The Dunwich Horror
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Movie Reviews of The Dunwich Horror
Movie Review: Good, colorful, well acted, new england, gothic horror
Summary: 4 Stars
As a gothic style horror this little film has about everything anybody could want - excluding violence. Granted for the most part it is not very scary, and is sometimes campy and there are a few plot elementes that don't make sense.
Here are the positives: Sandra Dee is beautiful in a good girl kind of way. Dean Stockwell is sinister cool and creepy and ultimately deranged. Ed Bagley Sr. gives the film its anchor and an added dimension of credibility. Sam Jaffe as the wanabe warlock Dad is perfectly cast. (Jaffe wisely plays his character as if he were Mosses or John the Baptist.) Even a young pretty Talia Shire is thrown in for good measure. Not a bad cast by any standards!!
There is a wonderfull, creepy haunted house backdrop. Lots of fun supernatural mumbo jumbo delivered as if in normal every day conversation. Extremely colorful photography, sets, location shots and special effects.
There is welcome humor. Production values are far far superior to other horror films of its ilk. Most of the effects are achieved by lighting and the use of intentional coloring in the sets and costumes from pure whites of the insane asylum to deep purples greens, blues, and reds in Wilber's home -
Quite possibly this film influenced the latter styles of Dario Argento and Sam Reme. Very neat colored strobe-light special effects look great in very dark room. Dynamite music score and wonderful cartoon opening credits give the impression your about to see something important.
To top it all off MGM did a fantastic job on this one. The picture is absolutely perfect clean crisp clear, like it was made yesterday. The only complaint is that the sound is in Dolby mono although very good. This film absolutely deserves a 5 channel surround sound. It would add immensely to the atmosphere and special effects.
This film is an old fashioned fun, creepy and atmospheric horror story. But be warned if you are into blatant nudity , gore violence, blood, carnage and visible rubber monsters in your horror you will be disappointed. It has none of those elements.
The film only loosey follows the H P Lovecraft short story but many elements are kept intact. I think the film stands alone on its own merits. Lovecraft's egg monster roaming the contryside may have been silly on film. Plus the film has a cute babe not in the short story. And few horror movies can do without at least one cute babe.
Movie Review: A Superb "Lovecraftian" screen adaptation
Summary: 4 Stars
This ranks with "The Resurrected" as one of the most excellent and lovingly produced Lovecraftian movie treatments I have come across. There is peerless handling of dramatic tension, with that artful, classically Lovecraftian juxtaposition of "normalcy" and the trans-physical (I would not use supernatural in the context of Lovecraft works) which goes to show that the director has a sincere and heartfelt appreciation of the genre known as Cthlhu Mythos. A product of love by a director who knows his stuff. Everything a Lovecraft fan expects is here:- the innocent visitor (Sandra Dee), the creepy but apparently normal village weirdo (played with great restraint and deadly effectiveness by Dean Stockwell), your well-meaning smalltown doctor, overtones of in-breeding, incest, horrific genetic mixture with outer-dimensional monsters, ancient books of unspeakable mysteries (I would not use the word 'evils' in a Lovecraftian context) written by long-lost wizards, the secret library, the mysterious big mansion, strange stone menhirs and open-air sacrificial temples from aeons-past. Its ALL here!! Even if you are not a Lovecraftian fan you would enjoy this. Well worth it, go for it!!Movie Review: Look At Me! I'm Sandra DeeeeEEEAAGH!!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Long ago, on a dark and stormy night, two brothers were born. One was a normal, multi-tentacled, half human offspring of Yog-Sothoth. The other grew up to become the hideous, poodle-haired creature with titanic sideburns known as Wilbur Whately (Dean Stockwell)! Wilbur sets out to unleash the dreaded "Old Ones" from their millenia of slumber. He needs two things to get started, #1- The Necronomicon (book of the dead). And #2- A female virgin. Wilbur steals the necronomicon from the local college, and snags a young coed (Sandra Dee), by drugging her. He introduces the girl to a group of demoniacs who look more like the cast of HAIR. Psychedelia ensues, and the movie drags on toward it's inevitible climax. What saves the film for me is the escape of Wilbur's brother from his / it's attic room. Many innocent villagers perish as the beast oozes through the countryside! Of course, we don't actually see much of it, but the rampage is still pretty cool. Worth a peek...Movie Review: Dean Stockwell... son of Yog-Sothoth?
Summary: 4 Stars
Given the time that this was made, it isn't bad.. shame they didn't touch more on the mythos in it, but I think that is because HPL wasn't something that sold easily in the 70's, so they made it more of a "devil cult" film in the hope of cashing in on that craze.
For fans of HPL, it is ok. I think Dean Stockwell did what he could with the role, and Sandra Dee was obviously brought in for sex appeal.
I bought this movie more out of nostalgia than anything else, having viewed it at midnight showings over the years, and I wanted it for my home theater collection. The reseller I purchased it from was the fastest response from a reseller I have ever gotten from Amazon.
Movie Review: enjoyable nonsense
Summary: 4 Stars
Lovecraft might roll in his grave, but if you can forget it is based on his brilliant works, and just kick back, it's not that bad. Beautifully, though cheaply filmed, and hurt by the poor, monotone performances of Sandra Dee and Dean Stockwell...the movie is still good for a late night horrorfest!Would recommend it for purchase to only ardent horror fans, as others may not want repeat viewing, feeling once is enough.
Much better done as Haunted Palace with Price