It should be written into American law that if ever a Hollywood suit has the cockamamieidea of trying to do a big budget adaptation of an HP Lovecraft horror story he should be forced (possibly at gunpoint) to first watch the HP Lovecraft Historical Society's Call Of Cthulhu and The Whisperer in Darkness to see how it can be done well and with due respect to the source material.
The Whisperer In Darkness is the latest cinematic enterprise from the foremost producers of Lovecraftian replicas and gaming props, The HP Lovecraft Historical Society, and like its predecessor retains its verisimilitude through the use of black and white film - although unlike Call Of Cthulhu this one is a talkie!
Taking Lovecraft's tale as its base, the movie expands the set-up and adds in an entirely original finale to give the story a classic three act structure, rather than ending on the shock revelation of the short story, it attempts to humanise Lovecraft's protagonist more, give him an emotional investment and throw in a more 'traditional' Hollywood style ending - but still managing to neatly stitch in a suitably Lovecraftian twist.
The Whisperer In Darkness tells of Miskatonic University folklore professor Albert Wilmarth (Matt Foyer) and his sceptical investigations into supposed 'monster' sightings in the most remote hills of Vermont after some particularly violent flooding.
His search for the truth begins with footprints around the property of the isolated home of Henry Akeley (Barry Lynch) and quickly spirals into madness as he unearths more than he was bargaining for and discovers the future of mankind is at stake.
Like their inspiration, film-makers Sean Branney and Andrew Leman rely primarily on suggestion and atmosphere and it's only really when the true face of the central creatures are revealed in the final act that the excellence of the tale wobbles slightly.
Saving both time and (more importantly) money, the team went with CGI animation for the alien Mi-go instead of the costlier and more time-consuming stop motion (which I get the impression a lot of fans would have preferred).
By no means a deal breaker, but there is no escaping the truth right in front of your eyes when you watch the movie that the CGI Mi-go, especially in close-up, really stand apart from the rest of the film (and not in a good way).
We've waited a long time for this movie to appear (more than two years I believe since the original announcements and teasers) and I'd have gladly waited longer, but I totally understand the HPLHS's desire to get the film done and for a decent budget (as it is Sandy Petersen, creator of the Call Of Cthulhu RPG had to step in and help with the funding to get the movie finished).
They also, rather cheekily, added in a new, most 'unLovecraftian' character in the form of a little girl, Hannah (Autumn Wendel), whose life is in jeopardy because of the alien creatures in the hills, and Wilmarth takes her under his wing and attempts to protect her from a possible fate worse than death.
Whether he succeeds is for you to find out when you purchase the movie directly from the HPLHS for a very reasonable $24.50 - plus postage.The two-disc DVD set includes a disc chock full of extra features including a bevy of informative behind-the-scenes documentaries, trailers and deleted scenes.
You won't regret the purchase. This ranks as one of the strongest adaptations of Lovecraft's stories of indescribable monsters and things man was not supposed to know.
Outside of HPLHS's own productions, the only live-action Lovecraftiana that has come close to getting under my skin - as Lovecraft's words have the power to do - are John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness and Cigarette Burns (from the TV series Masters Of Horror), even though neither of these are actually Lovecraft stories, and Stuart Gordon's Dagon and Dreams In The Witch-House, also from Masters of Horror.
Thus John Carpenter and Stuart Gordon would be exempt from my proposed law above; everyone else - watch these movies before you dare even contemplate trying to bring Lovecraft to the big, or small, screen yourself.
GAME MATERIAL:
The Mi-go/Fungi From Yuggoth, and their fiendish devices, have already been well covered in various old school gaming products, including:
- Carcosa (from Lamentations Of The Flame Princess)
- Realms Of Crawling Chaos (from Goblinoid Games, for Labyrinth Lord)
- Deities & Demigods (from TSR, original printing, for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons)
- Malleus Monstrorum and others (from Chaosium, for Call Of Cthulhu)
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