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No consensus yet.
All Critics (6) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (0) | DVD (3)
Haunting labor of love tribute film. Sep 21, 2009 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Haunting labor of love tribute film.
Dennis Schwartz
A clever, retro, silent, B&W adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's classic horror story. Jun 10, 2006 | Rating: B | Full Review…
A clever, retro, silent, B&W adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's classic horror story.
Robert Roten
... more than simply a love letter to the stylized artificiality of silent expressionist horror... the most faithful screen translation of the author's work to date. Jun 5, 2006
... more than simply a love letter to the stylized artificiality of silent expressionist horror... the most faithful screen translation of the author's work to date.
Sean Axmaker
The Call of Cthulhu is a rare homage to the silent era that delivers the mood and atmosphere with near perfection. Feb 7, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
The Call of Cthulhu is a rare homage to the silent era that delivers the mood and atmosphere with near perfection.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
The filmmakers themselves are generally paid not in dollars but in status among their fellow obsessives, which makes Call of Cthulhu truly a labor of love. Jan 30, 2006 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
The filmmakers themselves are generally paid not in dollars but in status among their fellow obsessives, which makes Call of Cthulhu truly a labor of love.
Ray Greene
If every 'fan-made' movie were this curiously cool and bizarrely entertaining, well, it'd put a lot of Hollywood suits out of a job. Jan 30, 2006 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…
If every 'fan-made' movie were this curiously cool and bizarrely entertaining, well, it'd put a lot of Hollywood suits out of a job.
Scott Weinberg
Nice try at replicating the processes of actual silent film making but the textures and colors or rather lack there of are off.
Super Reviewer
A silent movie made in 2005 in Black and White is pretty strange in itself, but this movie is nothing short of very strange. It's HP Lovecraft's most famous story. Taken and mastered by H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. This movie appeard in over 30 major film festivals across the world. A very interesting web site of this move can be located at http://www.cthulhulives.org/cocmovie/index.html , It goes into much further detail then I can in a few short lines. The movie is about a man recounts how his discovery of secret knowledge has driven him over the edge and brought him close to death. Its the framework that Lovecraft used again and again to tell his stories of horror. Here the story is that of the cult of Cthulhu which he discovers upon the death of his Great Uncle, a man who was himself driven to the edge of madness and to death by the secrets he uncovered. Essentially a series of flashbacks and narratives this film builds a great deal of unease as bits of story and coincidence create an a narrative that has unpleasant implications. Its not the kind of think that will make you jump out of your seat, but it will make you want to turn the light back on. 3 1/2 stars on this one.
Close, but not quite...The Call of Cthulhu is admirable on a non-budget, and Andrew Leman's choice to emulate German expressionist classics like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is well informed. Making the film silent and black and white was a great choice. There's an obvious respect for and knowledge of the source material that makes this short film a really great homage, and almost certainly the best Lovecraft work to date, but I just don't think the tone or compositions here truly pop. In some ways, I think adhering to source material that attempts to convey a menace of inconceivable grandiosity is probably impossible for just about any movie, and though this comes close, I think it falls short of true artistic inspiration.
I have have to say that I have not read Cthulhu, so this is coming from a completely fresh perspective. I'm speaking of the film on it's own merits and not as an analysis of it's adherence to the original story. I'll leave that to the Lovecraft Historical Society. This film is just as much a homage to the silent film era as it is a passionately made adaptation of the original Lovecraft story. And I feel that telling this story in the "silent film" format did just as much to create a great look and feel to the story as it did to soften some of the "dark edginess" that is quintessentially Lovecraft. I don't think it is possible to encapsulate that kind of darkness successfully in a genre that relies so heavily on over dramatic acting, make-up and music. You can not help but admire the passion in which this film was made. I felt it immediately and then upon watching some of the "extras" and hearing the details from those involved with getting this film made, my admiration grew exponentially. Well worth a watch if you are a fan of films and/or film making.
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