN that it has been led
almost single handedly (with a handful of cult-like followers) by
Andrew, who also works full time, has a wife and a little monster of his
own. He has to collect submissions, screen them, get in touch with the
filmmakers, get the prints, arrange for special guests, housing,
transportation, put all the movies together on the video, program the
fest for what plays when, develop the program, and much more. He's also
co-written a book on the movies, maintained a website
(www.beyond-books.com), and even distributed a bunch of these movies on
video (and soon, DVD).
It's a huge load of work, and to get it done ten times, never faltering,
is nothing short of amazing. And I am eternally grateful that.
New this year was a daytime seminar for local high school students on
Lovecraft. Kids (and anyone) were treated to a screening of the great
Canadian movie "Out of Mind", and a discussion afterwards with scholar
ST Joshi, Andrew Migliore, and writer-director John Strysik ("The Music
of Erich Zann").
Andrew has expanded the festival to four days, starting with an evening
preview screening on Thursday night. I like the idea of the preview
night, but I think that other films should be shown besides what is
playing during the regular festival. Maybe a "primer" collection of
shorts that people who have not had the chance to see before could, if
this is their first festival (which it was for a lot of people).
Also continuing this year was the new trend of "Howie" awards, named
after Lovecraft. They're a foot tall, hand carved resin full figure of
the Old Gent (Lovecraft) himself, created by master sculptor, filmmaker,
and fashion maven Bryan Moore ("Cool Air"). More on that later.
It was also nice to see that the theater itself has been refurbished,
including two new, swank restrooms upstairs (no more long lines
downstairs), and the ladies room has a nice lounge area with seating,
curtains on the windows overlooking the street, and framed period
photos. Some of the water damage to the theater has been fixed as well.
Increasingly, the theater is returning to its former glory. I bet next
year it will be even nicer.
Again, there was a dealer's room in the upstairs lobby, with tables for
Catalyst Studios (that cool front cover of the d20 CoC rules? That was
done by Catalyst), plus artist Devon Devereux, Pagan Publishing, the HP
Lovecraft Historical Society (with the Solstice album and prop
collection), Sighco T-shirt company, Nightshade Books, actor Jack
Donner, and T-shirts, CDs, and videos from Andrew's Beyond Books.
I arrived on Thursday evening, in time for a quick bite and then to see
the preview screening. There are three screens at the Hollywood Theater:
the main screen, with an auditorium that seats at least 800, and
upstairs, along the non-Euclidean corridor, are two smaller screens,
each seating about 200. There doesnt seem to be any corners in the
theater, which was built in the 20's, but there is a small exhibit of
memorabilia and photos from the era, perfect for a Lovecraft fest.
After the movies, we ("we" being most of the filmmakers, old and new)
relocated to the Moon and Six Pence pub, about a block away from the
theater, for the traditional round or twelve of alcohol.
What's great about the Lovecraft Festival, at least for me, is the
chance to catch up with friends, to see what they're working on or how
they tackled a certain problem, or what theyre doing next. It's good to
hear it from their mouth (diluted with ale, sometimes), rather than over
a website or an email.
I also enjoy making new friends, and it so happened that I spent a good
hour or so (at least two pints worth) talking to Brian Hauser, a film
and literature professor who drove out from Columbus, Ohio. We talked at
great length about the differences between film and literature (one of
my favorite discussion topics, because too many people think that a film
should be exactly like the book, which to me is like saying a cartoon
about a painting should be exactly the same). I was pleased to find out
that he used one of my movies, "Return to Innsmouth," in one of his
lectures, giving me the illusion that I have some kind of legitimacy to
my insanity.
We were also was treated again to the rousing tales and anecdotes from
Scott Glancy (of Pagan Publishing), including the great "Dog Head"
story, and also, the tale of "How Scott Was Attacked by a Christmas
Present". These gems did not fall from his lips all at once, but over
the course of the festival.
On another night in the pub, John Tynes prompted Sean Branney and Andrew
Leman to talk about directing, and I was privy to their ideas and
comments, while I played Devil's Advocate with some questions (is it
worth it to use a crazy actor if you get a good performance out of
them?). It's great to talk shop with other directors.
The Sunday brunch was a treat as well, although it was catered this
time. Still, seeing everyone at Andrew's, listening to Scott, was like
being at camp with your whole family&except you enjoy it. A group outing
to Powell's Bookstore and other cool shoppes in Portland on Monday was a
great capper for the long weekend.
Oh, and the movies. Right.
The features this year were:
Beyond Re-Animator: I've already seen the market screening of this at
AFM earlier this year. Directed by Brian Yuzna, it has nothing to do
with Lovecraft, was obviously shot in a prison in Spain, has gratuitous
sex and violence, and very easy to miss, but obsessive fans will rent it
on video anyways. Features a fight between a re-animated rat and a
re-animated severed penis. Maybe if I went to the Moon and Six Pence
first, this would be more enjoyable. Anyway, I skipped all screenings of
this at the fest.
Necronomicon: Andrew screened this the first year at the fest; which was
also the first theatrical screening of the movie. An anthology film,
it's not very good. Jeffrey Combs plays Lovecraft, though.
The Eldritch Influence: last year, Shawn Owens videotaped a documentary
featuring a number of the Lurkers, including Christian Matzke, Andrew,
and Stuart Gordon talking about the influence of Lovecraft on their
lives, his significance as an author, etc. This was his almost-finished
product. Shawn also managed to get great interviews from Neil Gaiman,
Ramsey Campbell, Brian Lumley, and ST Joshi. And two embarrassing parts
with me, back in my long hair days (Gaiman says "The Call of Cthulhu "
is a great story, then cut to me saying that's my favorite story).
Anyway, most of this was great, great stuff. It starts with biographical
information on Lovecraft, mostly told by Joshi of course, and then to
the influence of Lovecraft on literature (with the literary figures),
and then his larger influence on movies, games, etc.
The only problems I found with this is that there was some faux archival
footage of a "sorcerer" talking about the Mythos as if the gods were
real, but it was obviously faked, and the actor wasn't very believable
(he looked more like a college student). These parts detracted from the
legitimacy of the other subjects (cutting from Gaiman to freakazoid to
Lumley just doesn't work to me).
