The Dunwich Horror
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Movie Reviews of The Dunwich Horror
Movie Review: Run For Your Live, The Dunwich Horror Has Arrived On DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very frightening and creepy, 70's teen horror classic. Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee shine in this cult classic.
The Devil's Spawn Is About To Open The Gates Of Hell!
Single white warlock seeks beautiful blond babe to join him at the altar... the sacrificial altar! When the son of Satan (Dean Stockwell) seduces a wide-eyed college student (Sandra Dee), it's a match made in hell in this "exceptional, truly engrossing film of the supernatural" (Los Angeles Times) where the romance is hot... and the terror is bone-chilling!
Young Wilbur Whateley (Stockwell) has haunting eyes and an impish grin. No wonder, since his father was the devil and his mother was insane! So when Wilbur decides to start a family, he lures a cute coed (Dee) to the mountains for a weekend of demonic rites and wrongs! Now all hell is about to break loose, as their passion awakes an ancient evil determined to destroy all humanity in this sinister scare-fest of satanic seduction!
Movie Review: Loved "The Dunwich Horror"
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this movie, Sandra Dee was fantastic and the storyline about the occult is fascinating. It really captures the essence of the late 1960s/early 1970s psychedelic new age movement. Dean Stockwell was described as being a warlock in the summary on the DVD, but that is not accurate. There was nothing about witchcraft in this movie, it was more along the lines of the Theosophy Society ideology in concept. Certain aspects of the story are based on real-life legends. The special effects were OK, not great, but for 1970 they were as good as could be. The movie was not a big production, just a low-budget psychedlic horror movie from Roger Corman. The acting in this movie for the most part was very good, especially Sandra Dee. The soundtrack is what I loved the most! It's worth the money just for the 1970 music alone!Movie Review: Yog-Sothoth and a hot chick---yeah, baby, yeah
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought this movie ruled. Okay, maybe it strayed from the story a bit, by taking a nine-foot tall alien freak and turning him into Dean Stockwell, and by adding a very hot Sandra Dee, but they at least tried. This is the only instance of movie exploitation, I think, that wouldn't have cause H.P. Lovecraft to roll over in his grave. And maybe Wilbur's star-spawned twin brother was a little goofy, but I thought it had that kind of rubber-suit-monster Night Stalker charm. Overall, the movie had a kind of narcotic gloss that aided well in the suspension of disbelief. I recommend this movie highly---both to Lovecraft fans and to ordinary horror buffs. It's cool, and even if this movie did damage Sandra Dee's career, she was hot. After all, monsters, even the slimy ones from outer space, need love too. So come on, guys, have a heart.Movie Review: Reminiscent of Hammer Studios
Summary: 5 Stars
This one H.P. Lovecraft adaption reminded me of Hammer studios. It's about a guy with a Necronomicon who is trying to seduce an innocent girl into the occult. Talia Shire famous from Rocky as Adrian also appears here. Better than most Lovecraft adaptions because of its maturity. This is an old school style film before they started to jazz it up with gore and nudity. Still enjoyable to this day, its maturity rises it above a mediocre horror film of any sub genre.Movie Review: 70's Psychedelic Occult Thriller From Roger Corman
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Dunwich Horror" is a bizarre occult thriller based on H. P. Lovecraft's short story of the same title. It was directed by Roger Corman who directed many Vincent Price features based on Edgar Allan Poe's short stories such as "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Pit and the Pendulum." Like the great Mario Bava himself, Corman was able to produce lavish films with small budgets. The set pieces of "The Dunwich Horror" have a mod, psychedelic flair. The animated opening title sequence has a great musical score by the famous Les Baxter who wrote the lyrics for "Born Free."
Sandra Dee of "Gidget" fame is wonderful as Nancy, a cute, naïve, college librarian who is lured to Dunwich by charming, but mysterious, Wilbur Wheatley (Dean Stockwell of "The Manchurian Candidate"). Wilbur lives in a spooky, fog-enshrouded mansion with his grandfather and a grotesque creature that is kept behind a locked door on the top floor. Wilbur plans on stealing the "Necronomicron," an ancient occult text book, and reciting words from it while sacrificing Nancy. All this in order to open a gateway into another dimension. Dr. Henry Armitage (Ed Begley) struggles to get the "Necronomicron" back and prevent the disaster. Meanwhile, the creature escapes and begins killing townspeople in gruesome fashion.
"The Dunwich Horror" capitalized on the popularity of "Rosemary's Baby;" both films deal with the raping of a drugged young woman and demonic birth. Some of the special effects are obviously low budget, such as the burning of the house. The altar on the cliff looked extremely unrealistic. (Why hadn't the superstitious villagers destroyed that?) However, the interior sets were lavish and Mario Bava-like in their use of vibrant primary colors. Look for Talia Shire of "Rocky" fame who was cast in the small role of Nurse Cora.
This bizarre blend of occult horror and science fiction is highly recommended for those who enjoy horror films made in the 60's and 70's. It is very campy, especially the dream scenes where brightly painted, naked hippies (looking like savages) are fondling and chasing Sandra Dee who is dressed in sheer black. Modern horror fans will probably want to pass on this one. However, a remake is scheduled for release in 2009. Dean Stockwell returns to portray the elderly Dr. Armitage. I'm looking forward to it. Today's high tech special effects should give new life to "The Dunwich Horror" and give justice to the H. P. Lovecraft short story on which it is based.