Dunwich Horror in '70s Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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Dunwich Horror

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luisj40		#21	[-]
Nov 3 09 1:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I like this movie but the special effects have never looked good to me. Luis
Tom Powers		#22	[-]
Nov 4 09 9:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I watched the new one on SyFy. A few interesting ideas, and you could tell they'd read some Lovecraft -- but it didn't hit the right notes.
Robert Andrew		#23	[-]
Nov 5 09 10:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Dunwich Horror represents one of the greatest "what ifs" of modern horror as it was originally supposed to be directed by Mario Bava and was to star Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee.
Robert Andrew		#24	[-]
Nov 6 09 11:21 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Geezermonster wrote: Robert Andrew wrote: The Dunwich Horror represents one of the greatest "what ifs" of modern horror as it was originally supposed to be directed by Mario Bava and was to star Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee. Wow, Robert, I surmise that would have been one heckuva great flick! What studio was going to produce that version? I don't know who was supposed to have been producing it, although the remnants of the production became The Curse of the Crimson Altar. Bava was a big fan of HPL and always wanted to do The Dunwich Horror, but he claimed, in characteristically self-effacing Bava fashion, that he lacked the artistic vision needed to bring the tale cinematically to life. Anyone who has seen Planet of the Vampires, a film that's budget could only charitably be described a miniscule, knows what Bava's "weird" imagination was capable of. Now add Karloff and Lee to the mix, and you really get an idea of what a loss it really was that this film never got made the way it was originally intended. As for the version that did ending up getting made, it's not a bad film I suppose. It's got a good 70s occult vibe and, as was mentioned previously, it does have a great score, but it really does lack that "HPL" feel. If anyone's looking for some better cinematic adaptions of HPL, they might want to check out some of the short film collections available from Lurker films, especially the Cool Air and Out of Mind discs. I'd also, highly recommend the HPLHS' silent Call of Cthulhu film as well. As for bigger budgeted HPL films, I always liked Quatermass and the Pit (AKA Five Million Miles To Earth), ReAnimator and Dagon. Last Edited By: Robert Andrew Nov 6 09 11:24 AM. Edited 1 times.
Bill Warren		#25	[-]
Jun 10 10 11:12 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It lives!
DocZilla		#26	[-]
Jun 11 10 2:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	At age 7, I begged and begged my mom to take me to see this after I'd seen the wild poster at the base theater in the Phillippines. Needless to say when she saw the poster and the M rating, it was off to the other screen to see MARLOWE, another M picture!
Bill Warren		#27	[-]
Jun 11 10 3:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The movie has major problems, but I was kind of impressed that they really did try to come up with a genuinely Lovecraftian Old One.
evilskippy		#28	[-]
Jun 11 10 5:09 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I didn't like this one after the initial viewing. However it worked for me on a subsequent viewing and I may spin it again soon. "The world's going to change tonight, doctor, I'm glad you'll be able to watch it. And... happy Halloween."
Robert Andrew		#29	[-]
Jun 11 10 6:24 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	evilskippy wrote: I didn't like this one after the initial viewing. However it worked for me on a subsequent viewing and I may spin it again soon. I first saw the film when I was very young when it aired on one of our UHF stations ch. 38. I remember thinking then that the animated opening credits and the score were really cool too. As for the film itself, I remember liking it a lot. Later, in my teens, when after reading the story for the first time, I really turned on the film, mostly for its hippy-dippy-ness. Nowadays I feel I was way too harsh on the film, and have come to terms with the psychedelic hippy stuff. Really it's not a bad film in and of itself, although it does stray markedly from the source material in that Wilbur, instead of dying in a confronting with Dr. Armitage as happens in the film's climax, dies as a result of being torn to pieces by a guard dog halfway through the original story when he tries to steal the Necronomicon from the Miskatonic Library. Other than that, it's a surprisingly faithful adaption, imo.
Rakshasa	First-Time Viewer - Long-Time Listener	#30	[-]
Dec 5 10 8:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I just watched THE DUNWICH HORROR late last night for the first time ever and I loved it. From the cool animated opening to the final confrontation, I was riveted to the screen. I was actually expecting to fall asleep (I put it on at midnight) as I was tired and had to get up early, but damn if I didn't hang in there straight 'til the end. - The music was awesome - Stockwell's freaky performance was quietly powerful - Ed Begley and Sam Jaffe's old school presence added so much - Sandra Dee was perfectly cast - Great to see one of my favorite actors, Lloyd Bochner, as the town doctor with a secret - Cool to spot a young Talia Shire (billed as Talia Coppola) as the doctor's assistant - The creature's (the fraternal twin's) first attack on the girl at the top of the stairs was pretty horrifying Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that Stockwell was using his powers to hypnotize Sandra Dee. I wanted to point out that he actually is drugging her tea (notice that he pours liquid from a vile into her tea in that first scene in his house). Presumably he continues to drug her throughout the film, as every time she drinks that tea she practically passes out, gets tired, and generally acts as if she is in a trance. I thought it was a really scary little film. Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
horrorfilmx		#31	[-]
Dec 5 10 9:19 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I don't know who was supposed to have been producing it, although the remnants of the production became The Curse of the Crimson Altar. I thought Curse of the Crimson Altar was "based" on "Dreams in the Witch House?" (which it resembles only slightly more than it does "Dunwich Horror").