There is also a terrifying part in the movie that shows a group of Call
of Cthulhu role playing gamers doing that&playing CoC around a table. I
cringed in horror when I saw them, for they resemble exactly what you
think gamers look like (if you don't know what the stereotype of a gamer
is, then you probably are one). After the movie, Shawn tried to run out
before the Q&A, but we stopped him in the middle of the aisle and
praised his movie. Mike Tice, also in the audience, said that this scene
with the gamers "hit too close to home". Interesting, considering that
myself, my wife, and Mike's girlfriend are three of his regular CoC role
players.
Eldritch Influence ended with a Blair Witch Project-like segment about a
cult led by a toothless individual who believed the gods were real. The
documentarians filmed their ritual in the forest, centered around an
obelisk that was supposed to be a Pillar of Irem or something, but was
really made out of foam. Still, many in the audience were asking, "Are
these guys for real?" We're still not sure.
Although my favorite doc on Lovecraft is still "The Case of HP
Lovecraft", Shawn's movie is a great comprehensive account of his life,
and argues well why Lovecraft is so important to horror (weird tales)
today. I liked this one a lot.
The Shunned House: Directed by Italian enfant terrible Ivan Zuccon, I
had seen this one before on video. I liked it then, and I really liked
it on the big screen. Although the video quality was more noticeable on
a big screen, I nominate Zuccon as One to Watch for some great HPL
horror films. If he keeps improving this much with every film, he's
going to be really, really good very soon. He started with the movie
"The Beyond", then "The Darkness Beyond" before tackling this anthology
film about a strange house and its evil connections and portals though
time and space. Although slightly confusing (Ill say it's
"mysterious"), with some moments of extreme gore (some might say using
your own tendons as violin strings is a little much, others might love
it), this combination of "The Shunned House," "The Music of Erich Zann"
(Erica in this case), and "Dreams in the Witch House" is such a good
union of the three stories, and great use of a location, that I'm green
with envy. Check this one out at all costs (its in English, although
some scenes are poorly overdubbed).
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath: I have to hand it to director Edward
Martin III, for pulling this together after three (?) years of work.
This is an animated feature, based on the comic by artist Jason
Thompson. Featuring the voice of Toren Atkinson (lead singer of the
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets and heir to RU Pickman's legacy) as
Randolph Carter, this is a very, very valiant attempt. The artwork is
amazing, and some of the shots are great. I love the music (by Cyoakha
Grace O'Manion), too. However&I think the movie has some of the common
weaknesses of indie Lovecraft adaptations. More on that later, for it's
a major issue I am bringing up. Unfortunately, its not fully animated,
it's more like an "animatic", if you understand the term&shots are
"moved" through pans, zoom ins or outs, one thing in the frame moving
slowly like a stick figure, etc. It's not "full motion" animation. But,
the art and music were good enough to keep me interested. Here's one
that I would like to see given a bigger budget. It was more like people
reading the comic book to me (robbing me of the ability to re-read the
confusing passages) while haunting music plays in the background.
Dark Heritage: Directed by David McCormick, Andrew dug this one out of
the vault&well, one of the shelves close to the door in the vault. I
thought this was made in 1977 or earlier, but turns out it's from 1989.
Not a good sign. Based on "The Lurking Fear" and fairly faithful to the
story, it suffers from unfortunate acting, believability problems, and
low production values that work against the film, not for it. It's not
terrible (we'll get to those movies), but just didn't have anything that
stood out to make it remarkable (or marketable). The "ghoul" clan makeup
didnt look scary enough (a major flaw), and scenes that could have been
frightening weren't (spotting the ghoul in the tunnel could have been
exciting, but instead, it was lame). There is potential for "The Lurking
Fear" to make a good feature, but this wasn't it. The "Dansen" mansion
they used was great, however. It looked like something regurgitated from
a swamp.
The Shorts that played this year were:
Beauty in the Dark: directed by Kevin S. Quinn
If there was a point to this, I missed it. All I remember about this
movie is a guy sitting in a chair smoking (for ten minutes), and a dead
squid body floating around, with some funky flashing lights. Not good
without chemical attitude adjusters.
Beyond the Realm of Consciousness: by Michael Pentney
One of the "inspired by Lovecraft's ideas" instead of a direct
adaptation, this 12 minute piece about a psychiatrist observing a
psychotic (the program says he's a clone), had some potential, and there
was a great "scare" shot. Not too bad, but not enough for me to recall
much more.
Beyond the Wall of Sleep: by Bradley Palmer
Another movie with "beyond" in the title, and taking place in an asylum.
Based on the story by Lovecraft, I liked this one mostly due to the lead
actor; a crazy, hairy, toothless mountain man who is committed to an
asylum for randomly stabbing some hikers. His doctor uses a contraption
to contact his mind, and figures out that the man's brain is not human.
Id like to see this one again.
Casonetto's Last Song by Derek M. Koch
Derek, a Portland local who has been a fan of the HPL festival for
years, was inspired to try his hand at making a short. This one is based
on a story by Robert E. Howard. The screening I saw wasn't quite what
Derek wanted or expected. I talked to Derek afterwards about the short,
the good parts and the bad. For an early attempt, it has its moments. A
man named Stephen receives a record album made just for him from an
occult opera singer that he helped put to death for crimes against
humanity. He listens to it, of course. The song itself is great, but the
movie moves very slowly. Shots linger far longer than they have to, and
there are some casting issues. Hopefully, Derek will keep at it, and
we'll get to see something else from him next year. Derek has a webpage
on the film at:
Day One - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article745.shtml
Day Two - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article747.shtml
Day Three - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article748.shtml
Day Four - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article750.shtml
The fourth day has a link to some pictures from the fest as well.
Cutethulu by Shawn the Touched
A very cute, animated piece about what we all suspect would be
Lovecraft's reaction to the effect a plush Cthulhu doll has on two young
girls. Cute, funny, and short. What else do you need?
Don't Feed the Book by Robin Ator
Another funny animated short, this one is about a negligent consumer who
wanders into the WRONG kind of store. The sight gags in the store are
the best part of this one (I can't wait for Branney and Leman to make
"the Tcho-tcho Cha Cha").
Fungi From Yuggoth Part IV: Recognition by Richard Corben
Richard has been submitting short animated films to the festival for the
last three years, all starting when I was lucky enough to have him do
some CG work on "Return to Innsmouth" for me. This one is taken from the
Lovecraft poem, about a man who dreams he's in a forest with living
trees that aren't friendly like Ents. I love the look of the trees (for
a few seconds, they were scary), but these trees all have huge knockers
and dance around (reminiscent of Corben's "Dagon", his first solo
project in the fest). It's a Corben thing; I don't begin to understand it.
