Cthulhu is so Close to a Hidden Direct-to-Video Gem

I am a recent reader and fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. He takes some getting used to when you have been raised, in a reading sense, on modern horror. He never really wrote novels, but he wrote a few novellas. He mostly wrote short stories and he was never truly very successful during his own time. His works, however, over the years, have become famous and have been adapted into a few films. There has never truly been an absolutely successful transition for a Lovecraft story from book to film.

This could be a problem with the stories themselves. Lovecraft's style is very cold. His characters are not nearly as rich as some modern horror writers. His style does not have the monsters jump out at you and say "boo." His creatures are usually from other dimensions and outer space. What has really made him famous is his creation of the "Cthulhu Mythos." This was an entire universe of monsters that Lovecraft's characters seldom actually saw, but they get to see the cults that have sprung up to worship these ancient monsters.

I found out that there had been a direct-to-video movie called Cthulhu and that it attempted to adapt at least one of the stories within the Mythos. There was even a movie trailer online and it looked rather interesting. You can never tell with direct-to-video movies. While the standard rule of thumb is that if it went direct to video it may have done so for a reason but you can find some hidden gems. For example, a few years back the direct-to-video market gave us the very good film called Cube.

The movie is so close to being one of those hidden gems. It is so close that I debated what to write about this movie for a couple of days. I wanted to like this movie. I went into it with high hopes. Ultimately, however, the movie could not hold up its end of the bargain.

The movie was actually released in 2007. It is not actually a movie based on the story where the creature Cthulhu first appeared within the H.P. Lovecraft series of stories. It is actually an adaptation of the story Shadow Over Innsmouth which is part of the overall Mythos. Characters and monsters connected with Cthulhu make an appearance, or are mentioned, but if you are a fan of Cthulhu and are expecting the giant dragon-monster with the head like an octopus and giant wings to come strolling out of the ocean in this movie, you will be disappointed.

The story is about a young man who also happens to be gay. This has alienated him from the small town in the northwestern United States where he grew up. Back there his father is the priest or pastor at a church that seems to worship strange, ancient creatures, such as the being known as Dagon. He left because he was not welcome there, nor was his lifestyle, and he has done all he can to distance himself from his family. However, his mother dies, and he has to go back so he can help settler her estate.

The world, meanwhile, has been going crazy. We hear this in little snippets of news that run over the opening credits. Two Asian countries (which ones are never explained) are about to go to war. The ocean levels have started to rise and the last of the polar ice is melting. The last wild polar bear has died. The world, in short, is going crazy. Things get even crazier as Russell heads home and faces old demons, real and unreal.

The movie is shot so well that it will take your breath away with certain scenes. There are shots of the ocean that are some of the best and most amazing I have ever seen. Perhaps they have been enhanced a bit with CGI, but the effect is truly amazing. There are other scenes that are haunting, and even a few that are downright chilly. The plot moves along from one creepy scene filled with creepy people to the next. The dread and tension builds. It looks like this is going to be a hidden direct-to-video gem. Then, sadly, the movie derails.

There are too many scenes that do not seem to flow into one another. It is as if there was a much, much longer movie made at some point and huge chunks of that movie are lying on an editing room floor somewhere. The ending of this movie comes so suddenly that it leaves you disoriented. There is a scene where the main character explains what is happening, but it is never really explained how he figure it out.

Tori Spelling is the only name actor in this movie that you will recognize. She manages to overact as much as the rest of the unknown cast. Jason Cottle plays the main character, Russell, and he is excellent. He is in nearly every scene and he manages to be the outstanding actor in each case. He manages to show more class and more subtle acting than Spelling.

The movie really falls apart at the very end. It becomes hopelessly confusing. Then it ends suddenly and you are left wondering what the hell just happened. At one point a character says something that patently contradicts what other characters had just seen and we had just seen in an earlier scene.

The entire movie feels like a student film or test footage that a filmmaker has put together in hopes of showing it to potential investors to make a larger film with big name actors. You may find yourself wondering, as I did, what this film might have been with a bigger budget, bigger stars and perhaps some bigger special effects. I also wondered if maybe the script should have gone through another edit.

I want to encourage everyone involved here. You came so close to pulling this off. However, you just came up a bit short. I liked the idea of making the main character gay, as that was something different and reflective of real life. I loved the scene in the net house with the names on the walls, and the scene in the sewers. The shots of the ocean rolling into shore were great, as was the dream sequence with the cage. But your ending just left me puzzled and, ultimately, disappointed.