JAFFE@RUTGERS.ARPA (07/08/85)
From: Chris Jarocha-Ernst <JAROCHA-ERNST@RU-BLUE.ARPA>
This is from memory, so apply caveats.
The four are:
"The Dunwich Horror" - w. Dean Stockwell, Sandra Dee (!), and Ed Begley (as
Prof. Armitage - a good choice) - probably the closest adaptation of an
HPL story, which, considering the film, isn't saying much. Nice music,
though (Firesign Theatre used it as the theme for "Mark Time!").
"The Haunted Palace" - w. Vincent Price & Lon Chaney, Jr. - title from Poe,
plot from "Charles Dexter Ward" - also close to story; maybe the best
*film* of an HPL story (note the distinction).
"Die, Monster, Die!" - w. Boris Karloff & Nick Adams (!!) - from "The Colour
out of Space", but only the core is retained: meteor lands on a farm and
causes mutations.
"The Shuttered Room" - Can't recall anyone notable in the cast - from the
Lovecraft/Derleth pastiche of the same name. Totally ignores the
Cthulhu Mythos side of things, preferring to concentrate on the more
mundane story of a family with a mentally handicapped adult locked
away for the good of everyone concerned. Ugh. I've only seen this
once, and promptly forgot it. Maybe this has Sandra Dee, and not
"Dunwich"?
Seems to me that anyone could make a semi-decent horror flick from "Call of
Cthulhu" without half trying. So where is it? And why have horror films
and filmmakers borrowed so heavily from HPL (vengeful gods, inbred backwaters,
forbidden books), down to mentioning the "Necronomicon", for the Unspeakable's
sake, instead of trying to adapt him? Surely Arkham House doesn't want *that*
much for the film rights? Peter Reiher, have any insights?
Chris
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