An Imperfect Solution by Christian Matzke
This is the second Lovecraft short from Matzke, who runs the Propping Up
the Mythos website. I'd say it's one of the best versions of the Herbert
West: Re-Animator adaptations, simply because it treats the story
seriously. Christian touches on the deeper issues of being able to
control death and undeath.
The props and costuming are awesome, and he also shot in Providence (of
the "Shunned House"!), had period cars, and in my favorite scene in the
whole movie, a period train car that Simon, Herbert's assistant, boards
to go to his aunt's funeral.
While there are some technical missteps (I cringe when the 180 rule is
broken in shot/reverse scenes) and a few acting flubs, overall, it's
pretty damn good. Christian is pulling some amazing things together in
New England, and I'm expecting only more good things from him.
The Item: by Shawn the Touched
Another, longer, animated piece by Shawn ("Cutethulhu"), I really liked
this one for being cute and goofy, with cool music and stereotypical
manga tropes. Three anime girls fight the big C himself. I hope to see
more of the adventures of Mecha, Jinx, and Bunni.
Maria's Hubris by Patrick Weber
A German adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep," it's a
faithful modern version. The woman who plays the Asenath character is
good at it. I really liked seeing a German telephone, too.
Pickman's Model by Giovanni Furore
The Italian version of the story of a semi-mad painter and the "models"
he paints. A tad pretentious, but I expect nothing less from Italian
artists. The final shot of the ghoul picture was really, really good&but
about one second too short.
Pickman's Model by Rick Tillman
Rick has been following the Lurkers for awhile, and this is his first
entry (that I know of) to the festival. For a low budget, there was a
lot to like in here, especially the costume of the ghoul and the
paintings of them. The opening "teaser" was shot in the style of old
silent movies, which gave me a grin. It's a little campy, but still
enjoyable. Although, again, I think it makes a few of the errors that
I've seen frequently in indie Lovecraft adaptations and Ill talk about
that more later.
The Picture in the House by Gant Haverstick
A man steals some paintings from the Pickman Gallery, but is wounded in
the leg on the way out by a security guard (as he drives away in a
prominently placed corvette). He runs through the forest for about an
hour and a half, trying to meet the fence for the stolen goods. He loses
his gun along the way. He finally comes up to a cabin. Is this where he
is supposed to meet his contact to ditch the paintings? No, none of that
had anything to do with the cabin, which houses a Vietnam vet
(interesting choice of antagonist, a decision I approve of), who talks
about how he survived in the bush through eating "victuals that weren't
raised or grown". Somewhat like "From Dusk til' Dawn", the almost
interminable front half of the movie is irrelevant to the second half. A
fair rendition of one of Lovecraft's simpler stories.
The Raven by Peter Bradley
I've seen many adaptations of Poe's works, this poem being the most
common (but I will always consider the one from "The Simpsons" and read
by James Earl Jones as the best). Peter pulls off a lot with just
cardboard: a cardboard set (life size, with a human actor), and with a
GREAT cardboard raven puppet (requiring three puppeteers to work, he
told me). Peter does a great "trick" with the portrait of Lenore: every
time we cut back to it, Lenore is in a different pose, with a different
expression. Very nice, very enjoyable.
The Statement of Randolph Carter by Jane Rose
I want to encourage all female directors, especially those that do
Lovecraft adaptations, and fortunately, it's not that hard to do. Jane
pulls off a good job with the story of a curious old man who delves too
"deep" into the arcane. This particular screening that I saw was too
dark, I think, (something you almost NEVER hear me say), so I missed a
little of it. But Jane manages to get in, tell the story, and get out,
(running time = six minutes), something that I encourage everyone else
to do.
The Thing on the Doorstep by Eric Mogret
Another adaptation of cross-gender possession, updated to modern
America, this screening was also too dark, but later corrected in
mid-playback. I can tell the budget on this was low, still, it was well
done, one of the better adaptations I saw this year. The only stumble I
can recall is not milking the moments. When Edward describes how he
found himself back in Aesenath's body (after he killed and buried her),
the voice over doesn't contain the utter horror I expect from someone in
those circumstances. The opening murder of Derby is also a little hokey
(due to the reaction of the nurse), but overall, I recommend this one.
Cool Air by Bryan Moore and The Music of Erich Zann by John Strysik
Two of the classic indie Lovecraft adaptations, Andrew showed them again
as part of the tenth festival anniversary. I've already seen both many
times, but it's great to see them again. Bryan, well dressed as usual,
did some Q&A with actor Jack Donner afterwards, telling tales of how he
made the movie on a budget ($35,000).
Zann was an extra treat, for the sound had been remixed. Although
Strysik complained afterwards that it was a VHS and not a DVD, it was
still good to hear the extra sound effects, even at VHS quality. The DVD
release of that should be great, for there's a lot of subtle nuances to
hear on an already high-quality short film.
The Secret Screenings
Starting a few years ago, Andrew showed the Lurkers some of the movies
that didn't make it into the official festival program, but for the last
two years, he's kept the theater doors open late to show the regular
audiences some of the "gems" lurking in his video library. This is his
chance to show movies that aren't really Lovecraftian, but good, often
obscure, movies, or real stinkers, anyway. This year included some early
works of David Lynch, Nigel "Quatermass" Kneale's "The Stone Tape", and
of course, "The Movie That Must Not Be Named". I've seen it before, and
yet, every time, I can't believe how bad it is. This screening has taken
on a "Rocky Horror" quality, with the audience whooping and hollering
each time. For this showing of a very independent, very low budget
adaptation of a Lovecraft movie, I decided to deaden the pain of
watching with some alcohol. But I didn't have time to go to the bar, so
Mark Fauver (my great music composer) and I wandered into a nearby 7-11
and bought&what else? A big can of Budweiser for him, and a 40 oz. Olde
English for me. We snuck into the back row of the theater with our
hooch, still wrapped in the paper bags, and started sucking down bad
booze for a bad movie.
It didn't make the movie any better, but it made the torture more
enjoyable.
