Some Lovecraft-esque horror films I enjoyed:
Evil Dead I and II, the Ruins, the Descent, and Midnight Meat Train
also there is a silent movie version of the call of cthuhulu which is quite interesting to watch, I have a friend who has the dvd.
I've seen trailers for that film... but unfortunately its hard to find (for rent, at any rate). I'd love to see it.
The Jew: I like comedy movies. We should've rented something with Adam Sandler!
Jim Profit: I thought you said you like comedy movies...
The Jew: I did. ....Oh, that was a joke... well it wasn't funny.
Jim Profit: ....
The Jew: You know who is funny? Dane Cook! I laugh at his matirial!
Jim Profit: ....
The Jew: Just how much blood does that girl have anyway?
The sad part is in reality me and my friends are alot more like "the loser villains from season 4 nobody liked".
Evil Dead I and II
While these are certainly quality films (some of my favorites), they don't really strike me as in any way Lovecraftian.
In preparation for Halloween, I was hoping to gather some good horror movies. I've always been a big fan of H.P., so I thought I'd see if people want to post some of there favorite horror movies that would fit this genre. I don't suppose it really needs to be Lovecraftish, though, if people just want to share a favorite.
Some Lovecraft-esque horror films I enjoyed:
Evil Dead I and II, the Ruins, the Descent, and Midnight Meat Train
is midnight meat train already out..must see.
I've seen trailers for that film... but unfortunately its hard to find (for rent, at any rate). I'd love to see it.
i got it online, should be able to google it
A few mentions/points of order/etc...
-Where the Hell is "Re-animator" on this list? It's outstanding & a Lovecraft work too. Cronenberg's an alright director and did this one a while ago.
I've never met a girl that didn't get uncomfortable towards the end w/ the scene of the decapitated head giving...uh, head.
-"In the Mouth of Madness" (j. carpenter i think). That's a Lovecraft one too I thought. Saw it a while ago, not bad.
-"The Descent" was fantastic. If that movie doesn't capture the feel of the Underdark, I don't know what does. There was a website that had the Crawlers echolocation noise as a ringtone. God, I want that. Sound editing was superb, acting was very realistic, story wasn't too overdone.
-"Midnight Meat Train" How was that? I love Barker and I saw them push this into the 2nd run theatres a few weeks ago and it disappeared fast. Still, I'd like to give it a glance at least.
I know he's supposed to be working on a new version of "Hellraiser" too.
Other recommended Halloween viewing:
-"The Shining". Did a term paper on this for Religion & Film in college. Seen it a bunch, still scary as Hell. Watch for the bathtub/seduction scene...
-Obligatory zombie movies; "Night of the Living Dead" of course, "28 Days Later" is higher brow/no cheese, "Dawn of the Dead" '04 was a good remake, "Cemetary Man" (more of a black comedy, but quite good), "Day of the Dead" (Romero's favorite, most graphic. His new ones suck though), etc.
-"Hellraiser I" & "II" only
-"Aliens", not sure if that's action (sci-fi) or dabbling in horror.
-CNN and MTV are pretty scary to watch too sometimes...
* Event Horizon - if that isnt Lovecraftian Sci-fi, what is?!
While these are certainly quality films (some of my favorites), they don't really strike me as in any way Lovecraftian.
Sure they do! The Necronomicon first and foremost is from Lovecraft, and the giant tree monster at the end of II could very well be an old one. I could see how the intentional campiness of the films could take away from the darker feel of a Lovecraft story, though.
-Where the Hell is "Re-animator" on this list? It's outstanding & a Lovecraft work too. Cronenberg's an alright director and did this one a while ago.
I've never met a girl that didn't get uncomfortable towards the end w/ the scene of the decapitated head giving...uh, head.
Reanimator is a classic, but I will have to point out Stuart Gordon was the director... and when I first saw the head scene several years ago, even I felt violated :P. In that spirit some other excellent similar films include
Beyond Re-Animator (I'd skip Bride of Re-Animator)
From Beyond (although this has one of the cheesiest endings I've ever seen, as a whole its good Lovecraft horror)
Dagon
-"In the Mouth of Madness" (j. carpenter i think). That's a Lovecraft one too I thought. Saw it a while ago, not bad.
Haven't seen it, but I'll have to put this on my 'to watch' list.
