The Dunwich Horror
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Movie Reviews of The Dunwich Horror
Movie Review: a medicre horror
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie was allright. I was really disappointed.
First of all, it wasn't in the spirit of the original story. Now, let me say before I continue this paragraph that if there's one thing that annoys me, it's Lovecraft geeks who speak detestable words against any film or TV adaptation that doesn't follow the story to the letter. (I think the only geeky thing that annoys me more is the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate, but that's an aside that is beyond the scope of this review.) I believe that when filmmakers adapt a written work for the screen, they have to take some liberties in order to make it a good movie. However, I think there's a responsibility to preserve the spirit and feel of the story (unless it's a parody, which this movie isn't). This film disregarded the spirit of Lovecraft's story. In Lovecraft's work, Wilbur Whately was a huge, ugly, goatish-looking impulsive man with a short temper, no social skills, and who cane from a family of farmers living in a run-down house in which they studied the Necronomicon and other occult texts. In this film, Wilbur is a fairly attractive man with an unflappable manner who's words and actions are carefully calculated and who comes from an aristocratic family living in a palacial house. The two Wilburs have little in common in terms of appearance and character.
The second reason I was disappointed by this movie is that it just wasn't . . . good. I don't know how else to say it. I think they were going for a "what's imagined is scarier than what's seen" type of thing, but only VERY skilled writers, directors and producers can pull that off well. To be honest, I was kinda hoping to be grossed out by a lot of shots of slimy, tentacled things, but there was virtually none of that.
I think the problem is that this film was made in 1970. While the 70's did produce some good horror, the Lovecraftian variety wasn't very strong in that decade. I've enjoyed the Lovecraftian movies from since the 80's, especially those of John Carpenter and Stuart Gordon, and of course the silent black and white version of "Call of Cthulhu" from a few years ago. This movie, however, was ten years too early.
Movie Review: Another dissappointing Lovecraft adaptation.
Summary: 2 Stars
This film is taken from one of HP Lovecrafts better stories, but here its been turned into typical early 70s AIP schlock. The acting is decent, and the film generally looks good considering its low budget. The film is actually more loyal to the original story than most Lovecraft adaptions, though there have been signifigant changes. New characters have been added, others dropped, and the storyline has been altered and simplified. Few of the changes do much good, most are negative.
The film moves very slowly towards it's conclusion, as the story is a bit thin for a feature length film. Once Wilbur and Sandra Dee get together in the first twenty minutes, the film plods along until it's time for the climactic ending. Much of the runtime is filled with a lot of 60's psychedelic effects, long dull conversations and occult mumbo jumbo.
For diehard Lovecraft or AIP fans only.
Movie Review: Opening credits were the best part, unfortunately
Summary: 2 Stars
Creepy, moody thriller is not bad, but loses points due to a closing sequence wildly open to various interpretations. Just who lived, died, or was shunted off to another dimension, anyway? As with all MGM's "Midnite Movies" entries, it was fun checking out this lesser-known genre flick from years past, but I'm afraid that "Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" remain the lone undisputed greats that the label has thus far put forth for our enjoyment. Okay, "Theatre of Blood" wasn't that bad, either.Movie Review: More than two stars is definitely suspending my disbelief!
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie is the best adaptation of any of the Lovecraft stories. I am glad that the creators of this movie didn't put Lovecraft's name on it like so many others who try to cash in on one of horror's greatest authors. Of all the crappy Lovecraft movies I've seen The Dunwich Horror is the best, and that is a cyclopean leap for me.Movie Review: 0 STARS: A nice cure for insomnia
Summary: 1 Stars
It was on Halloween night that I watched this movie called "The Dunwich Horror" and maybe I was just overexpecting, but 30 minutes into the movie, I just got bored stiff watching it. In fact, I fell asleep, something I hadn't been able to do recently before actually viewing this sleep aid. Thanks to "The Dunwich Horror", my insomnia has been cured! Other than that, I would say it's best to leave "The Dunwich Horror" on the video store shelf.