News
Remembering Stuart Gordon with 5 Essential Lovecraft Adaptations
Horror fans around the globe are mourning the loss of Stuart Gordon. A writer, director, and playwright, Gordon quietly and steadfastly walked to the beat of his own drum.
On Twitter this morning, Don Coscarelli (Phantasm) said:
At the first “Masters of Horror” dinner, Stuart said something which resonated with every horror filmmaker: “Horror films are a rehearsal for our own deaths.” In eight words he answered why we make them and watch them. Stuart, you made the finest. RIP, my friend. #StuartGordon pic.twitter.com/QQAHRXCOhT
— Don Coscarelli (@DonCoscarelli) March 25, 2020
From his earliest days in filmmaking, Gordon sought to master what so few have been able to successfully do in adapting the works of H.P. Lovecraft to the screen. The author’s work, filled with creatures whose mere presence can drive men mad, is strikingly visual and yet nearly impossible to fully realize on screen.
That did not stop Gordon, however. He loved these stories, and they deserved to be on film.
With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to look at five of his more interesting adaptations of Lovecraft’s work. I will also include where to stream these films in case there are entries you’ve never seen before or if you’d like to revisit them.
Re-Animator (1985): Streaming on Shudder and Showtime; Available to Rent on Amazon, Google Play, and AppleTV
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
While Gordon had previously directed a made-for-TV film titled Bleacher Bums, Re-Animator–based on Lovecraft’s “Herbert West, Re-Animator”– was his first big screen venture.
The film starred Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, a man obsessed with overcoming death, who goes to terrifying and sometimes hysterical lengths to prove his theories true. There are things in this film you have to see to believe, and it works so well thanks to Gordon’s direction and the complete commitment of Combs in the title role.
The film also starred horror legend Barbara Crampton (Body Double). Both she and Combs would work with Gordon many more times in the course of their careers. Gordon was used to working with a company of players in the theater and he brought that same idea to his film work.
From Beyond (1986): Streaming on PlutoTV; Available to rent on Vudu and Amazon.
Gordon, Combs, and Crampton reunited a year later for From Beyond, based on Lovecraft’s story by the same name.
Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) and Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Combs) create a device called the Resonator whose sole purpose is to stimulate the pineal gland in order to open up the sixth sense. After a terrifying experiment with the device in which Pretorius loses his life, Tillinghast is sent to a mental institution and put under the care of Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Crampton).
Soon Tillinghast and McMichaels find themselves in a fight for survival with terrifying creatures that could mean not only their deaths, but the destruction of the world as we know it.
Castle Freak (1995): Streaming on Shudder and Tubi; Available to rent on AppleTV and Amazon
Combs and Crampton return in this tale as John and Susan Reilly, an American couple who, along with their blind daughter (Jessica Dollarhide), travel to Italy after inheriting a castle there. Unbeknownst to them, a deformed creature lurks in the castle’s depths and when it is accidentally set free, it begins to viciously murder locals leading the authorities to suspect John.
The film is loosely based on Lovecraft’s “The Outsiders” and came into being after Gordon saw a poster in Charles Band’s office. Band reportedly told Gordon he could develop the property so long as there was a castle and a freak in the story since they already had a poster made up for a film which did not yet exist.
Dagon (2001): Available to rent on Vudu, AppleTV, Amazon, and Google Play
I can’t tell you how much I love Dagon which is just as well because I can’t tell you why I love Dagon. All I can tell you is that it’s a guilty pleasure I have returned to time and again.
Based on Lovecraft’s “Dagon” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” Dagon centers on a young businessman named Paul (Ezra Godden) who, along with his girlfriend, Barbara (Raquel Merono), is washed ashore in a strange village after a boating accident off the coast of Spain.
The couple are soon on the run for their lives as the village’s strange inhabitants emerge after sunset. I don’t want to give too much more away, but the film delivers one shock after another as Paul discovers the village’s history which leads to terrifying possibilities about his own future.
Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch House (2005): Streaming on Tubi, Vudu, Vidmark, and The Roku Channel; Available to rent on Fandango Now and Amazon
Stuart Gordon was a natural choice for Mick Garris when he began to assemble directors for the Masters of Horror television series, and for his first entry, the director returned to Lovecraft and Ezra Godden.
Based on Lovecraft’s story by the same name, Dreams in the Witch House finds Walter (Godden), a graduate student, renting a room in an old house to work on his thesis. He soon discovers, however, that the house is more sinister than it seems. An ancient entity lives there, and it is hell bent on forcing Walter to sacrifice a neighbor’s baby.
Gordon pulled out all the stops in this hour-long film. It will make you uneasy and queasy by the time the credits roll.
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News
Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed
Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.
This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.
The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.
The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.
Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.
Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.
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Movies
‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram
Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.
The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.
Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.
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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five
Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.
Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.
Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.
So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.
Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?
The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.
Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube
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