By the way, attending the Lovecraft Film Festival is the ONLY way you
are going to see this movie, and possibly some of the other films as
well. Even the Lurkers are not allowed to hold copies of the dreaded
"Elwood" movie (although we have T-shorts now&)
Guests
Each year, Andrew invites special guests to the festival. This time we
had ST Joshi, Jack Donner, and Miguel Tejeda-Florers, screenwriter of
Revenge of the Nerds and Beyond Re-Animator, as well as many of the
filmmakers of the films (Enrico Saletti, writer of The Shunned House was
also in attendance). It's great to see everyone together, and one of the
telling moments for me was a picture being taken in the upstairs lobby
of a group of the filmmakers together&and I didn't recognize one of them
(I later met a few, but it was all people I didn't know, or had just
met). Think about it: for almost ten years, there have been enough
movies to hold an annual festival for three nights. Can you think of any
other author who has inspired so much creativity?
Howie Awards
The two main scheduled guests to appear this year, Brian Yuzna (producer
of the Re-Animator series and From Beyond), and actor Jeffrey Combs,
were unable to attend. However, Brian's wife and son did manage to attend.
On Saturday night, Andrew presented Brian Yuzna, John Strysik, and me a
"Howie" award; a hand carved full figure of HP Lovecraft, made by Bryan
Moore. This is the third year of the Howies, after Andrew received the
first one, Stuart Gordon and ST Joshi received the second and third.
Andrew started off the presentation, but his lack of sleep and improv
showmanship caused Jack Donner to get on stage and direct Andrew on how
to find and use a spotlight (leave it to an actor to find the light).
The comedy lightened the mood up a bit, so when I finally put my hands
on the award, there wasn't much I could say or do that would be really
embarrassing, so I mumbled a few words of thanks to everyone for
supporting me and Lovecraft's films, and to continue making them&because
I like watching your movies, too. And I thanked the Academy, since it
might be my only chance at that.
Now Howie stands proudly on the shelf above the video collection, the
largest section being the Lovecraft videos, which is growing like a
Crawling Chaos. And the scary thing is, I must be mad, because I keep
encouraging the spread of such movies.
Editorial Opinion
I wanted to comment on some trends I've noticed after almost a decade of
watching HP Lovecraft adaptations, especially independently made ones.
However, I am no ST Joshi, and in the art world, everyone is free to do
their own thing. So tell me to go to the darkest depths of the caverns
of N'kai if you think I'm full of it.
But here's something I notice with many Lovecraft films (and films in
general, actually): theyre being made by FANS and not FILMMAKERS. What
I mean is, most of the creative people behind the movies are more
reverential, more excited simply to be making a movie based on their
favorite work or author. But theyre not asking themselves WHY they like
the work so much, or what is important about the work, or how they are
interpreting the work&why it means so much to them, which should
translate into a more enjoyable human story.
I do not use the yardstick for measuring quality adaptations as one that
looks at how much of the original story someone puts into the movie: how
many original words in voice over, or how many of the period props,
setting, are used, etc. Yes, I like good setting and props, but it has
to fit the STORY that YOU are trying to tell. I dont want to see how
much money you spent in translating the story to film (or video) as much
as I want to see the story retold so it's surprising, fresh, and more
importantly, yours.
Did anyone complain when Coppola made Joseph Conrad's "Heart of
Darkness" into "Apocalypse Now"? Were there naysayers crying "Oh, he
didn't even do it in the period, therefore this is a terrible movie?" I
dont remember hearing any, and I think it should be the same with
Lovecraft movies as well&motion pictures are one medium of expression,
and the written word is another. Each has their own strengths and
weaknesses, and you need to be aware of both. There are techniques to
filmmaking that make an image engaging; there are editing tricks that
keep a movie moving. This doesn't even include acting, story, and
special effects. Learn the basics of putting a movie together, and use
those to your advantage, rather than fall victim to them. Put yourself
in the audience's shoes&if you had nothing to do with your movie, would
you enjoy watching it? Why or why not?
What this means for independent filmmakers is that putting every word of
the story into the movie is not necessarily a good idea. Editing is your
friend, not your enemy! I contend that every movie I saw this year could
have been made shorter (even if only for a few seconds) without becoming
an MTV-style montage.
The most common trend I've seen in these adaptations is full-scale voice
over narration reading the text, and showing images of the same. Why do
both? If I wanted that, I would read the story and come up with my own
images in my head. And many of these films go, way, way, way too long.
The movies don't have to be period pieces, either. They do, however,
have to be good.
Using one of this year's examples, I found the original "Dream Quest of
Unknown Kadath" to be tedious and confusing, and not one of Lovecraft's
better stories. Great ideas, bad story. Martin's movie included just
about everything from the original in it, so I went glassy eyed as I
watched Carter travel around and around the Dreamlands, discovering
peoples, places, and ancient ruins that held little meaning to me (I
forgot why he was going in the first place). It reminded me of the bit
in "Ghostbusters" where the possessed Rick Moranis says "during the
rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving
Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick
supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many
Shuvs and Zools knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor
that day, I can tell you!"
Only, "Kadath" is not a comedy.
Some of the better adaptations always seem to change or edit some part
of it; even Bryan Moore's "Cool Air" added the "Rosa" speech with Dr.
Munoz, one of the best parts of the movie.
I am not saying you cant make a good movie by including every word of
Lovecraft's story, but I dont know how to do it, nor would I even try.
Appropriate the best parts of the written word, and leave the rest
alone. Make your own new horrors that other people will want to copy.
--
Aaron Vanek
My latest movie reviews:
http://www.flipsidemovies.com/yellowsign.html
http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?Id=4472
Also Check out: http://www.webnoir.com/yellowsign
My last movie, "Return to Innsmouth" available at:
http://www.beyond-books.com/catalog/
"Survey after survey has shown that the desire for material goods, which has increased hand in hand with average income, is a happiness suppressant."
--New Scientist magazine, October 1, 2003
boy feel. Fox Sports used it in their marketing campaign as they
broadcast the baseball championship series on TV, a few games of which I
missed while I attended the "X" version of the HP Lovecraft Film
Festival, held every year in Portland, Oregon, all organized and
maintained by Andrew Migliore, who is not quite the bad boy of Lovecraft
cinema.
It hasn't actually been ten years of the festival, but it is the tenth
one, as the fest replayed in Vancouver, Canada and Salem, Massachusetts.
