This movie is one that scared the living crap out of me from beginning to end. It is one that does follow Lovecraft's short story close as possible but as far as the record goes to following Lovecraft's short stories it is a hard one to do. This is one that I have to say became the inspiration for when I wrote Shadow of the Gathering. (One of the Mythos stories I wrote in my catalog along with Darkness From The Skies, Moon of Aeons, and Threshold then the fanfiction story titled Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Great Old Ones.) The story itself is one of the most frightening that Lovecraft wrote. The image of the Fish-God gave me some bizarre nightmares beyond belief. This movie follows Lovecraft macabre imagery, and has a twist in the end. If Lovecraft was alive and saw this movie, he would be pleased by what Stuart Gordon have done with the movie. It is an extremely gritty style of horror film, one that basically shows Wes Craven how it is done. A movie like this proves how dark Lovecraft's work really is. It was Lovecraft that influenced me to pick up the pen to begin with, and a movie like this was the reason why I started writing to begin with. This was a movie that was done that wasn't done for gore for the sake of gore, this is one film that is quite cerebral. This movie is one that really can scare the shit out of someone, especially toward the end and the discovery of what the main character was. The noticable thing is the Miskitonic University shirt; and that is proof the story is true to Lovecraft's writing style. I read the story Dagon a little before seeing the film so I am was looking forward to this one, if anyone haven't seen this movie. Go out and rent it, and if you aren't familar with Lovecraft's work -- pick up a few of his books and try to find the one with Dagon in it. Lovecraft's stories were done now for thirty years but those who know of others, let me know because I was wondering how they fair to Lovecraft's work.
Nick,
I too thought that 'Dagon' was the closest Hollywood has come to accurately showcasing Lovecraft's writings. Most attempts have failed miserably. Stuart "Reanimator"/"From Beyond" Gordon returns to form after recent misfires. There is gore, but like you said, it's held within the text of the plot and not just used for simple shock value. For anyone who likes a good suspense flick with a twist ending, you can't miss with this one.
I rate it a 'THUMBS UP'...SEVERED of course.....
I too thought that 'Dagon' was the closest Hollywood has come to accurately showcasing Lovecraft's writings. Most attempts have failed miserably. Stuart "Reanimator"/"From Beyond" Gordon returns to form after recent misfires. There is gore, but like you said, it's held within the text of the plot and not just used for simple shock value. For anyone who likes a good suspense flick with a twist ending, you can't miss with this one.
I rate it a 'THUMBS UP'...SEVERED of course.....
Terry