Director – Andrew Leman (The Whisperer in Darkness)
Starring – Matt Foyer (Follow the Bitch), John Bolen (Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus), and Ralph Lucas (Beverly Hills Vamp)
Release Date – 2005
Rating – 4.5/5
I was never really that much of a reader. In my youth I went through a number of R.L. Stine books like Goosebumps and Ghosts on Fear St. but I never really ventured that much further until the years between high school and college (I attended college when I was 21). It was at this time I started reading some with most of my time taken up by horror comics with Hack/Slash and The Walking Dead becoming an obsession. While reading all these comics I came across a few H.P. Lovecraft adaptations which made me venture even further into Lovecraft and his stories.
Like most in the stories, my casual reading of Lovecraft stories turned into an obsession. I would read his stories over and over again and this even lead to me writing a little bit of fan fiction based on his characters. Now, it has been almost 8 years since I started my obsession. I have several books, comics, and two tattoos dedicated to the man. Being the movie fan I am it was only a matter of time before I searched for any and all films pertaining to this mysterious author.
One day I was out and found a used copy of The Call of Cthulhu on DVD. The disc was scratched up pretty bad and the artwork had become wet at one time but I still bought it. I watched it once with a large amount of alcohol with a few friends but I don’t remember much from that first time. Demons of Celluloid is currently doing a silent film month and I decided this would be my contribution to that.
**Spoiler Alert**The film begins with a young man begging someone to destroy the hard work and writings of his deceased uncle. His uncle became obsessed with nightmares and the Cult of Cthulhu. The young man went through his uncle’s belongings upon his death and became obsessed with the very same. He investigates everything from his uncle’s writing. The more he reads and investigates the more he dives deeper and deeper into madness.**Spoiler Alert**
There is something eerie and unsettling about a genuine silent film. My first experience with silent horror was the 1922 film Nosferatu starring Max Schrek. The film, like so many other silent horror flicks, is creepy as hell and leaves a lasting impression unlike any other film released after. That is what The Call of Cthulhu did perfectly. It was able to embody everything that made the original silent films so damn eerie and creepy. A lot of hard work and an eye for detail made this film utterly amazing.
The acting in this film is spot on to make it feel like an authentic silent flick. The cast was picked perfectly and their talent truly shines in each scene. The story is a very faithful adaption of the Lovecraft tale with only minor changes to the story. Looking at it from a film stand point it is still original when compared to other films and really deserves to be seen by all genre fans.
Finally, the film does not have any on screen deaths or gory special effects. Instead, the film gives us great story, authentic feel of the silent era, some solid claymation, and great acting. Overall, The Call of Cthulhu is an amazing film that begs to be seen. Do yourself a favor and watch it now!