But it has been eight consistent years of movies based on weird tales,
notably by HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, but also some by RW
Chambers, Thomas Ligotti, and now Robert E. Howard.
This year was marked by some notable changes, mostly in the
administrative, bureaucratic end of the fest, but very worthy of
attention: Andrew has received a grant from the Oregon Film and Video
Commission for the festival, and he has joined with the Hollywood
Theatre (where the festival has screened the last three years), to help
him with organization of things like advertising, accounting, program
printing, etc. If you think about how much work is needed to run a
festival, you'd be shocked for at least 1d6 SAN that it has been led
almost single handedly (with a handful of cult-like followers) by
Andrew, who also works full time, has a wife and a little monster of his
own. He has to collect submissions, screen them, get in touch with the
filmmakers, get the prints, arrange for special guests, housing,
transportation, put all the movies together on the video, program the
fest for what plays when, develop the program, and much more. He's also
co-written a book on the movies, maintained a website
(www.beyond-books.com), and even distributed a bunch of these movies on
video (and soon, DVD).
It's a huge load of work, and to get it done ten times, never faltering,
is nothing short of amazing. And I am eternally grateful that.
New this year was a daytime seminar for local high school students on
Lovecraft. Kids (and anyone) were treated to a screening of the great
Canadian movie "Out of Mind", and a discussion afterwards with scholar
ST Joshi, Andrew Migliore, and writer-director John Strysik ("The Music
of Erich Zann").
Andrew has expanded the festival to four days, starting with an evening
preview screening on Thursday night. I like the idea of the preview
night, but I think that other films should be shown besides what is
playing during the regular festival. Maybe a "primer" collection of
shorts that people who have not had the chance to see before could, if
this is their first festival (which it was for a lot of people).
Also continuing this year was the new trend of "Howie" awards, named
after Lovecraft. They're a foot tall, hand carved resin full figure of
the Old Gent (Lovecraft) himself, created by master sculptor, filmmaker,
and fashion maven Bryan Moore ("Cool Air"). More on that later.
It was also nice to see that the theater itself has been refurbished,
including two new, swank restrooms upstairs (no more long lines
downstairs), and the ladies room has a nice lounge area with seating,
curtains on the windows overlooking the street, and framed period
photos. Some of the water damage to the theater has been fixed as well.
Increasingly, the theater is returning to its former glory. I bet next
year it will be even nicer.
Again, there was a dealer's room in the upstairs lobby, with tables for
Catalyst Studios (that cool front cover of the d20 CoC rules? That was
done by Catalyst), plus artist Devon Devereux, Pagan Publishing, the HP
Lovecraft Historical Society (with the Solstice album and prop
collection), Sighco T-shirt company, Nightshade Books, actor Jack
Donner, and T-shirts, CDs, and videos from Andrew's Beyond Books.
I arrived on Thursday evening, in time for a quick bite and then to see
the preview screening. There are three screens at the Hollywood Theater:
the main screen, with an auditorium that seats at least 800, and
upstairs, along the non-Euclidean corridor, are two smaller screens,
each seating about 200. There doesnt seem to be any corners in the
theater, which was built in the 20's, but there is a small exhibit of
memorabilia and photos from the era, perfect for a Lovecraft fest.
After the movies, we ("we" being most of the filmmakers, old and new)
relocated to the Moon and Six Pence pub, about a block away from the
theater, for the traditional round or twelve of alcohol.
What's great about the Lovecraft Festival, at least for me, is the
chance to catch up with friends, to see what they're working on or how
they tackled a certain problem, or what theyre doing next. It's good to
hear it from their mouth (diluted with ale, sometimes), rather than over
a website or an email.
I also enjoy making new friends, and it so happened that I spent a good
hour or so (at least two pints worth) talking to Brian Hauser, a film
and literature professor who drove out from Columbus, Ohio. We talked at
great length about the differences between film and literature (one of
my favorite discussion topics, because too many people think that a film
should be exactly like the book, which to me is like saying a cartoon
about a painting should be exactly the same). I was pleased to find out
that he used one of my movies, "Return to Innsmouth," in one of his
lectures, giving me the illusion that I have some kind of legitimacy to
my insanity.
We were also was treated again to the rousing tales and anecdotes from
Scott Glancy (of Pagan Publishing), including the great "Dog Head"
story, and also, the tale of "How Scott Was Attacked by a Christmas
Present". These gems did not fall from his lips all at once, but over
the course of the festival.
On another night in the pub, John Tynes prompted Sean Branney and Andrew
Leman to talk about directing, and I was privy to their ideas and
comments, while I played Devil's Advocate with some questions (is it
worth it to use a crazy actor if you get a good performance out of
them?). It's great to talk shop with other directors.
The Sunday brunch was a treat as well, although it was catered this
time. Still, seeing everyone at Andrew's, listening to Scott, was like
being at camp with your whole family&except you enjoy it. A group outing
to Powell's Bookstore and other cool shoppes in Portland on Monday was a
great capper for the long weekend.
Oh, and the movies. Right.
The features this year were:
Beyond Re-Animator: I've already seen the market screening of this at
AFM earlier this year. Directed by Brian Yuzna, it has nothing to do
with Lovecraft, was obviously shot in a prison in Spain, has gratuitous
sex and violence, and very easy to miss, but obsessive fans will rent it
on video anyways. Features a fight between a re-animated rat and a
re-animated severed penis. Maybe if I went to the Moon and Six Pence
first, this would be more enjoyable. Anyway, I skipped all screenings of
this at the fest.
Necronomicon: Andrew screened this the first year at the fest; which was
also the first theatrical screening of the movie. An anthology film,
it's not very good. Jeffrey Combs plays Lovecraft, though.
The Eldritch Influence: last year, Shawn Owens videotaped a documentary
featuring a number of the Lurkers, including Christian Matzke, Andrew,
and Stuart Gordon talking about the influence of Lovecraft on their
lives, his significance as an author, etc. This was his almost-finished
product. Shawn also managed to get great interviews from Neil Gaiman,
Ramsey Campbell, Brian Lumley, and ST Joshi. And two embarrassing parts
with me, back in my long hair days (Gaiman says "The Call of Cthulhu "
is a great story, then cut to me saying that's my favorite story).
Anyway, most of this was great, great stuff. It starts with biographical
information on Lovecraft, mostly told by Joshi of course, and then to
the influence of Lovecraft on literature (with the literary figures),
and then his larger influence on movies, games, etc.
