August 25, 2008

1) canada said (on 08/26/08 at 08:43 AM):

Looks interesting and better than other attempts to bring Lovecraft to the screen (you do know HPL would have hated the idea, right?).

If the trailer is indicative of the story line, in fairness it should say: "a film based 'loosely' on the story by H.P. Lovecraft".

I look forward to it and not just because the lead is hot (no, I don't mean Chthulu, funny man).

2) TED said (on 08/26/08 at 09:21 AM):

Cthulhu is in the title but not in the credits, so I'm worried that the producers couldn't meet his contract demands, and he's being played by some has been or never was. That problem not only spoils the movie's authenticity but likely means that those who see it anyway will incur his wrath.

3) Faustus, M.D. said (on 08/26/08 at 11:13 AM):

canada: I'm not so sure Lovecraft would have hated the idea--he was always very generous with his characters and milieux, figuring that the more people borrowed them (especially the Cthulhu mythos), the greater the "air of verisimilitude" his own work would acquire.

TED: Perhaps this is also why the movie took so many years to release--Cthulhu kept destroying the people who were trying to put out a sub-standard representation of him. Obviously the folks at here! films have figured it out, and he is being played by an actor of real stature.

4) TED said (on 08/26/08 at 01:45 PM):

I remain unconvinced, but since the movie appears to be only in limited release, it is certain to be in NYC long before it comes to the DC area, so if you manage to see it and comment on it without being devoured, perhaps I'll be able to infer that it's safe cinema.

5) David said (on 08/26/08 at 02:43 PM):

I much prefer Evil Dead. The musical, that is.

6) canada said (on 08/26/08 at 08:21 PM):

Sorry Joel, but I'm sticking by my "HPL would hate this" position.

Lovecraft did indeed approve the borrowing of his mythos among his literary circle and he freely borrowed from the Averoigne mythos of his friend and fellow "weirdest" (and poet) Clark Ashton Smith. He would not, however, allow "Weird Tales" editor Farnsworth Wright radio rights to his stuff even when he desperately needed the money.

Here's why: Lovecraft had extremely strict criteria for what constituted a weird tale. Note the almost complete lack of dialogue in his stories. He clearly anticipated what adaptation to other media would mean.
HPL claimed that dialogue was a distraction at best and that characters and even the monsters themselves were secondary to the attainment of ATMOSPHERE. For him the only appropriate goal of a weird story was to produce an atmosphere and shiver suggesting the suspension of natural law, the tyranny of time and the bridging of huge gulfs of space. He was adamant about this and it's why his stuff was as often rejected as accepted by the pulps that published his work.
He refused their formulas demanding dialogue, irony, humour and action - not to mention their constricting word counts.

He did not disapprove adaptation of all literature to the screen and enjoyed several such films very much. But he walked out on Lugosi's "Dracula" while vacationing in Florida, finding it ridiculous.

No, I'm quite certain HPL would have disapproved of this latest venture. Of course, I am looking forward to the movie based on its own possible merits.

Sorry to hold forth on your blog.

7) Faustus, M.D. said (on 08/26/08 at 08:31 PM):

TED: You don't say whether you'd rather I be devoured or not. I'm going to assume the best.

David: Will you die if I tell you that I've been talking about a Cthulhu musical with a couple of my collaborators?

canada: I bow to your knowledge, and I'm very happy that you plan to see the movie despite Lovecraft's theoretical hatred.

8) initials said (on 08/27/08 at 12:10 AM):

In the name of all that's Profane to the Old Gods... Save me a seat next to you, Herr Doktor, when you see the movie. We can squeal excitedly together whilst certain unenlightened parties roll their eyes. AND TORI SPELLING!!! It's like ChrismaHannuKawanzaa, only better.

9) Faustus, M.D. said (on 08/27/08 at 08:15 AM):

initials: The only way it could be better would be if Linda Hunt were in it.

10) TED said (on 08/27/08 at 08:44 AM):

The musical is a brilliant idea. I stand by my original pronouncement that Cthulhu should be a bass baritone.

11) Andy said (on 08/27/08 at 09:58 AM):

I see it takes place in Oregon, so there's a bonus. Unfortunately, scary movies cause me to...umm...not sleep for about a month, so I'll probably have to pass. Faustus, you can just tell me the story some night by candlelight and IM.

12) John said (on 08/27/08 at 04:11 PM):

Wow, this movie *must* be good, because it claimed the Best in Festival Prize ... at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival.

I can't decide whether that's preaching to the choir or playing a really tough room, but how bad can it be, since the folks at here! also gave us DANTE'S COVE and THE LAIR?

Oh, wait.

13) Faustus, M.D. said (on 08/27/08 at 09:30 PM):

TED: He could hardly be anything else, now, could he?

Andy: How about huddling together under the blanket?

John: What are you talking about? THE LAIR is the most exquisitely beautiful television since . . . um . . . since . . . oh, never mind.

14) Andy said (on 09/ 7/08 at 02:29 AM):

We don't need a horror movie as an excuse to do that. I've got footage of Rudy Giuliani at the RNC that is even more scary. Let's cuddle!

15) Jack said (on 09/16/08 at 01:12 PM):

@Faustus, I realize I'm coming late to this party, but I just discovered your blog after a friend passed me the link to your Dorothy Parker article. Anyway, I sincerely hope for your sake that it got a lot of editing and tweaking since I saw it at least years Reel Affirmations film festival here in DC.