Customer Reviews

The H.P. Lovecraft Collection Volume 2: Rough Magik

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Story:

In a party-like setting, a young mother sacrifices her two children to an idol of the "Sleeping God". It is discovered that the woman is a "dreamer", and that she has fallen under the spell of the "Sleeping God". This sets off a chain of events where the "Night Scholars", a secret British Intelligence organization is reactivated to investigate the possibility that the "Sleeping God" is awakening! The mysterious Mr. Moon (Paul Darrow) is called in to investigate, he takes in for questioning psychiatrist Kenneth Reese Warren (Gerrard McArthur).

Warren, a former member of the "Night Scholars" is also a "dreamer" who through the use of a occult symbol called the Sigil, can block the "Sleeping God" from influencing him. Using experimental truth drugs, Moon interrogatesWarren and takes him back to a time when serving in the Falklands war, where Warren came across the Sigil. Warren recounts the bloody events of the war and his introduction to a man, possessed by one of the "Old Ones", who first showed him how to block the"Sleeping God"

Taken from Lovecraft's "Call of Cthulhu", Rough Magik is set in a world of Delta Green. Based on the popular role-playing game published by Chaosium, Inc.

The Picture:

Rough Magik was originally filmed as a pilot for the BBC. It is present in a non anamorphic widescreen and displays an above average picture quality compared to many of the films submitted at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. While a good portion of the film includes scenes at night, the high production values provide a clear and sharp image.

The Sound:

The DVD contains a Dolby 2.0 Stereo track which is clear and free is hiss or distortion. There's some pretty good sound effects in the scenes where there's combat in the Falklands clips.

Extras:

Once again Lurker Films has given us a feast of Lovecraft material. This is what separates them from most small DVD producers. A commentary track, film shorts, interviews and even music videos are included in this collection. My rating 5/5

Special Features:

Audio commentary by writer/producer Stephen Parsons

Bob Fugger's Terrible Old Man and From Beyond short films

Interviews with the cast and crew of Terrible Old Man

The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets music videos

The second of a continuing interview with Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi

Openers from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival

An extremely informative eight page booklet on the film and H.P. Lovecraft

Summary:

I was wondering how Lurker Films could outdo their first collection of films from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, a DVD that I enjoyed tremendously. I am pleased to say they did not suffer from the sophomore jinx! This is indeed a fantastic package they have put together. The main feature is a top notch entry in the Cthulhu mythos genre. Parson's selection of fine actors and his well written script make this a extremely entertaining flick. It is sad however, that the BBC did not pick this up for a series though.

The two shorts by Bob Fugger are also extremely entertaining. The Terrible Old Man short is a modern version of Lovecraft's tale and in this adaptation three criminals take the old man as a easy mark when they see him playing a game of play and touch with a attractive young waitress. Boy are they mistaken! In the second short From Beyond, Fugger remains faithful to the original story by Lovecraft. The narrator takes us to his visit with Crawford Tillinghast who shows him the resonator and exposes him to the sights he can see "from beyond". Forget what you have seen in the Stuart Gordon film of the same name while watching this one. It's the closest adaptation I have seen to the original story. Both of these short films hit the mark and provide chills and in the case of the Terrible Old Man, some intentional humor!

The music videos are hard metal dedications to Cthulhu mythos, while not my cup of tea musically, good for some smiles. The commentary by Parsons for Rough Magik is a little dry in spots, but worthwhile neverless. The interviews with the cast of Terrible Old Man are entertaining and informative. Add part two of the interview with S.T. Joshi, this is once again a feast for fans of H.P. Lovecraft. I can't wait for collection three to come! My overall rating 5/5

Do you like HP Lovecraft? Do you like the X-files? Do you like the role playing game Delta Green? Then you're going to really enjoy this collection of movies. ROUGH MAGIK is a BBC TV PILOT starring PAUL DARROW, who played Kerr Avon on BLAKE 7. DARROW's character in ROUGH MAGIK is a hard edged investigator, Mr. Moon, who works for a clandestine goverment organization, which covertly monitors cult activity. Mr. Moon is called in when a large number of people fall under the mind control of the SLEEPING GOD CTHULHU.

Also on this disk, is a great little horror film, which turns up on late night Canadian TV from time to time, called: THE TERRIBLE OLD MAN, based on the short story by H.P. LOVECRAFT. I don't think it has ever been shown in the USA. A real treat for someone like myself who has been looking for faithful adaptations of Lovecraft's work.

All in all this DVD appears to be a real labor of love; and is simply chocked full of extras, including an interview with Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi

1. It's got Paul Darrow! "Blake's 7" legend and one of the best voices in British TV ever! (His acting has sadly not always been up to the voice! LOL)
2. It's directly inspired by Lovecraftian mythos without being either too derivative or fawning of HPL.
3. It's partially set during the Falkland's War of the early 1980s - which is as unique a setting as I've ever seen for a weird tale!
4. Why was this never picked up to be a series??? The mind boggles at the shortsightedness of TV execs...
5. BTW - It's got Paul Darrow! Great!

Another great movie for H.P.L.-fans. There are not very much action scenes in this one but subtlety is what makes Rough Magik a great horror movie.
I won't reveal too much here but the reader of this review can be sure to get another great movie from Lurker Films. But beware, if you have seen this movie and have read the booklet that comes with the DVD you will want to see the remaining episodes of the series and learn more about the secret organisation of the night scholars. That is about the only negative thing to say about Rough Magik, it's too short. After some research on the net one pretty soon finds out that only the pilot was filmed and the series never was completed. If the other episodes had made it to the screen it would have been a feast for the fans.The extras include two short films which are quite well executed, a most intriguing trailer of a movie that depicts what had happened if the Nazis had gotten hold of the Necronomicon and two very funny music videos of "Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets". My summary: A great movie, a must have for Lovecraft fans, deserves a special place in you collection(right beside the Necronomicon)

This collection is based around a BBC pilot for a series they never made; they should have, though, because it's amazingly good. Made cheaply, it still holds up very well and the plot is terrific. You also get a good booklet with a set of synopses for the unmade series, and some short extras. It is currently on release as Dreams of Cthulhu.

Length:: 0:59 Mins