Product Details

• Actors: Jason Cottle, Casey Curran, Ethan Atkinson, Patrick McKnight, Cara Buono
• Directors: Dan Gildark
• Writers: Jason Cottle, Dan Gildark, Douglas Light, Grant Cogswell, H.P. Lovecraft
• Producers: Alexis Ferris Bridoux, Anne Rosellini
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Liberation Ent
• DVD Release Date: March 31, 2009
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001OSC4AQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,434 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cthulhu" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

CTHULHU - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One of the more Lovecraftian adaptations, March 17, 2010

By 

Mitchell Harding "cat wrangler" (Austin, TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cthulhu (DVD)

As a huge Lovecraft fan and movie buff, I end up seeing most movies which make any claims to be inspired by or based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. I don't care if the plot of these movies follow any particular Lovecraft story -- what's more important to me is that they seem to convey the same themes and qualities of the stories. For example, the movie In The Mouth Of Madness is one of my favorite Lovecraftian movies even though it is in no way based on a specific Lovecraft story.

All of that said, I was pleased by many things about this movie. First, I feel it did a great job of being true to the Lovecraft themes. The atmosphere of the movie was pitch-perfect, and I think the overall plot was good. My main complaint, and the reason I am only giving the movie three stars, is that there are a lot of things which aren't really explained and don't seem to make any sense. I don't want to give any specific spoilers, but there were points in the movie where I wasn't sure why some things were happening. And not in a good, Lovecraftian mystery sort of way. Although now that I think about it, I guess it could be that sort of a mystery -- we're just accustomed as movie viewers to be presented with enough information to make sense of what we're seeing. I suppose there's a chance some of this confusion was a deliberate choice on the part of the filmmakers.

Anyway, I in no way regret seeing this film, even if it could have been better. I'm on the fence about buying it, but probably will end up doing so. It's a movie I'd enjoy rewatching from time to time. If you like Lovecraft, I recommend it.

One other note -- a lot of the other reviewers seem bothered by the fact that the main character is gay. Some seem to view the film as geared toward a gay audience, with the fact that he is gay having no relation to the rest of the movie. I very much disagree. The fact that he is gay is important for a number of reasons in terms of the plot. It helps explain his extreme alienation from his father, and it also explains why he has not produced (and isn't willing to produce) a biological child. I'm sure the filmmakers could have come up with other ways to accomplish that same thing, but why bother? I thought his being gay worked very well with the plot and didn't really stand out. If anything it made him a more complex character -- rather than just say he is alienated from his family, it gives it some context.

Oh, and I thought the acting was pretty strong for a low budget movie. I was never taken out of the moment by poor acting, anyway, with the possible exception of a drunk fisherman who seemed to yell dialog bit more than was realistic.

32 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great Lovecraftian movie, April 9, 2009

By 

DMA "DMA" (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cthulhu (DVD)

I say "Lovecraftian" because I don't feel that this movie is a direct adaptation of any Lovecraft story; it has a passing resemblance to "Shadow Over Innsmouth", but it is not a movie treatment of this material. Instead, I found this film has a wonderful Lovecraft "feel" to it. The plot is a bit choppy in places, but the tension builds nicely throughout the film; there are also several genuine jolts, which rather suprised me. When I found that the lead character was gay, I was pleased to find that it fit right in with the story rather than standing out in any glaring sort of way. For the most part, the writing and acting were quite good, and the movie as a whole is beautifully filmed. I would recommend "Cthulhu" for those who prefer a more sedate, stylish horror movie as opposed to one with graphic gore.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The essence of Lovecraft, November 3, 2011

By 

Johnny M "johnnymsugar" (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cthulhu (DVD)

Despite its title, Cthulhu isn't a direct adaptation of any single H. P. Lovecraft story. While it takes its name and a few elements from his famous "The Call Of Cthulhu", it borrows more heavily from "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "Dagon", as well as incorporating elements from other stories like "Rats In The Walls." What director Dan Gildark and writer Grant Cogswell are aiming for is a distillation of Lovecraft's work and themes, and in that respect they succeed brilliantly.

Lovecraft's work is often portrayed very poorly and straight adaptations often fail to capture the intellectual side of his unique brand of weird horror. Gildark understands that Lovecraft is best when the visceral and the physical are left mysterious. He focuses on the themes Lovecraft is known for: the bleakness of reason, humanity's futile efforts to prosper in a world dictated by alien logic, the insularity of isolated communities, the curse of heritage and the distinctions of class and station in social interaction. By making the protagonist gay, Gildark and Cogswell add an unexpectedly fresh element to the mix. As many gay men can attest, having to deal with a small town past can be as horrifying as staring into the abyss of the unknown, and without giving away any story elements, it IS actually important to the plot.

Gildark casts scenes featuring the human cast in natural lighting that gives the proceedings a sometimes unnerving realism, while outdoor scenes are cast in a slightly unnatural blue-tinged light. The waves surrounding the island town are constantly roiling in mysterious ways, and nothing is ever too slick or too polished to break the illusion. Special effects are kept to a distinct minimum, and the horrors Russell is faced with are wisely kept in the periphery of the mind and never fully seen, most effectively during an extended underground sequence where the only illumination comes from brief flashes of light from a disposable camera.

Jason Cottle is a wonderful lead, and he portrays Russell as a classic Lovecraft protagonist. As the film progresses, his hold on reason and sanity starts to slip, his emotions become more explosive, and it soon becomes difficult to tell where his dreams end and his waking life begins. His relationship with Green is portrayed with care and grows organically. Green himself is a calm, centered presence in contrast to Cottle, and the two work very well together. Even Tori Spelling comes off well, and she comes at her role with just the right amount of wickedness. None of the cast ever plays the film for camp or humor, and the characters act and speak like real human beings, making the horror elements of the film that much more immediate.

Gildark and his cast and crew have created what may be one of the best Lovecraft films of all time. Always maintaining a reverence for the source material, Cthulhu is the hypnotic examination of what happens to humanity when forced to deal with a world that is literally and inexorably going to Hell.