The only problems I found with this is that there was some faux archival
footage of a "sorcerer" talking about the Mythos as if the gods were
real, but it was obviously faked, and the actor wasn't very believable
(he looked more like a college student). These parts detracted from the
legitimacy of the other subjects (cutting from Gaiman to freakazoid to
Lumley just doesn't work to me).
There is also a terrifying part in the movie that shows a group of Call
of Cthulhu role playing gamers doing that&playing CoC around a table. I
cringed in horror when I saw them, for they resemble exactly what you
think gamers look like (if you don't know what the stereotype of a gamer
is, then you probably are one). After the movie, Shawn tried to run out
before the Q&A, but we stopped him in the middle of the aisle and
praised his movie. Mike Tice, also in the audience, said that this scene
with the gamers "hit too close to home". Interesting, considering that
myself, my wife, and Mike's girlfriend are three of his regular CoC role
players.
Eldritch Influence ended with a Blair Witch Project-like segment about a
cult led by a toothless individual who believed the gods were real. The
documentarians filmed their ritual in the forest, centered around an
obelisk that was supposed to be a Pillar of Irem or something, but was
really made out of foam. Still, many in the audience were asking, "Are
these guys for real?" We're still not sure.
Although my favorite doc on Lovecraft is still "The Case of HP
Lovecraft", Shawn's movie is a great comprehensive account of his life,
and argues well why Lovecraft is so important to horror (weird tales)
today. I liked this one a lot.
The Shunned House: Directed by Italian enfant terrible Ivan Zuccon, I
had seen this one before on video. I liked it then, and I really liked
it on the big screen. Although the video quality was more noticeable on
a big screen, I nominate Zuccon as One to Watch for some great HPL
horror films. If he keeps improving this much with every film, he's
going to be really, really good very soon. He started with the movie
"The Beyond", then "The Darkness Beyond" before tackling this anthology
film about a strange house and its evil connections and portals though
time and space. Although slightly confusing (Ill say it's
"mysterious"), with some moments of extreme gore (some might say using
your own tendons as violin strings is a little much, others might love
it), this combination of "The Shunned House," "The Music of Erich Zann"
(Erica in this case), and "Dreams in the Witch House" is such a good
union of the three stories, and great use of a location, that I'm green
with envy. Check this one out at all costs (its in English, although
some scenes are poorly overdubbed).
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath: I have to hand it to director Edward
Martin III, for pulling this together after three (?) years of work.
This is an animated feature, based on the comic by artist Jason
Thompson. Featuring the voice of Toren Atkinson (lead singer of the
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets and heir to RU Pickman's legacy) as
Randolph Carter, this is a very, very valiant attempt. The artwork is
amazing, and some of the shots are great. I love the music (by Cyoakha
Grace O'Manion), too. However&I think the movie has some of the common
weaknesses of indie Lovecraft adaptations. More on that later, for it's
a major issue I am bringing up. Unfortunately, its not fully animated,
it's more like an "animatic", if you understand the term&shots are
"moved" through pans, zoom ins or outs, one thing in the frame moving
slowly like a stick figure, etc. It's not "full motion" animation. But,
the art and music were good enough to keep me interested. Here's one
that I would like to see given a bigger budget. It was more like people
reading the comic book to me (robbing me of the ability to re-read the
confusing passages) while haunting music plays in the background.
Dark Heritage: Directed by David McCormick, Andrew dug this one out of
the vault&well, one of the shelves close to the door in the vault. I
thought this was made in 1977 or earlier, but turns out it's from 1989.
Not a good sign. Based on "The Lurking Fear" and fairly faithful to the
story, it suffers from unfortunate acting, believability problems, and
low production values that work against the film, not for it. It's not
terrible (we'll get to those movies), but just didn't have anything that
stood out to make it remarkable (or marketable). The "ghoul" clan makeup
didnt look scary enough (a major flaw), and scenes that could have been
frightening weren't (spotting the ghoul in the tunnel could have been
exciting, but instead, it was lame). There is potential for "The Lurking
Fear" to make a good feature, but this wasn't it. The "Dansen" mansion
they used was great, however. It looked like something regurgitated from
a swamp.
The Shorts that played this year were:
Beauty in the Dark: directed by Kevin S. Quinn
If there was a point to this, I missed it. All I remember about this
movie is a guy sitting in a chair smoking (for ten minutes), and a dead
squid body floating around, with some funky flashing lights. Not good
without chemical attitude adjusters.
Beyond the Realm of Consciousness: by Michael Pentney
One of the "inspired by Lovecraft's ideas" instead of a direct
adaptation, this 12 minute piece about a psychiatrist observing a
psychotic (the program says he's a clone), had some potential, and there
was a great "scare" shot. Not too bad, but not enough for me to recall
much more.
Beyond the Wall of Sleep: by Bradley Palmer
Another movie with "beyond" in the title, and taking place in an asylum.
Based on the story by Lovecraft, I liked this one mostly due to the lead
actor; a crazy, hairy, toothless mountain man who is committed to an
asylum for randomly stabbing some hikers. His doctor uses a contraption
to contact his mind, and figures out that the man's brain is not human.
Id like to see this one again.
Casonetto's Last Song by Derek M. Koch
Derek, a Portland local who has been a fan of the HPL festival for
years, was inspired to try his hand at making a short. This one is based
on a story by Robert E. Howard. The screening I saw wasn't quite what
Derek wanted or expected. I talked to Derek afterwards about the short,
the good parts and the bad. For an early attempt, it has its moments. A
man named Stephen receives a record album made just for him from an
occult opera singer that he helped put to death for crimes against
humanity. He listens to it, of course. The song itself is great, but the
movie moves very slowly. Shots linger far longer than they have to, and
there are some casting issues. Hopefully, Derek will keep at it, and
we'll get to see something else from him next year. Derek has a webpage
on the film at:
Day One - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article745.shtml
Day Two - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article747.shtml
Day Three - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article748.shtml
Day Four - http://rewindvideo.com/artman/publish/article750.shtml
The fourth day has a link to some pictures from the fest as well.
Cutethulu by Shawn the Touched
A very cute, animated piece about what we all suspect would be
Lovecraft's reaction to the effect a plush Cthulhu doll has on two young
girls. Cute, funny, and short. What else do you need?