-"Midnight Meat Train" How was that? I love Barker and I saw them push this into the 2nd run theatres a few weeks ago and it disappeared fast. Still, I'd like to give it a glance at least.
I know he's supposed to be working on a new version of "Hellraiser" too.
Unfortunately, Barker did not direct this film, but it was my understanding he was around a lot as a consultant (especially when they wrote the screenplay), but never-the-less it was pretty good. No Hellraiser, which is good example of Lovecraft-type horror too, but good.
Other recommended Halloween viewing: ...
Some excellent choices (seems we have similar tastes, heh) I've not seen Cemetery Man nor Hellraiser II, so *marks his list*
@ Furryhowler: Event Horizon was a pretty cool film, it had a lot of the same ambience as Alien (the first film) which worked well.
A few more to add: John Carpenter's The Thing, The Fly, and Feast (dunno if I would consider feast real H.P., but its pretty good).
I got the poster for the HPL Historical Society, "Call of Cthulhu" film (the silent one). It is quite neat looking :D
Seen it, very good. As far as renting it, and I don't mean to give out shameless plugs, but Netflix is your friend. :D
Although it is very different than the original HPL story, I really like The Reanimator.
@ 1 ton ghost, it was directed by Stuart Gordon, not David Cronenberg.
On the topic of Stuart Gordon, he did a great HPL story for the Masters of Horror Series: Dreams in the Witch House.
Don't forget The Resurrected, it is older, and shows its age, but it is based on The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
Also from the Masters of Horror series, although not necessarily Lovercraftian, you have Dario Argento's Jenifer, John Landis' Deer Woman, Don Coscarelli's Incident On and Off a Mountain Road, and William Malone's Fair Haired Child. All of these I thought were pretty good.
It is hard to find, as I don't think it was ever released on DVD, but the original Unnameable was pretty good. Unnameable II was horrible, but the original was silky good low budget horror movie goodness.
If you don't mind subtitles and aren't too squeemish you could try either of Takashi Miike's works Audition or Ichi the Killer. Although these are more shock horror films. His offering for the Masters of Horror Series: Imprint, is non-sensical, but will make you shudder and cringe.
Adam sandler has done some acceptable comedies but his more recent works are crap, as for dane cook he is alright but no hope of becoming a skilled comedian. I am a bit old school when it comes to comedy.
But when it comes to the H.P. mythos I just don't know of many good movies.
the actual title is The Resurrected
check it out...its a very good movie, and even has a bit of a dnd dungeon feel as the characters are exploring the catacombs beneath the mansion.
creepy with good special effects.
I think Cronenburg is just one of the actors then. Not sure at this point.
As for Mr. Barker/"Midnight Meat Train", no surprises there. Believe he's well into his AIDS which often has the untimely side effect of limiting creative endeavors. Too bad, I really like his work and will miss him when it sends him off. I saw a copy of "Rawhead Rex" floating around a long time ago. The short was good, but no clue as to the film. Think someone was trying to get the rights, scripting, or in pre-production of "The Yattering and Jack" too.
On a related note, we busted out the Cthulhu expansion pack for Munchkin and it's definetely worth a look. Very amusing. The "Geek Ones" are Lovecraftian monsters in nerd regalia. If you look closely you can see one's carrying a copy of "Dungeons and Dagon". Hammy I know, but all the Munchkin decks are like that.
There's another treasure/bonus card that is essentially a diversion vs. random cuthuloid monster where the trickster has a centerfold opened for the monster reading "Playgod" and he's distracted by the Lovecraftian T&A.
and he's distracted by the Lovecraftian T&A.
when i read that I threw up in my mouth.
My mind conjured forth images so terrible that my stomach reacted.
when i read that I threw up in my mouth.
My mind conjured forth images so terrible that my stomach reacted.
Don;t think about a pink rino.
has every one forgot about dagon?
has every one forgot about dagon?
*points to post #13*
Its good you pointed it out, though... in case others missed it.I definitely want to see The Resurrected now that more people are starting to bring it up.
I definitely want to see The Resurrected now that more people are starting to bring it up.
Keep in mind it is low budget early 90s, it is okay but definitely is showing its age. As far as movie adaptations of Lovecraft's stories it is one of the most faithful; next to the HPL Historical Society's Call of Cthulhu that has been referenced here a number of times.
