The Call of Cthulhu

A fascinating little experiment of a film, that largely stays true not just to the spirit, but to the narrative details of Lovecraft's original story. The silent treatment here works extremely well, both practically (it masks their limited budget), as well as artistically (it roots the horror elements primarily in the expressionist-style visuals--always an effective strategy).

Now this is how Lovecraft adaptations should look like!

Doesn't make the mistake of focusing on what was bad during the silent era but instead on what was great about it. Its epic and cinematic tone is a monumental achievement that all involved should be very proud of. Highly recommended.

A slightly amateurish, but still very satisfying, Lovecraft adaptation. I do wish this was shot on film and not digital, but c'est la vie. (And one of these days I'd really like to know how to pronounce Cthulhu, but I guess I'll still have to be held in suspense.)

Stylish and atmospheric imagining of the classic story. At only 45 minutes length, the fun of the 20's presentation won't wear off. Good music score.

Despite its low-budget, it's the most fullfilling Lovecraft-based movie I've ever seen.

I would give this 150 if I could. It's a short piece, but it is a deeply loving tribute to Lovecraftian mythos and the state of the moviemaking art in the days before sound. It may not be the best movie ever made, but a lot of work and attention to detail went into it, and I can't wait to see The Whisperer In The Darkness, their next cinematic endeavor of which I'm aware.

It was pretty good and made in a way a Lovecraft-movie should be made. Still, in my opinion Lovecraft's text cannot ever be perfectly adapted for the silver screen; the stories are much more effective when certain things are just left to the imagination.

It's fine. I give the filmmaker credit for doing quite a bit on what was surely a low budget, but it still shows. There are a few great shots and moments, but for every one there are several very mundane and even poor ones. The acting is, in general, poor enough that despite a solid effective score it's hard to get drawn in, though not so bad as to completely undermine the film. Still, it blends together to craft an atmosphere that is more than the sum of its parts.

Incredible, although might be cheesy for some. Tune your mindset to Lovecraft and 1920, though.

This might well be the best adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu *possible*. Excellent, not only in the context of its gimmick, but ranked against filmdom as a whole.

A respectable homage to H.P. Lovecraft. There are instances where it could have been much better, but the filmmakers' hearts are in the right place, and that counts for a lot in my book.

Having never read any Lovecraft, I lack the ability to compare this film against its source. As a film, however, this is a clever little piece, being filmed in the style of the silent film era. The creators got it almost right, but it still has the feel of a modern movie. Kind of like looking a a faux antique, but still evokes a sense of mystery. The German expressionistic sets are particularly fun.

My boyfriend introduced me to the nerd world of Lovecraft (well, the boardgame and movies), and he successfully converted me. This movie has a nice, non-pretentious 20's atmosphere. The last part was good in the boat. Sort of a shame that the model of Cthulhu wasn't that great, but that keeps him/it mysterious (oh God I'm such a nerd)

Interesting theres just a few shots in this film that give away that its not a very very old film.

Probably as tasteful an adaptation of the text as can possibly be hoped for on an indie budget. It was a stroke of genius to make this an authentic silent film, because Lovecraft's horror is dated, and would have been hard to update. Paradoxically, rendering it in a historical style brings it to life, conjures a quaint atmosphere that complements the story. Reminded me of Tourneur's naive but effective Night of the Demon.

Really only interesting in style, as it attempts to create a facsimile of an early 20s/late teens style of filmmaking. It's a worthy attempt, but there are several tells that this isn't the authentic artifact. Once you get past that, you're left with the story, which takes way too long to get going. I laughed as we witnessed a flashback WITHIN a flashback, and the film falls in love with its own techniques as we spend several minutes watching a man read some papers. All in all, worth a look.

Sometimes it really feels its low budget, which I'm conflicted on. The worst offender is how Cthulhu itself looks... didn't feel as scary as it could have, which is a shame because when it appears it is framed in such a way that it should terrify. But I enjoyed it, the '20s vibe was fitting and it's a nice adaptation of interesting source material. Despite my gripes, some scenes are wonderful even though the film itself really isn't that scary.

It's really a fascinating, fun, and faithful adaptation. But unfortunately, it's both intentionally and unintentionally amateurish, and I was just a bit disappointed that an unspeakable horror is left feeling like a creature from a B-movie that could have been played alongside King Kong.

The stylistic choice really works well for the obviously small budget.

Pretty great. Worth the watch if you're a fan of that Cosmic Horror oddness that is H. P. Lovecraft.

A fairly faithful low-budget adaption of Lovecraft.

Novel and entertaining short film, one of the better Lovecraft adaptations.

Good low-budget effort at recreating the look and feel of a 1920's horror movie. Unfortunately it wasn't completely successful, for they couldn't prevent an anachronistic vibe. I also wish the story was more fleshed-out. This might have been good as a serial.

87.000

Interesting idea and fantastic effects make it feel like a silent era film. Although at only 70 minutes this movie still feels way to long and some of the story is not communicated properly.

Pure fun. A great conceit, nicely executed on a shoestring budget. Makes a terrifically fun double-feature with THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS.

This is a very fun movie when you get into it, it's very well done and besides looking old it feels fresh. The movie's music and aesthetics are well done and really help you get in the suspense of this original horror story.

I've only read a few Lovecraft stories, and found them exceedingly silly. However, when I heard about this concept -- doing Lovecraft as a 20's era silent movie -- it sounded perfect to me. It's very clever, and in retrospect seems like such an obvious choice. The German expressionism really captures the essence in a magical (but still kinda silly) way.

The idea of turning a movie about a unspeakable horror into a feature film is not entirely without merit, and it actually ends up being more enjoyable for non-Lovecraftians (such as myself) than I would have ever thought.

Relatively faithful to its source, driven by ambition, and too short for its gimmick to wear thin. If only more low-budget horror was this much fun.

Super fun short loses steam halfway through, then picks up again for a rousing finale. Crafted with a love and dedication to the source material, and often haunting, never resorting to cheap tongue-in-cheek gags.

While certainly not an instant classic in any sense of the world, it is a competent addition to Lovecraftian film with a fairly clever silent film gimmick. While the director clearly is capable in envisioning early cinema, the shoestring budget and bargain bin cast are constant, unpleasant reminders of the conceit. Nevertheless, the script and feel of this film feel authentic and satisfying.

Despite the fact I kept expecting the Little Rascals theme to start playing at any moment, overall, this was a decent attempt at catching the feel of an old 20's silent movie. People should really stop trying to make Lovecraft stories into films, though.

Very respectful of its source, and the choice to make it as a silent is clever. There are difficulties in filming 2005 for 1930 or so, though, and they aren't all dealt with as well as they could have been with more skill or money. But it's a lot of fun for someone who knows the story.

87.500

Good Movie

watched it as a fan of silent film, never having read any lovecraft. with few unavoidable lapses, it captures the essence of those old horror films. builds its mystery well and is a solidly engrossing 45 minutes. the set design is amazing, both in strictly how it looks but also in how it looks like films from the twenties. flashbacks ontop of flashbacks were slightly clumsily done at first, but as i got into it i forgot all about that gripe.

The movie is a successful adaption of the same horror story of H.P. Lovecraft. Shot as a silent movie in the 20ies it captures the horror that only imagionation can deliver. Nice.

I hated this. Saw it once and gave it away.

Interesting idea: turning a Lovecraft story into a silent movie, 75 years after the invention of talkies. And as an exercise in style, it's very well done and even adds a few sneaky updates. But as well-made as it is, I can't help but think that if the old silent movie directors had had access to modern technology, they would have used it.

neat