Don't Feed the Book by Robin Ator
Another funny animated short, this one is about a negligent consumer who
wanders into the WRONG kind of store. The sight gags in the store are
the best part of this one (I can't wait for Branney and Leman to make
"the Tcho-tcho Cha Cha").
Fungi From Yuggoth Part IV: Recognition by Richard Corben
Richard has been submitting short animated films to the festival for the
last three years, all starting when I was lucky enough to have him do
some CG work on "Return to Innsmouth" for me. This one is taken from the
Lovecraft poem, about a man who dreams he's in a forest with living
trees that aren't friendly like Ents. I love the look of the trees (for
a few seconds, they were scary), but these trees all have huge knockers
and dance around (reminiscent of Corben's "Dagon", his first solo
project in the fest). It's a Corben thing; I don't begin to understand it.
An Imperfect Solution by Christian Matzke
This is the second Lovecraft short from Matzke, who runs the Propping Up
the Mythos website. I'd say it's one of the best versions of the Herbert
West: Re-Animator adaptations, simply because it treats the story
seriously. Christian touches on the deeper issues of being able to
control death and undeath.
The props and costuming are awesome, and he also shot in Providence (of
the "Shunned House"!), had period cars, and in my favorite scene in the
whole movie, a period train car that Simon, Herbert's assistant, boards
to go to his aunt's funeral.
While there are some technical missteps (I cringe when the 180 rule is
broken in shot/reverse scenes) and a few acting flubs, overall, it's
pretty damn good. Christian is pulling some amazing things together in
New England, and I'm expecting only more good things from him.
The Item: by Shawn the Touched
Another, longer, animated piece by Shawn ("Cutethulhu"), I really liked
this one for being cute and goofy, with cool music and stereotypical
manga tropes. Three anime girls fight the big C himself. I hope to see
more of the adventures of Mecha, Jinx, and Bunni.
Maria's Hubris by Patrick Weber
A German adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep," it's a
faithful modern version. The woman who plays the Asenath character is
good at it. I really liked seeing a German telephone, too.
Pickman's Model by Giovanni Furore
The Italian version of the story of a semi-mad painter and the "models"
he paints. A tad pretentious, but I expect nothing less from Italian
artists. The final shot of the ghoul picture was really, really good&but
about one second too short.
Pickman's Model by Rick Tillman
Rick has been following the Lurkers for awhile, and this is his first
entry (that I know of) to the festival. For a low budget, there was a
lot to like in here, especially the costume of the ghoul and the
paintings of them. The opening "teaser" was shot in the style of old
silent movies, which gave me a grin. It's a little campy, but still
enjoyable. Although, again, I think it makes a few of the errors that
I've seen frequently in indie Lovecraft adaptations and Ill talk about
that more later.
The Picture in the House by Gant Haverstick
A man steals some paintings from the Pickman Gallery, but is wounded in
the leg on the way out by a security guard (as he drives away in a
prominently placed corvette). He runs through the forest for about an
hour and a half, trying to meet the fence for the stolen goods. He loses
his gun along the way. He finally comes up to a cabin. Is this where he
is supposed to meet his contact to ditch the paintings? No, none of that
had anything to do with the cabin, which houses a Vietnam vet
(interesting choice of antagonist, a decision I approve of), who talks
about how he survived in the bush through eating "victuals that weren't
raised or grown". Somewhat like "From Dusk til' Dawn", the almost
interminable front half of the movie is irrelevant to the second half. A
fair rendition of one of Lovecraft's simpler stories.
The Raven by Peter Bradley
I've seen many adaptations of Poe's works, this poem being the most
common (but I will always consider the one from "The Simpsons" and read
by James Earl Jones as the best). Peter pulls off a lot with just
cardboard: a cardboard set (life size, with a human actor), and with a
GREAT cardboard raven puppet (requiring three puppeteers to work, he
told me). Peter does a great "trick" with the portrait of Lenore: every
time we cut back to it, Lenore is in a different pose, with a different
expression. Very nice, very enjoyable.
The Statement of Randolph Carter by Jane Rose
I want to encourage all female directors, especially those that do
Lovecraft adaptations, and fortunately, it's not that hard to do. Jane
pulls off a good job with the story of a curious old man who delves too
"deep" into the arcane. This particular screening that I saw was too
dark, I think, (something you almost NEVER hear me say), so I missed a
little of it. But Jane manages to get in, tell the story, and get out,
(running time = six minutes), something that I encourage everyone else
to do.
The Thing on the Doorstep by Eric Mogret
Another adaptation of cross-gender possession, updated to modern
America, this screening was also too dark, but later corrected in
mid-playback. I can tell the budget on this was low, still, it was well
done, one of the better adaptations I saw this year. The only stumble I
can recall is not milking the moments. When Edward describes how he
found himself back in Aesenath's body (after he killed and buried her),
the voice over doesn't contain the utter horror I expect from someone in
those circumstances. The opening murder of Derby is also a little hokey
(due to the reaction of the nurse), but overall, I recommend this one.
Cool Air by Bryan Moore and The Music of Erich Zann by John Strysik
Two of the classic indie Lovecraft adaptations, Andrew showed them again
as part of the tenth festival anniversary. I've already seen both many
times, but it's great to see them again. Bryan, well dressed as usual,
did some Q&A with actor Jack Donner afterwards, telling tales of how he
made the movie on a budget ($35,000).
Zann was an extra treat, for the sound had been remixed. Although
Strysik complained afterwards that it was a VHS and not a DVD, it was
still good to hear the extra sound effects, even at VHS quality. The DVD
release of that should be great, for there's a lot of subtle nuances to
hear on an already high-quality short film.
The Secret Screenings
Starting a few years ago, Andrew showed the Lurkers some of the movies
that didn't make it into the official festival program, but for the last
two years, he's kept the theater doors open late to show the regular
audiences some of the "gems" lurking in his video library. This is his
chance to show movies that aren't really Lovecraftian, but good, often
obscure, movies, or real stinkers, anyway. This year included some early
works of David Lynch, Nigel "Quatermass" Kneale's "The Stone Tape", and
of course, "The Movie That Must Not Be Named". I've seen it before, and
yet, every time, I can't believe how bad it is. This screening has taken
on a "Rocky Horror" quality, with the audience whooping and hollering
each time. For this showing of a very independent, very low budget
adaptation of a Lovecraft movie, I decided to deaden the pain of
watching with some alcohol. But I didn't have time to go to the bar, so
Mark Fauver (my great music composer) and I wandered into a nearby 7-11
and bought&what else? A big can of Budweiser for him, and a 40 oz. Olde
English for me. We snuck into the back row of the theater with our
hooch, still wrapped in the paper bags, and started sucking down bad
booze for a bad movie.
