This story by HP Lovecraft was “unfilmable” until this low-budget version made it

When you think about it H.P. Lovecrafthis iconic short story “The Call of Cthulhu” comes to mind immediately. Like all of his work, this story was considered a challenge to adapt for the screen, as the famous author’s style relies heavily on atmosphere, suspense, and cosmic and supernatural horrors anchored in the unknown. In 2005, however, a low-budget silent film shattered the notion that the immortal story was “unfilmable” and delivered one of the most faithful adaptations of his works, to the delight of horror fans, Lovecraft fans, and moviegoers in general. Director: Andrew Leman who also co-produced it with Sean Branney, and distributed by the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, The Call of Cthulhu brings Lovecraft’s work masterfully to life through the conventions of a monochromatic silent film in the style of FW Murnau/Robert Wiene.

The Call of Cthulhu

Release date

June 6, 2005

director

Andrew Leman

Pour

John Bolen, Chad Fifer, John Klemantaski, Jason Owens, D. Grigsby Poland, David Mersault, Matt Foyer

Duration

47 minutes

Authors

Sean Branney

What is Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu” about?

Much like the popular short story, the film faithfully follows the events of Francis Wayland Thurston as he discovers something fascinating while investigating his great-uncle, Professor George Angell, and his subsequent mysterious death. While examining his great-uncle’s belongings He discovers a chest full of testimonies about a so-called “Cthulhu cult.” The documents outline several stories, including the lucid dreams of Henry Anthony Wilcox, who made a bas-relief of the images he saw, and the events of a cultic ritual gathering described by Inspector John Raymond Legrasse and confirmed by Professor William Channing Webb. Feeling his fear increasing with every piece of information he takes in, Thurston retreats into his own research..

Related

From “The Void” to “Annihilation”, an introduction to Lovecraft’s horror films

Choose your own adventure: mild, moderate or severe existential crisis.

He happens upon a newspaper clipping about the story of Gustaf Johansen, who discovers a mysterious wreck in the sea. The vagueness of the article arouses Thurston’s curiosity and he travels around the world to search for Johansen. His journey is in vain, as Johansen’s wife informs Thurston of her husband’s death. Johansen’s widow gives Thurston her late husband’s diary. which tells in terrifying detail how they accidentally encountered Cthulhu himself in the middle of the oceanand how he narrowly escaped the crutches of an ancient evil. The film ends with an elderly Thurston ordering his psychiatrist to burn all documents related to this impending doom that now lies dormant on the vast seas, waiting for the right moment to awaken once again.

A silent film was the best choice to adapt Lovecraft’s work

Lovecraft’s notorious penchant for long descriptions makes it extremely difficult to develop cinematic projects from his works. In fact, the opening lines of the short story – “The most merciful thing in the world, in my opinion, is the inability of the human mind to relate all its contents to one another” – seem like a manifesto of his sometimes esoteric prose. Despite this seemingly insurmountable hurdle, Branney and Leman process his words through a spectacular creative decision: they make a silent film. By using a defunct form of filmmaking in conjunction with Mythoscope, the full power of Lovecraft’s story is unleashed. The grainy, old-fashioned feel of silent films blends perfectly with the eerie, almost uncanny valley aspect of the story. When combined with the quote cards, Lovecraft’s dialogue becomes poetic in its own right, rather than being spoken by a character as in a traditional contemporary film. The Call of Cthulhufinally, describes the monster and the conversation that leads to its revelation in such a detailed manner that thrives in the medium of literature but they would instinctively fizzle out if they were made the way the modern world makes films. The monochromatic, museum-like quality of old silent films then provides a protective layer against the corruption of the work of such a respected author.

The aesthetics of German Expressionism offers a path for the formalist tendencies of The Call of Cthulhu to shine in every moment of the short film. For example, Henry Anthony Wilcox’s dream sequences are presented in a variety of fantastical imagery, ranging from the slanted and obtuse angles of the walls to the sheer horror on his face as he awakens from them. Most importantly, the reveal of the monster itself, the mere sight of which is enough to drive those nearby mad. The unveiling also took place in an extremely artistic manner. The intertwining images of a determined Johansen and his dying sea companion are as alarming as they are strangely seductive, evoking a medley of anxious and complicated emotions in the viewer. The minimalist approach to depicting Cthulhu is simply the icing on the cake and leaves the viewer They revel in awe and curiosity about what they have just seen and long for what they have not seen. This is the power of the unknown and the strange horrors it brings.

“The Call of Cthulhu” proves that Lovecraft’s works are not unfilmable

In a way The Call of Cthulhu Is of great importance for the film world. Not only is it a blast from the past, it also destroys the notion that Lovecraft’s stories are unfilmable. While it is hardly the first film adaptation of Lovecraft’s work, artistically it is certainly the most successful. It stays true to the spirit of the short story while offering cinematic aspects that enhance the writing of such a beloved literary character. It is proof that the term “unfilmable” merely an obstacle that the medium of film must always face and that must be overcome with the right approach.

Ideally, the success of this film should encourage filmmakers to delve deeper into the horror stories that Lovecraft crafted with great care, as the breadth of the work provides such a vast pool of material to work with. While a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is not a sure sign of whether something is a masterpiece, this movie really deserves the perfect score. The film has this timeless quality, thanks to the filmmakers’ complex interweaving of the non-linear stories and statements of the story’s characters. More than anything else The Call of Cthulhu is a wonderful addition to the ever-growing “Cthulhu Mythos” and a testament to the power of cinema, literature, Lovecraft himself, and art as a whole.