What are your favorite H.P. Lovecraft adaptations?

[miguel1984]

I created this thread to discuss this because I recently watched The Call of Cthulhu (2005) and The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) by The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society and I love both movies dearly and I believe they should get all the attention they can get.

I also strongly recommend the short film The Music of Erich Zann (1980), which can be seen in YouTube:

The Music of Erich Zann (Музыка Эриха Занна) [1980] - YouTube

Do you have any others to recommend? I mean direct adaptations, not movies like At the Mouths of Madness, which is also great.

[luciferfell]

The Thing, Alien, Prince of Darkness, The Blair Witch Project, King Kong, The Gates of Hell..... you get my point...

[Lichen]

Die Farbe

Die Farbe (The Colour Out of Space adaptation).

Whisperer.. was almost perfect. This one is even better.

[Druidic]

Quote

The Thing, Alien, Prince of Darkness, The Blair Witch Project, King Kong, The Gates of Hell..... you get my point...Luciferfell

Exactly. I've never seen one actually based on Lovecraft that I could stomach. Poe's Haunted Palace was the least offensive of all. Derleth told me in a letter that Beaumont's original script was far superior to what was finally filmed. I believe it.
King Kong, The Thing, either version, and Alien, all were first rate.

[miguel1984]

Thanks for the recommendations. I will see Die Farbe, since I heard it is pretty good elsewhere too.

It seems to be true, that the best movies are the ones that are not direct adaptations (with a few notable exceptions, as I said above), Alien being a favorite of mine (the first one, and not that horrible sequel). I saw the first one for the first time earlier this year, and it still holds up nicely despite the 35 years that passed.

I also heard a Spanish version of The Shadow Over Innsmouth called Dagon (2000) is pretty good too.

[Robin Davies]

Quote Originally Posted by miguel1984

Thanks for the recommendations. I will see Die Farbe, since I heard it is pretty good elsewhere too. I also heard a Spanish version of The Shadow Over Innsmouth called Dagon (2000) is pretty good too.

Die Farbe and Dagon are my favourites. Dagon was filmed in Spain but it was actually directed by Stuart Gordon. His earlier films like Re-Animator and From Beyond take a black-comedy approach but Dagon has a more sombre tone and I think it goes some way towards capturing the mood of The Shadow Over Innsmouth. It also benefits from the presence of Macarena Gomez whose powerful combination of sex appeal and scariness should have made her the new Barbara Steele.

[miguel1984]

Thanks; I did not know it was a Stuart Gordon film. I will definitely check out both.

[Masonwire]

John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness is maybe his most direct Lovecraftian film and IMHO his last decent one.

[luciferfell]

Yeah John Carpenter is a master. Also.. Dagon is horrible.. way too hokey and jokey.

[bendk]

I loved the Call of Cthulhu film from the people at the HPLHS. I liked it so much I bought one of the Alert idols. They all sold out and were reissued, I believe.

Other films officially based on HPL's work, I haven't cared for that much.

Die Farbe is in my Netflix queue. But it hasn't been released to DVD yet or Netflix hasn't bought them yet, because it is in the Saved basket.