The Call of Cthulhu (film)
This article is missing information about the film's production, and home media releases.(November 2018) |
The Call of Cthulhu | |
---|---|
Andrew Leman | |
Screenplay by | Sean Branney |
Based on | "The Call of Cthulhu" by H. P. Lovecraft |
Produced by | Sean Branney Andrew Leman |
Starring | John Bolen Ralph Lucas Chad Fifer John Klemantaski Jason Owens D. Grigsby Poland David Mersault |
Narrated by | Matt Foyer |
Cinematography | David Robertson |
Edited by | David Robertson |
Music by | Troy Sterling Nies Ben Holbrook Nicholas Pavkovic Chad Fifer |
Distributed by | H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society |
Release date |
|
Running time | 47 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Call of Cthulhu is a 2005 independent
The original story had long been considered
Plot
The film begins with a dying professor who leaves his great-nephew a collection of documents pertaining to the Cthulhu Cult. The nephew (Matt Foyer) begins to learn why the study of the cult so fascinated his grandfather. Bit-by-bit he begins piecing together the dread implications of his grandfather's inquiries, and soon he takes on investigating the Cthulhu cult as a crusade of his own. Sailors aboard the Emma encounter the Alert abandoned at sea. The nephew notes that Inspector Legrasse, who had directed the raid on cultists in backwoods Louisiana, died before the nephew's investigation began. As he pieces together the dreadful and disturbing reality of the situation, his own sanity begins to crumble. In the end, he passes the torch to his psychiatrist, who in turn hears Cthulhu's call.
Cast
- Matt Foyer as Francis Wayland Thurston
- John Bolen as The Listener
- Ralph Lucas as Professor Angell
- Chad Fifer as Henry Wilcox
- David Mersault as Inspector Legrasse
- Barry Lynch as Professor Webb
Release
The Call of Cthulhu was selected to appear at numerous film festivals,[1] including the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival and North America's largest, the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival, where it sold out both screenings thanks in part to a glowing review from The Stranger, a local paper.[2]
Reception
Despite the long-standing conventional wisdom that the story was inherently "unfilmable",[3] The Call of Cthulhu garnered mostly positive reception from critics. It holds 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.1/10 based on 6 reviews.[4]
Dennis Schwartz from Ozus' World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade B, writing, "[a] haunting labor of love tribute", praising the film's style, and score.[5]
Paul di Filippo of
In their book Lurker in the Lobby: The Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft, Andrew Migliore and John Strysik write: "The Call of Cthulhu is a landmark adaptation that calls out to all Lovecraftian film fanatics — from its silent film form, its excellent cast, its direction, and its wonderful musical score... this is Cthulhuian cinema that Howard would have loved."[10]
Awards
The Call of Cthulhu received various awards, including:
- Best Feature at Eerie Horror Film Festival (2006)[11]
- Prix Tournage for the Best American Movie at 23rd Avignon Film Festival (2006)[12]
- Audience Choice at Another Hole in the Head (2006)[13]
- Vuze Audience Favorites Winner (2007/2008)[14]
References
- ^ "The Call of Cthulhu - an HPLHS Motion Picture". cthulhulives.org. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ Steinbacher, Bradley (June 5, 2006). "'The Call of Cthulhu'". The Stranger. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ Sundance: The Good, Bad and Ugly
- ^ "The Call of Cthulhu (1969)- Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ Schwartz, Dennis. "callofthecthulhu". Sover.net. Dennis Schwartz. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Syfy". Archived from the original on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ Sinnott, John. "The Call of Cthulhu : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk.com. John Sinnott. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Bostaph, D (2 November 2005). "Call of Cthulhu, The (2005) - Dread Central". Dread Central.com. DW Bostaph Jr. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Cornelius, David. "Movie Review - Call of Cthulhu, The - eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. David Cornelius. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ISBN 978-1892389350.
- ^ "Event Report: Eerie Horror Fest 2006!". Dread Central. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "23rd Avignon Film Festival awards". fest21.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Another Hole in the Head". sfindie.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ Cinequest film festival Archived 2012-07-29 at archive.today