The same crew is working on a version of The Whisper in the Darkness, and some of the initial camera work looks VERY promising.
The problem with good Lovecraftian movies is the GOOD part. There are so many pieces of celluloid detritus floating around out there with Lovecraft's name on them that you really have to be careful, or risk completely wasting 90 mintues of your life.
I thought Dagon was, okay. I think Stuart Gordon is consistently one of the directors who approaches Lovecraft and tends to get it right more often then wrong.
I thought Dagon was, okay. I think Stuart Gordon is consistently one of the directors who approaches Lovecraft and tends to get it right more often then wrong.
I have a love-hate thing with Stuart Gordon. He's done some incredible timeless horror films, and he's done some *bleep bleep bleep* floosies. Space Truckers??? Give me a break. As far as HPL (I like that, I got tired of typing Lovecraftian), I totally agree. Dagon was OK, worth a watch and sharing with friends who appreciate the genre.
Gordon's later films, in my opinion, got better... he drifted away from monster driven movies and into character driven story lines. If you are a fan of Gordon, I strongly, strongly suggest STUCK and King of the Ants (the latter being better, imho)... although these are more of thrillers than horrors, but again, much more character-driven films.
I actually found The Resurrected at an old VHS rental today (I'm a total horror film buff, so I'm not joking when I say I'm getting these films :P) and gonna watch it with my GF tonight.
Sure... its age might show. But how cheesy is the fight with the cat in Re-Animator when you watch it nowadays? Its still a great film.
Also found Cemetery Man and Call of Cuthulhu *ahem, finally!!* on Netflix (her account) and secretly put them on the top of the qeue!! (Ohhh... I love October, the month of horror films, lets just hope she doesn't get me for it :D . She had Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay at the top...)
Edit:
Keep in mind it is low budget early 90s, it is okay but definitely is showing its age. As far as movie adaptations of Lovecraft's stories it is one of the most faithful; next to the HPL Historical Society's Call of Cthulhu that has been referenced here a number of times.
Ah, you're preaching to the choir. I love all sorts of these films! Even dating back to Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, to the monster-sympathetic films of the 40-50's... special effects don't make the film! Quality does.
I love the way he doesn't use existentialist horror so much as human derived factors... like S&M, decaying builds, graffiti, and emotions to create something horrifying. In a lot of ways, he's the polar opposite of H.P. Lovecraft, but he uses different means to create a similar horror experience.
I have a love-hate thing with Stuart Gordon. He's done some incredible timeless horror films, and he's done some *bleep bleep bleep* floosies. Space Truckers??? Give me a break.
I agree, in my post I was specifically referencing HPL.
Gordon's later films, in my opinion, got better... he drifted away from monster driven movies and into character driven story lines. If you are a fan of Gordon, I strongly, strongly suggest STUCK and King of the Ants (the latter being better, imho)...
I have seen them, and agree. If you haven't seen his MOH: Dreams in the Witchhouse it is available on NF through their Watch Instantly feature, if you gf has high speed internet.
Sure... its age might show. But how cheesy is the fight with the cat in Re-Animator when you watch it nowadays? Its still a great film.
You are right, but when I made that post I was unaware of your particular opinion on such things. Some fans find these things a turn off, I just felt I was doing my duty by providing the caveat.
She had Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay at the top...)
Guantanamo Bay was a little below average until Neil Patrick Harris took the screen, then it was exceptional. The movie returned to below average when his bit was finished. He is an incredible comedic talent.
Ah, you're preaching to the choir. I love all sorts of these films! Even dating back to Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, to the monster-sympathetic films of the 40-50's... special effects don't make the film! Quality does.
I understand Nosferatu's place in history and its impact on the genre, but as a film on its own I found it average, pretty much the same with Caligari. Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages, however I thought was pretty amazing. I actually thought the most recent remake of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was pretty good and innovative.
Again, one for the subtitle hating crowd to avoid is The Devil's Backbone, directed by Guillermo Del Toro. To that end I thought Pan's Labyrinth was pretty good as well, more dark fantasy than horror though.
If you like yor horror movies with a sense of humor, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is one you should find pretty entertaining, as is Black Sheep, and in the humor horror zombie genre, Fido is pretty good.
