CTHULHU IS COMING!! LOOK BUSY!!

By William J. Wright

Regent Releasing and first time feature director Daniel Gildark are out to disprove the long-held and mostly justified notion that the works of preeminent horror author and legend H.P. Lovecraft are un-filmable with their take on the grand old man from Providence's iconic mythos of the Elder Gods. Scheduled for a limited late summer theatrical release, Cthulhu, starring  Jason Cottle (The Wedding Singer), Scott Patrick Green, Cara Buono (The Sopranos) and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star turned current reality TV subject Tori Spelling, promises to capture the spirit and the atmosphere of Lovecraft's understated style of "cosmic horror" while, nevertheless, taking considerable liberties with its source material.

            Synopsis from Cthulhu's official press release:

"Russell (Jason Cottle), a young, gay history professor currently living in Seattle, is called upon by his sister Dannie (Cara Buono) to execute their late mother’s estate. He is reunited with boyhood chum Mike (Scott Patrick Green) and with his father, Reverend Marsh (Dennis Kleinsmith), the charismatic leader of a New Age cult. While exploring his memories, Russ wanders into a warehouse where hundreds of names are listed on the walls. As he sleeps that night, he dreams of a stone cudgel. He awakens to find a cudgel in his motel room. The town drunk warns Russ that it is an instrument of sacrifice, and a young liquor store clerk enlists him to help find her brother, who she believes has been taken by the cult. Russ’ Aunt Josie (Nancy Stark), who has been living in an asylum, tells him that his mother left a message hidden in her house which has been sealed by fumigators until auction. Looking for answers in the warehouse, Russ is taken on an unbelievable journey through the small town’s ancient, subterranean origins. When he escapes, he and Mike share a long–awaited tryst, after which they find the girl’s brother murdered. Russ begins to believe preparations are underway for a mass sacrifice, and engages the attentions of sexy seductress Susan (Tori Spelling) in order to obtain information. After Susan rapes him and he is arrested for murder on the eve of the May Festival, the stakes are raised –maybe higher than the world has ever known."

            Cthulhu has so far received considerable praise on the convention and festival circuit and mostly positive advance reviews on several genre websites. As to whether the hardcore Lovecraft fanbase will warm up to this particular interpretation of the mythos remains to be seen. However, no less an authority than foremost Lovecraft scholar and literary critic S.T. Joshi (H. P. Lovecraft and Lovecraft Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography, H.P. Lovecraft: A Life) has proclaimed the film ". . .the best Lovecraft adaptation I have seen to date."

            You can catch Cthulhu throughout late August and September at the following festivals, conventions and venues:
 

08/22/08
CA
Hollywood, Regent Showcase
614 N. La Brea

08/29/08
GA
Atlanta, find CTHULHU at DragonCon

09/03/08
TX
Austin G&L International FF

09/12/08
GA
Atlanta, Plaza Theatre
1049 Ponce De Leon NE

09/26/08
CO
Denver, Starz FilmCenter
900 Auraria Parkway
 

Official website: www.cthulhu-themovie.com