Has anyone seen, or do they know about....

[j. d. worthington]

Ah, yes... the price of fame. The man had trouble getting his work sold when he was alive, and now he's being buried under a huge mound of s*** "based" on what he so painstakingly crafted.

No, Hoops. In this case, I think the shoggoths might get indigestion. Feed them into a mulcher... piecemeal....

You know... "The Tomb" is a story that could be adapted to film quite easily, really... and, done well, could make a very eerie, unsettling piece. It would be a bit closer to traditional ghostlore than usual for HPL, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, audience-wise.

As for films based on, or influenced by, his work, that are worth watching... I highly recommend those that Lurker films have out. Even with the low, low budgets and the fact that some of the shorts are along the lines of student films... they do manage to show both respect for and understanding of HPL's vision, and the main features are very good indeed. Even when they take something of a different tack (as with "Cool Air") it's a good difference, and simply brings out an aspect the story has, but doesn't develop as extensively (the tragic and even noble character of Doctor Muñoz).

Sadly, I fear that we're going to continue to get fertilizer instead of art with most of the things Hollywood (or filmmakers in general) do to (not with) HPL; but at least a couple of possibilities may be out on the horizon... maybe....

[brsrkrkomdy]

We'll just have to keep our tentacles crossed and not get tangled and tied up in pretzel knots.

[j. d. worthington]

Actually, I was looking up something on YouTube, and just for a lark looked to see what they had connected to H. P. Lovecraft.... Well, yes, there's a lot of dreck, but there are a surprising number of very quiet, thoughtful pieces that go for eeriness, a dreamlike quality, or that numinous quality so much a part of his work... all on next-to-no budget. I'd suggest checking some of those out.

Now, if only Hollywood (or, for that matter, the indies making feature-length films) could figure out how to do something with that delicate a touch.....

[brsrkrkomdy]

Well, the silent film called "Call Of Cthulhu" was most excellent in film adaptation. It was done on a shoe string budget and got it done. You seen this one yet?

[j. d. worthington]

Oh, yes... I own that one. Yes, it has some wonkinesses to it because of being done (largely) by amateurs and on such a tiny budget... but it really is very, very good... much better than the pros seem to be able to turn out, in most cases, and much closer to the feel of HPL (which damn' few seem to be able to capture at all).

Funny, isn't it... these people with $1.85 in their pocket can manage to capture the essence of HPL on film, while those with the bloated budgets and accessibility to resources have such a difficult time with that......

[Fried Egg]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

Funny, isn't it... these people with $1.85 in their pocket can manage to capture the essence of HPL on film, while those with the bloated budgets and accessibility to resources have such a difficult time with that......

I suppose that those people with only $1.85 in their pocket aren't doing it to make money (and therefore with a view to caputuring a large audience), they must be doing it for the love of the story. Those that have a lot more to spend also have large expectations about how much money the film should make, something that's (probably) not going to happen if the film doesn't attract viewers outside of the usual HPL fanbase.

Although perhaps they should have a little more faith in HPL to delight the masses and not feel the need to cater for modern/mainstream tastes? Although that's easy to say when it's not my money on the line...

[j. d. worthington]

Oh, I definitely agree with your reasoning on why they do it. And I'm not saying that they have to slavishly follow HPL; but I also think it's interesting that the films connected to his work that tend to get the most recognition, and to continue to be watched, are those which at least try to capture the atmosphere and eschew the usual clichés; and this seems to be true whether the viewers have read HPL or not.....

[Lobolover]

Hmm.the first picture doesnt seem very HPL-like.And that roach is clarly misplaced.


Hmm,is this the one where he's not even in the movie ?