The Call of Cthulhu poster & wallpaper

Aidan Branney, Andra Carlson, Daryl Ball

HP Lovecraft's celebrated tale of supernatural horror brought to life as a 1920s silent film.

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84% liked it

3,156 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

6 critics

Unrated, 47 min.

Directed by: Andrew Leman

Release Date: January 1, 2005

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DVD Release Date: May 29, 2007

Stats: 322 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (322)

  • RCCLBC
    October 22, 2008
    RCCLBC
    I have have to say that I have not read Cthulhu, so this is coming from a completely fresh perspective. I'm speaking of the film on it's own merits and not as an analysis of it's adherence to the original story. I'll leave that to the Lovecraft Historical Society.

    This film...( read more) is just as much a homage to the silent film era as it is a passionately made adaptation of the original Lovecraft story. And I feel that telling this story in the "silent film" format did just as much to create a great look and feel to the story as it did to soften some of the "dark edginess" that is quintessentially Lovecraft.

    I don't think it is possible to encapsulate that kind of darkness successfully in a genre that relies so heavily on over dramatic acting, make-up and music.

    You can not help but admire the passion in which this film was made. I felt it immediately and then upon watching some of the "extras" and hearing the details from those involved with getting this film made, my admiration grew exponentially.

    Well worth a watch if you are a fan of films and/or film making.
  • Jungian
    October 8, 2008
    Jungian
    bad acting, cheap sets, and homemade special effect. AWESOME! very capably mimics the feel of early cinemas silent era. good fun.
  • Hexenkult
    October 7, 2008
    Hexenkult
    Call of Cthulhu (2005)

    Adapted from one of H.P. Lovecraft's most famous and celebrated short stories, The Call of Cthulhu is a story I thought could never really be filmed properly. Wh...( read more)en I first heard it was being made, I just knew they were going to ruin one of my favorite Lovecraft stories. However, there was some hope for it since it was being produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (a collective of dedicated Lovecraft fans).

    HPLHS logo (Call of Cthulhu-2005)

    I was impressed with the promo trailer; and when I finally saw the finished product, it actually exceeded my expectations. This is by far the most faithful Lovecraft adaptation I've ever seen. What makes the film work for me is the concept behind it. Lovecraft wrote The Call of Cthulhu in 1926; and what the filmmakers did was shoot it as a silent black & white film with title cards, as though it was made in 1926.

    Title Card from The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

    It was the only way to make the film with the small budget they had, and it comes off beautifully. The make-up, the lighting, the props, the period clothing, the stop-motion Cthulhu FX, the silent-era style of acting, and the symphonic music score all add to the authenticity and atmosphere of the film.

    Matt Foyer in The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

    Plus they developed a post-production process called "Mythoscope", which added film grain and other aging artifacts you would find in a silent-era film. The set construction for the sunken city of R'lyeh was impressive (especially considering that the bulk of it was cardboard). It's a mix of surrealism combined with the expressionistic set design of certain silent horror classics.

    R'lyeh (Call of Cthulhu-2005)

    The swamp scene was also memorable. The fog rolling through the trees as the inspector and his agents trek through the swamp with lanterns to discover the Cthulhu cultists in the middle of an infernal ritual.

    In the swamp (Call of Cthulhu-2005)

    I've mentioned the pros of the film, now for some cons. The low budget necessitated shooting it on digital video, and you can tell its video, but the "Mythoscope" process I mentioned earlier helps give it somewhat of a film-look. This is a minor thing, and it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie. Some may feel a bit under-whelmed when Cthulhu appears. Anyone who's read The Call of Cthulhu already has their own idea of what Cthulhu looks like in their imagination. I understand what the filmmakers were going for here - a stop-motion creature that would be authentic to a '20s-era silent film; and I think they succeeded in doing that (even though I imagine Cthulhu being a bit more gargantuan and rotund than he appears here).

    Cthulhu (Call of Cthulhu-2005)

    This film should certainly appeal to fans of Lovecraft's fiction, who've been yearning for an accurate film adaptation of his stories, as well as to fans of silent horror cinema. If you're not that keen on Lovecraft and not that fond of silent films, then this movie will probably bore you to death. Now I can't wait to see the HPLHS' next project, THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS, currently in production. It's going to be set in the same time period the story was written; and since that was 1931, this film will be a "talkie".
  • markymarkslunggnome
    October 5, 2008
    markymarkslunggnome
    Very well done independent. I could tell the crew had fun making it even though it took so much "sweat and blood".
  • thefog1331
    January 3, 2008
    thefog1331
    Technically amazing and quite faithful to Lovecraft's original story. If you're a fan of silent films and/or H.P. Lovecraft then this is a must see, everyone else probably won't find much to be interested in.
  • totalefreiheit
    November 6, 2009
    totalefreiheit
    Pelicula de 2007 filmada al estilo de los años 20s. Muy buena. Basada en la novela de Lovecraft del mismo nombre.
  • g1pp4l
    September 9, 2009
    g1pp4l
    Hm... interesting, but you can't really adapt the tale as literally as this and get a great movie -there's too many 'inside stories'. Still worth watching because of the revival-like style.
  • DoctorXQuinzel
    June 19, 2009
    DoctorXQuinzel
    This is 100 times better than some blockbuster films. Those movies don't have have much heart as this film. I was actually scared watching this. The story is pretty intense, and it was very enjoyable. Being a fan of silent era films and good Independent film it was something that...( read more) was right up my alley, seeing other adaptations of Lovecraft's works this is definitely the best.
  • BurymeinBlack3
    May 27, 2009
    BurymeinBlack3
    Great adaptation of H.P. Lovecrafts famous writings.
  • grayavec
    May 18, 2009
    grayavec
    I loved the silent era style used for this movie. Obviously they didn't have much of a budget, but the acting, the music, and the sets worked well.

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Comments

  • itbegins2005
    July 7, 2008
    itbegins2005
    ... Fascinating... I may have to search this one out...
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