The Whisperer in Darkness (2011)
Directed by Sean Branney
Tonight I had a few people over, and decided to see how a couple of modern takes on Lovercraft would turn out, with typically mixed results.
First up we watched The Whisperer in Darkness, the newest film by those fine folks in The HP Lovecraft Historical
Society,These are the same people who produced the silent version of Call Of Cuthulhu a few years ago. That earlier film may just be my favourite piece of lovecraftian cinema, so I went in to this one with high expectations. Some of these Were met, and others weren't. Let's start with the good. The Whisperer in Darkness looks great shot as it was in glorious black and white. It really does invoke that old fashion Horror Move expirence. The acting is also quite solid, specially cosidering that this is an amature production. Matt Foyer who plays Albert Wilmarth, a Folkloreist who's pulled into a mystery involving the existence of flying crab creatures in rural Vermont, is a stand out. much of the film rests on his shoulders and he pulls through wonderfully. I also really liked the sci-fi elements of the story which reminded me of a 50's style X-Files.
The mystery builds throughout the running time of the movie only to go off the rails at the end. The problem may have bee that the film was too ambitious, with both the reveal of the crab monsters, and the high flying climax making use of some mediocre CGI. After the inventive practical effects of Call Of Cuthulhu, including the incredible stop motion monster that appears at the end, the lazy CGI couldn't help being a bit of a letdown. I would have been much happier with a more modest climax, even if it was just a fist fight with some dudes in rubber suits.
Those complaints aside, The Whisperer in Darknessis still a stylish and entertaining film, that I heartily recommend.
La herencia Valdemar AKA The Valdemar Legacy (2011)
Directed by José Luis Alemán
The second film on my list was well reviewed Spanish film, and was described as an atmospheric Old Dark House movie with lovecraftian elements. It started strong With a real estate assessor going to assess an old Victorian mansion, and grade it's contents. It's a rush job, because the assessor originally assigned to the case dissapeared, and is thought to have run off with some valuable objects. When she arrives at the house she soon makes a grizzly discovery, and awakens an evil entity. So far so good, but then the films jumps back to the early 20th century for an extended flash back the lasts most of the rest of the movie. This flashback details how the Valdemar family goes from faking photographs of ghosts at bogus seances to becoming involved in occult activities along with Aleister Crowley.
Each part of the film is fine on it's own, but the structure feels disjointed, and when it became clear that the first story wasn't going to be resolved till the (poorly reviewed) sequel, I was actively annoyed. It's too bad these structural problems get in the way because it is an atmospheric little film, nicely shot and well acted.
Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy is featured in a small but significant role as the Valdemar's servant, in the flashback seqence. It would turn out to be his final role as he died after filming, but before the film was released. I also enjoyed the creature summoned by the occultists, which reminded me of Eddie, Iron Maiden's mascot.
The Lovecraftian elements are present, and appear to be expanded upon in the sequel. I would recommend this one, but only cautiously, and prepare to be somewhat frustrated.
No comments:
Post a Comment