Review of The Call of Cthulhu (2005) by Richard D — 14 Oct 2011

If you are not a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, this movie may not be for you. If you are not a fan of silent films, this movie is definitely not for you. The Call of Cthulhu is entirely novelty film. A chance to see the text of a Lovecraft tale translated to the film medium with visual atmosphere and some special effects spectacle. Lovecraft stories are for people who are in love with the dark, the pulpy, the macabre, the unknown, and what is alien to us. Lovecraft's Mythos is about man being a small, pitiful thing tortured by beings of either malevolence or indifference to the human plight. This makes for a truly terrifying horror mythology, and it is very well emulated in this film.

The story of Call of Cthulhu is one of a man going over his late-relative's estate while looking through his journals and findings on a cult worshiping the foreboding, slumbering god Cthulhu. This tale spans the globe, on sea and on land, through the viewpoints of several people, as the mystery of the Cthulhu cult is slowly unraveled and terrifying truths are unearthed about mankind itself, leading to the insanity and deaths of several people. The Call of Cthulhu is one of Lovecraft's greatest stories, and one I never thought could be faithfully adapted. However, the film-makers have done a wonderful job.

One of the biggest decisions that make this film a success was the decision to develop it as a silent film, with title cards, miniatures, stop-motion effects, atmospheric fog machines, and pantomimed acting. It really feels like an authentic silent horror film by Universal, although I think this movie would have been a bit much at times for people of the 20s and 30s.

The acting ranges from very good to decent. It's not really the fault of the actors, as they pull off their emotions and actions very well, but sometimes they don't feel like they belong in a early silent picture. This might also have to do with the fact the picture is so clear, despite the addition of bubbles and screen tearing to simulate the imperfect film. Sometimes faces are a little too clear, but it's a very shallow, superficial complaint of mine too.

The Call of Cthulhu is filled with an eerie, overwhelming amount of atmosphere and gorgeous cinematography. One of my favorite shots on film is the one shown where an inspector comes forward in shadow, holding a lantern aloft, as light swirls through the fog around him. The imagery displayed in this movie is oftentimes gorgeous and grotesque, such as the Cabinet of Caligari style dream sequences and the horrifically mutilated bodies the Cthulhu cult has littered around their ritual site. Th emotions displayed in the faces of the lead actors are extremely overdramatic visually, which is needed to compensate for the lack of spoken dialog.

The soundtrack for Call of Cthulhu is short, but very very well composed and is very fitting to the alien, universal, eerie feeling of overwhelming evil that seeps from the pores of every scene. Well timed music creates proper emotional responses in the viewer at the appropriate times, bringing out fer, wonder, and tension in spades. The scenes with Cthulhu in them are a little silly, but coming from a pulp story, I really have no problems with that.

To conclude, Call of Cthulhu is a fantastic effort for an independent film, and is without a doubt the greatest Lovecraft adaption yet filmed, or at least until these filmmaker's next efforts. I look forward to their upcoming adaption of H.P. Lovecraft's The Whisperers in the Darkness, and I recommend people who thirst for atmosphere check this film out.