The Call of Cthulhu

A few months back now, I took in The Call of Cthulhu, another great Netflix gem. Now, reverse time a bit further and you can understand why I would want to watch a modern silent movie done up to look like it was from the actual Silent Film Era. We started playing a board game called Arkham Horror, a complex game with many components, infamous for the dedication and learning curve it requires. The first time we played, it took two days: we started at night, played for as long as we could, then came back to it the next day for another go. It was a success, and we were hooked. We continue to play it regularly to this day, but it's mostly thanks to our persistence and gradual understanding of the rules. The game is set in the weird fiction world of H.P. Lovecraft, a name you may/should recognize. People use the term Lovecraftian to describe the atmosphere of various things like movies, or books, and is often credited as the most influential horror writer ever, and every aspect of the macabre is influenced in some fashion by the mythos he created.

Indeed, ol' Lovecraft created an entire world of monsters, supernatural beings and heroes, all of which get representation in Arkham Horror. So as I play this game, I get familiar with the names and see them all over. Perhaps the most popular is Cthulhu himself, which is why the movie grabbed my attention one night while I was searching for something to watch. It struck me that although I enjoy the mythos, I've never read one of Lovecraft's books or watched a film based directly on his work. So the fact that The Call of Cthulhu is a silent movie would not deter me, but instead spur quite the opposite: a modern interpretation of a classic film genre, set in the exact time that Lovecraft coming up with Cthulhu.You really can't go wrong.

In today's age, it's easy to become distracted with a laptop, or smart phone, but when you put a movie on with subtitles, you're forced to pay attention. Likewise, play a movie with speech cards thrown up, and you're forced into a similar situation. When you're mind is distracted with Facebook, you may hear the words of characters in the film, but you're not actually listening. So this movie requires your full attention, deservedly so. While a bit slow to get started, it gets into the action through a series of events that lead the characters onto an island where the mysterious Cthulhu awaits. They awaken him and flee in terror, as well they should: Cthulhu is pretty terrifying.

The effects are done in a way that seems appropriate for movies of the '30s, although I can't really say that with conviction as I've never seen a movie that old. It's black and white, full of scratches and quite engrossing. I also can't say how well it's been adapted from the novel, although I'm going to hazard a guess and say they do quite a good job. Browsing the user reviews on the IMDB message board for this film seems to dictate that this is the best adaptation of Lovecraft's work, which is unfortunate for movie lovers only for the reason that while as good as this movie is, there is not much more for us to consume.