The Call of Cthulhu

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Ok, the link is a bit of a conceit. While Lovecraft’s seminal conception of the Cthulhu Mythos was first published in the mid-twenties, this film was actually produced by the HPL Historical Society in 2005. Deciding to embark on this project meant that the group would be faced with dual dilemmas; crafting a truly faithful version of a Lovecraft story (that most inadaptable of authors) while working within an almost non-existent budget. The solution they came up with was ingenious-film the tale as if it were being produced in its respective time period.  Unfortunately, this work is not widely known. Even a nerd like me came across the movie purely by accident, and therefore feels indebted to share my discovery with you. (Ah yes, plugging an obscure website by placing it on an even more obscure website. Brilliant idea that!) 

I must say that what could have been a silly pretension turned out to be a stroke of genius. This isn’t a simple case of a theater troupe aping an old Chaplin flick by donning vintage clothes and exaggerating their movements. These folk have a keen grasp of the lost art of silent film. While the movie is not perfectly indistinguishable from true antique cinema, the illusion works extremely well. The makeup, wardrobe, camerawork and acting are all well in keeping with historical film techniques, and the pseudo-scratchy film process (sweetly dubbed “Mythoscope”) does a fine job of recreating that old-time ambience.

As a little experiment, I showed this film to my family without explaining that it was a newer release. My grandma, who lived through the silent era, was taken in, and my dad wanted to know if one of the extras was Karloff in an early bit part.

Don’t get me wrong, the silent thing isn’t just a gimmick for its own sake. The idea here was to create a “lost film”, one that might have actually existed, and they did a bang-up job. It’s no exaggeration to say I consider this work on equal artistic footing with some of the early German expressionist films.

( Just a note. Some people find silent era films hokey and boring. We call these people morons. Morons will not enjoy this film. If you are a moron, you have been warned.)

 Even aside from its key hook, the film stands on its own quite well.  Lovecraft is a notoriously difficult writer to film, (How do you portray inconceivable horror?) but somehow, these fine folks managed to perfectly convey ol’ H.P.’s signature atmosphere. The most faithful adaptation of the master’s work to date, ‘Call’ well encapsulates his unique brand of slowly mounting cosmic dread. The semi- expressionist style is perfectly suited for conveying the soul-gripping yet unnamable terror that haunts the hoary dream worlds of Lovecraft’s twisted universe.  (Relying more on emotional impact than realistic representation, this school of art is ideal for embodying that which is otherwise inexpressible. In hindsight, it almost seems an obvious fit.)

 It amazes me just how creative amateur filmmakers can be when it comes to visual effects. The economic law of diminishing returns also applies to art it seems, and I’ll stack this treasure up against some bloated Hollywood monstrosity any day of the week. The creative team on this film used a variety of insert shots, trick photography, and miniatures to establish setting and mood. They’re not overly-realistic, but then again, that’s not the point.  These effects work on their own terms, adding immeasurable ambience and charm.  Given what they had to work with, these folks did a fine job of building a believable faux reality. (Check out the “making of” documentary. They created a moonlit swamp by melting garbage bags with a hairdryer! We should get these people working on that Iraq thingy.)

Yes, Cthulhu himself does make an appearance, and no, incredibly, he does not disappoint. A creature of stop-motion on par, nay, surpassing the original Kong, this Cthulhu is as shadowy, squiggly and eldritch as one could hope.  (Then again, I have a soft spot for the whole Harryhausen thang.)

 As you may know, my personal ethics force me to write something good about even the most loathsome of films.  When it comes to this little gem, I’m straining to find anything negative to say! If I have any complaint at all (and that’s a big if) it’s that some of the digital composite shots are era inappropriate, and aren’t as effective as the rest of the film’s clever effects. However, considering the lower-than-low budget these filmmakers were struggling within, and their absolute brilliance concerning every other aspect of this project, I simply cannot bring myself to let this detract from the final score.   

These people are the true heirs to Sam Raimi as well as F.W. Murnau. They took nothing and made a masterpiece. By displaying so much imagination and raw ingenuity, artists like these make me truly optimistic about the future of independent horror film.  Normally, I would never plug a product, but I truly feel that you owe it to yourself to give this one a look. (The Haunted Bog is an ad-free website. I assure you I have not received one bit of recompense for my recommendation.)  At only 40 minutes, some might balk that the film isn’t worth buying, but I can assure you that this is yet another plus. The story moves along at a nice clip, never wearing out its welcome with needless padding. (Lovecraft wrote short stories after all.) Besides, there are some very entertaining bonuses on the dvd that help make up for the short running time. Heck, if we’re lucky and these folks make some dinero, they might even bring us more movies!

 We can only hope so, as this one is a perfect

10

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