ardethbey		#32	[-]
Jul 26 11 2:58 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Another rarely-posting newbie here. I just saw it yesterday. Disclaimer: I've never read the Lovecraft story, so I didn't have much to compare it to. While it's definitely a flawed, dated B-movie, a lot of the anachronisms work in its favor. The offbeat soundtrack, ridiculous hippie stuff and seriously budget-challenged special effects were distracting at first, but then somehow add to the creepiness and psychological horror. Dean Stockwell holds it together despite doing a little too much eyebrow-wiggling mugging for the camera. He seemed almost a bit too comfortable doing the occult rituals, quite proficient with the knife-twirling and spell-chanting... I wonder if his child-star Hollywood upbringing had anything to do with that. Sandra Dee was dreamy and sexy, even with nothing for her character to do except make comically bad decisions. Ed Begley and Sam Joffe delivered the goods with their measured old-school overacting, like Rakshasa said. Joanne Moore Jordan as Lavinia completely owned her scenes, and the insane asylum piece in particular was unusually terrifying. This flick practically defines "hit or miss", but there are a lot more hits than misses. It's interesting...it seemed to bridge the gap between 60s technicolor campy horror and 70s ultra-freaky exploitation horror...awkward, sure, but enjoyable.
Jonatwork		#33	[-]
Jul 28 11 11:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	ardethbey, "Awkward but enjoyable" describes most of the movies I have affection for--the attempt that is a little TOO ambitous for the money or effects available, but the enthusiasm puts it over the goal line. I thought this movie needed to be longer and more elaborate, but I liked it. “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” Joseph Priestley
DocZilla		#34	[-]
Jul 29 11 11:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Poor Yog-Sothoth, screwed by AIP in both of "his" appearances in their attempts at Lovecraft. He should have remained unseen in the pit in THE HAUNTED PALACE and remained invisible in THE DUNWICH HORROR. I actually really like both movies, but the monsters are silly looking and could have been more effective as imagined horrific entities.
DocZilla		#35	[-]
Jul 29 11 11:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	DocZilla wrote: Phillippines Philippines. Fixed!
Jonatwork		#36	[-]
Jul 29 11 11:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	DocZilla, I'd be curious about the folks who made the visuals for these, if they gave any consideration to the Lovecraft originals or just thought, "Need a monster here, let's see, what've we got that we can slap together?" A decent Lovecraft movie is a challenge waiting for a daring director. Del Toro is just too florid for me, I'd prefer Ridley Scott to give it a go, but that's unlikely. “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” Joseph Priestley
DocZilla		#37	[-]
Jul 30 11 12:29 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Jonatwork, THE HAUNTED PALACE's immobile green thingy certainly was a head-scratcher. It looked like a plastic figurine hot out of a Mold-A-Rama machine. THE DUNWICH HORROR's concept of the beast was way beyond what they were able to accomplish. The result was the same in both films. I like Del Toro's work, but it could easily come off as an offshoot of PAN'S LABYRINTH or yet another HELLBOY sequel. Ridley Scott may have already given us a near perfect cinematic vision of Lovecraft in ALIEN, sans the supernatural aspect. It would be cool, though, for him to tackle Lovecraft proper.
Jonatwork		#38	[-]
Jul 30 11 12:35 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	DocZilla, I have my fingers crossed for PROMETHEUS because Scott has mentioned that it's going to involve going 'out there' to 'space gods' and such. I always tell people that ALIEN is the closest thing to Lovecraft not only for the alien but especially for the derelict. One of my sharpest movie-going memories is of the first encounter with it, how it was the first time I'd seen an alien object in a movie that LOOKED alien. When Lambert says "Let's get out of here," I was right there with her! Now, that's an effective spooky scene. “The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” Joseph Priestley
jamesbrummel		#39	[-]
Aug 21 11 3:09 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just saw this again after oh, 38 years. Very impressed. It has its flaws, mostly dated stuff but overall pretty nifty. The journey of the brother through the area was great, I liked how there was very little music there and in a number of other scenes. I initially thought Stockwell was a bit bland but I think it just built to the payoffs when he pops a few times, made he shouting at Jaffe, "battle" with Armatidge more powerful. Sandra Dee was ok, she seemed pretty much a prop, very little depth to her. Her friend (Elizabeth?) I thought had more of a role. It looked to me like Dee was frequently doubled, many of her scenes her face is studiously obscured. No way that is her on the alter, you never see her face in anything but closeup. I saw it on Netflix streaming, and sometimes it seems movies speed up, become jerky and out of sync (anyone else see that?). Anyway it happened when the townspeople were hunting brother and getting picked off, and at first I thought "Genius!!! the old ones are returning and our dimension is changing, time and space are getting wacked out, the filmmakers are screwing with the film speed or something to show that" Alas, I think it was Netflix boo boo. I liked the spare use of spfx, less is more I always say.
timothymayer		#40	[-]
Aug 21 11 4:38 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	My son's liberal arts college in PA reminded me so much of Miskatonic in the movie that I almost went into the library and asked to see the copy of the Necromicon. "It's alive!" Z7 Headquarters

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