I really hope Del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness project gets green lit for production. I know they were hoping for a 2010 release date, I think it would be a pretty incredible and faithful production.
If you like yor horror movies with a sense of humor, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is one you should find pretty entertaining, as is Black Sheep, and in the humor horror zombie genre, Fido is pretty good.
I thoroughly enjoy horror/comedy. Most of my friends don't (although my GF does, in fact, enjoy a straight-forward horror film... whether monster, slasher, etc.)
I have seen Fido. Loved it. As a cinophile I love that it breaks all the rules of a traditional 'coming of age' story and uses comedy to create a unique experience. Leslie Vernon didn't entice me much... but it is October. I'll trust you on this one (this is the one month out of the year I get to enforce my bad-or-good-movie-marathon-as-long-as-it-is-horror on the old lady. If I don't like it, I'm coming to get you, though. :P
We just recently watched Murder Party to get into the spirit of Halloween. Its a cult type comedy/horror. I recommend it, but before going and nabbing it, know that its created in a genre that I would call a blender of the Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino. (Not necessarily as good as the directors, but a great film to watch> The box says it is Napoleon Dynamite meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Love to see more. Whether I go to the old VHSentral or net flix... I'd love to hear about more classic/cult classic horror films and share them !
PS: Had to throw this out quickly. Gonna check out The Resurrected and the readers should too!
Necronomicon: Lovecraftian by defintion. Good luck finding that to rent though.
Cloverfield: Might make the cut. I haven't seen this one though
Dream Catcher: A Steven King film.
[edit]
You might try Guyver II: Dark Hero if you can find it. Just be careful not to get the first one. Many consider the first bad enough to force SAN checks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft#Movies
Found a nice list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft#Movies
Excellent list to use. Thanks for posting it.
The Resurrected was a lot of fun, and the catacombs scene was excellent. The acting... so-so... but overall the film was better than I got the impression. I would consider the special effects about on par with Ghostbusters 2, but they showed a lot less which kicked the horror up a notch. Definitely worth watching for Halloween.
Another film to add:
The Host Lovecraft style abuse of science that creates a nasty monster. Not entirely HPL, but a great addition and a good watch.
I've seen trailers for that film... but unfortunately its hard to find (for rent, at any rate). I'd love to see it.
I had it ordered at my local Barnes & Noble
You should still be able to find it there, they order me all kinds of awful stuff that no one else will, and they ship it discretely as well.
love,
malkav
Another film to add:
The Host Lovecraft style abuse of science that creates a nasty monster. Not entirely HPL, but a great addition and a good watch.
I agree, this was my surprise movie of the year. Not really, HPL, but it is very good.
I agree Slither was pretty good as well, and worth watching.
A lot of people are not fans of the mockumentary style of film making, ala Cloverfield, or Blair Witch Project. If you didn't like those films, then you are probably going to have a poor opinion of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
Then of course there is Cannibal Holocaust, which is probably the most controversial movie of all time, and not for the squeemish. I would never recommend CH to anyone, but I would recommend researching it, and then once you have done that, decide for yourself if you want to watch it. It is a horrible movie. However, it has had a huge impact on our culture, ethics, laws, and the film industry.
love,
malkav
Cannibal Holocaust is actually the reason why you see the little blurb at the end of films now that says "no actual animals were harmed int he making of this movie" they killed about 20-30 animals to make cannibal holocaust.
I think it has been pretty well established that they killed seven animals during the filming of the movie, six of which actually appear on screen. This is however just a small part of the overall controversy regarding the film. The 25th Anniversary Edition DVD release gives you an option to watch a censored version that edits out all of the animal cruelty scenes.
Another movie that hasn't been mentioned yet that is very good is Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), although light on the horror, and kind of hard to find.
Cannibal Holocaust is actually the reason why you see the little blurb at the end of films now that says "no actual animals were harmed int he making of this movie" they killed about 20-30 animals to make cannibal holocaust.
love,
malkav
I do recall that they killed real animals on screen... there were little animal protection laws back then, and since the film was shot internationally, it had liberties of foreign laws, something of the sort.
I do believe that the Lucio Fulci film A Lizard in a Woman's Skin was investigated by the Italian government, because people thought the dog mutilation scenes were real (they were, in fact, special effects) and had some contribution to the "no animal harm" disclaimers.