It didn't make the movie any better, but it made the torture more
enjoyable.
By the way, attending the Lovecraft Film Festival is the ONLY way you
are going to see this movie, and possibly some of the other films as
well. Even the Lurkers are not allowed to hold copies of the dreaded
"Elwood" movie (although we have T-shorts now&)
Guests
Each year, Andrew invites special guests to the festival. This time we
had ST Joshi, Jack Donner, and Miguel Tejeda-Florers, screenwriter of
Revenge of the Nerds and Beyond Re-Animator, as well as many of the
filmmakers of the films (Enrico Saletti, writer of The Shunned House was
also in attendance). It's great to see everyone together, and one of the
telling moments for me was a picture being taken in the upstairs lobby
of a group of the filmmakers together&and I didn't recognize one of them
(I later met a few, but it was all people I didn't know, or had just
met). Think about it: for almost ten years, there have been enough
movies to hold an annual festival for three nights. Can you think of any
other author who has inspired so much creativity?
Howie Awards
The two main scheduled guests to appear this year, Brian Yuzna (producer
of the Re-Animator series and From Beyond), and actor Jeffrey Combs,
were unable to attend. However, Brian's wife and son did manage to attend.
On Saturday night, Andrew presented Brian Yuzna, John Strysik, and me a
"Howie" award; a hand carved full figure of HP Lovecraft, made by Bryan
Moore. This is the third year of the Howies, after Andrew received the
first one, Stuart Gordon and ST Joshi received the second and third.
Andrew started off the presentation, but his lack of sleep and improv
showmanship caused Jack Donner to get on stage and direct Andrew on how
to find and use a spotlight (leave it to an actor to find the light).
The comedy lightened the mood up a bit, so when I finally put my hands
on the award, there wasn't much I could say or do that would be really
embarrassing, so I mumbled a few words of thanks to everyone for
supporting me and Lovecraft's films, and to continue making them&because
I like watching your movies, too. And I thanked the Academy, since it
might be my only chance at that.
Now Howie stands proudly on the shelf above the video collection, the
largest section being the Lovecraft videos, which is growing like a
Crawling Chaos. And the scary thing is, I must be mad, because I keep
encouraging the spread of such movies.
Editorial Opinion
I wanted to comment on some trends I've noticed after almost a decade of
watching HP Lovecraft adaptations, especially independently made ones.
However, I am no ST Joshi, and in the art world, everyone is free to do
their own thing. So tell me to go to the darkest depths of the caverns
of N'kai if you think I'm full of it.
But here's something I notice with many Lovecraft films (and films in
general, actually): theyre being made by FANS and not FILMMAKERS. What
I mean is, most of the creative people behind the movies are more
reverential, more excited simply to be making a movie based on their
favorite work or author. But theyre not asking themselves WHY they like
the work so much, or what is important about the work, or how they are
interpreting the work&why it means so much to them, which should
translate into a more enjoyable human story.
I do not use the yardstick for measuring quality adaptations as one that
looks at how much of the original story someone puts into the movie: how
many original words in voice over, or how many of the period props,
setting, are used, etc. Yes, I like good setting and props, but it has
to fit the STORY that YOU are trying to tell. I dont want to see how
much money you spent in translating the story to film (or video) as much
as I want to see the story retold so it's surprising, fresh, and more
importantly, yours.
Did anyone complain when Coppola made Joseph Conrad's "Heart of
Darkness" into "Apocalypse Now"? Were there naysayers crying "Oh, he
didn't even do it in the period, therefore this is a terrible movie?" I
dont remember hearing any, and I think it should be the same with
Lovecraft movies as well&motion pictures are one medium of expression,
and the written word is another. Each has their own strengths and
weaknesses, and you need to be aware of both. There are techniques to
filmmaking that make an image engaging; there are editing tricks that
keep a movie moving. This doesn't even include acting, story, and
special effects. Learn the basics of putting a movie together, and use
those to your advantage, rather than fall victim to them. Put yourself
in the audience's shoes&if you had nothing to do with your movie, would
you enjoy watching it? Why or why not?
What this means for independent filmmakers is that putting every word of
the story into the movie is not necessarily a good idea. Editing is your
friend, not your enemy! I contend that every movie I saw this year could
have been made shorter (even if only for a few seconds) without becoming
an MTV-style montage.
The most common trend I've seen in these adaptations is full-scale voice
over narration reading the text, and showing images of the same. Why do
both? If I wanted that, I would read the story and come up with my own
images in my head. And many of these films go, way, way, way too long.
The movies don't have to be period pieces, either. They do, however,
have to be good.
Using one of this year's examples, I found the original "Dream Quest of
Unknown Kadath" to be tedious and confusing, and not one of Lovecraft's
better stories. Great ideas, bad story. Martin's movie included just
about everything from the original in it, so I went glassy eyed as I
watched Carter travel around and around the Dreamlands, discovering
peoples, places, and ancient ruins that held little meaning to me (I
forgot why he was going in the first place). It reminded me of the bit
in "Ghostbusters" where the possessed Rick Moranis says "during the
rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving
Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick
supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many
Shuvs and Zools knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor
that day, I can tell you!"
Only, "Kadath" is not a comedy.
Some of the better adaptations always seem to change or edit some part
of it; even Bryan Moore's "Cool Air" added the "Rosa" speech with Dr.
Munoz, one of the best parts of the movie.
I am not saying you cant make a good movie by including every word of
Lovecraft's story, but I dont know how to do it, nor would I even try.
Appropriate the best parts of the written word, and leave the rest
alone. Make your own new horrors that other people will want to copy.
--
Aaron Vanek
My latest movie reviews:
http://www.flipsidemovies.com/yellowsign.html
http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?Id=4472
Also Check out: http://www.webnoir.com/yellowsign
My last movie, "Return to Innsmouth" available at:
http://www.beyond-books.com/catalog/
"Survey after survey has shown that the desire for material goods, which has increased hand in hand with average income, is a happiness suppressant."
--New Scientist magazine, October 1, 2003