As for the animal cruelty, hmm...when was it filmed?
SIMILAR: When they made "Apocalypse Now", there's a scene towards the end when the primitives sacrifice a water buffalo (decapitation) that sparked alot of outrage cuz' it was real. Imagine trying to get that in 1 shot. I'm not talking about the blow, I'm talking about the film stock. It took 2-3 w/ that dao to actually take the head, but so much can go wrong. Can't reanimate and reshoot, you know?
There's alot of speculation attributed to that as well. The movie is supposed to be cursed. Seriously. So many things went wrong. Monsoon season destroyed a bunch of sets (Coppolla took out another mortgage on this home to help pay), Martin Sheen had a heart attack on the set (related: that scene w/ him drunk in the hotel room dancing around/wailing is all realm, not acting; it was his b-day and Francis C. told him to improv it [he actually got drunk, cut his hand on the mirror for real, everything]), a crewman got decapitated by a helicopter rotor on the set, and of course the picketing & social fallout from the animal sacrifice scene.
Here in Cincinnati, a band I like, Skinny Puppy was arrested (not formally charged though
) during their Vivisect tour ('88 or so) for using "Chud", an anatomically correct (incredibly real, but fake) dog on stage as part of the performance. They take him apart as part of the act as they are rapidly anti-animal testing and all that jazz. But, city officials don't bother to figure that out, so "stop the show", bla bla bla. They did that for 2 Live Crew, White Zombie, Pantera, a ton of others...but they didn't do jack back in the day when all those ppl got trampled at the Who show.Can you Netflix it?
Yes.
As for the animal cruelty, hmm...when was it filmed?
Production began in 1979, finished in 1980.
Apocalypse Now was released in 1979.
Animal cruelty is only a part of the controversy regarding CH. Where the water buffalo called attention to AN, the director of CH, Ruggero Deodato was arrested days after the films release because a magistrate in Italy believed it was a snuff film and the actors were indeed killed. The director was only able to prove that it wasn't by having the actors show up at the court to prove they were still alive.
This is likely also a result of the production quality, because CH was a mockumentary it was filmed and produced to look very low quality which led audiences to believe it was more real than something that was obviously of higher production quality, such as AN.
Other allegations included, sex abuse and torture of the actors during the filming and the on screen display of real murders. The plot involves the filming of a documentary. The characters in the movie review real footage of ritualistic killings and decapitations during the film. Various editions have this portion of the film edited out.
It isn't so much that CH exploited foreign laws, producers have claimed that it has been banned in 50 countries. It is more like it stepped outside the bounds of social norms, and because of this is partially responsible for the worldwide adoption of standards that now legally spell out the norms.
Good or bad, CH is a landmark in the history of film.
Animal cruelty is only a part of the controversy regarding CH. Where the water buffalo called attention to AN, the director of CH, Ruggero Deodato was arrested days after the films release because a magistrate in Italy believed it was a snuff film and the actors were indeed killed. The director was only able to prove that it wasn't by having the actors show up at the court to prove they were still alive.
Interesting, that. I didn't know all the details, but its very similar to the Lucio Fulci trial... I wonder if it was coincidence that both were by the Italian government? *plays spooky music*
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0643109/
It reminded me a lot of the King in Yellow/Yellow Sign cycle in its tone and content. While that's not exactly Lovecraftian, I think the whole Hastur cycle has been pretty much assimilated within the Mythos by now (and it is an important part of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu game).
spoiler
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John is from the slum called cancer. Earlier in his life he was chosen to become an avatar for the God of Destruction. And of course and mystical horror deserves a technological one, the Genocyber.
Interesting addition. I managed to find this on VHS, the same mom and pops I found the Ressurected. An unique blend of technology and monsters.
A new film coming out just in time for Halloween that hasn't received nearly as much publicity as it should get:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZLv3Z7L5lY
and this foreign horror film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ckdZpYVn38
Take the time to look at 'em, horror fans! They look pretty impressive.
A lot of people are not fans of the mockumentary style of film making, ala Cloverfield, or Blair Witch Project. If you didn't like those films, then you are probably going to have a poor opinion of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
Interesting since I don't like the first two films but did enjoy Behind the Mask. I think perhaps it's that Leslie Vernon doesn't take itself too seriously.