Customer Reviews

The Resurrected

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

H. P. Lovecraft called this story The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and it remains one of the creepiest stories I have ever read. It is not action packed like most of today's films; it is more of a horror that plays in your mind when you relax and try to go to sleep or something.
Dan O'Bannon's The Resurrected is only a little less successful than the story. It is probably the best Lovecraft adaptation I have yet seen, with some really disturbing images and ambiance.
The film is about a man who finds the journals of an old ancestor and is drawn into continuing his occult delvings. His wife comes to a private detective (modern trappings of the screenwriters) with the strange tale of her husband's obsessive studies at an old farm near the Pawtuxet river. She wants to know why he has moved out less than a year into their marriage and why he gets huge quantities of meat and blood delivered so often.
The detective and his associate delve into the mystery, and that is when the film becomes very effective and haunting. It seems that Charles Ward found the writings of an ancient and reviled ancestor Joseph Curwen, who was burned at his farm by the townspeople for practising witchcraft. The atmosphere of Lovecraft's story is strong in the recounting of Curwen's tale through the writings of a local witness to the burning. He described strange events near the farm, strange sounds at night. Also, during one year's heavy spring flooding, horrible, malformed but vaguely human things were washed out of the riverbank near the farm.
The detective goes out to see Ward, who has a new companion named Dr. Ash that wears many bandages on his face. Of course, he finds nothing until later. Underneath the house is a chamber of horrors that also captures some of the genuine chills of the story. Down there in the subterranean gloom, our man finds out just what Ward has been up to, and just manages to get away with his life.
I will not say anymore, lest I spoil it for those who have not read the story. The plot has a good twist in it, long before that became the modern marketing strategy of movies like Sixth Sense, What Lies Beneath, etc.
Chris Sarandon plays Ward, and he is the most excellent thing about this film. He gives an appropriately elaborate performance that still manages to look and feel uncontrived. He is a powerful presence in this role.
Typically, Lovecraft's writing style does not translate very well to the screen. He favored atmosphere over action except in his more lowbrow efforts like the Herbert West stories. Unfortunately this film tries to make it more accessible to the viewer by layering a detective story on top of it. An interesting method, but it rings false in this context. So does the understated romantic angle between detective Marsh and Ward's wife. The movie can't seem to decide if there is a romance or not, as if there might have been more that was cut out. It is totally gratuitous anyway, just something to appeal to the masses.
I do recommend this film despite it's shortcomings. The story is strong enough to survive the little faults. Dan O'Bannon could have gone the campy route (a la Brian Yuzna) with it but he did not (yea!). This one has much more intelligence than the average low-budget movie as well as the faintest suggestion of cloning or genetic experimentation. Lovecraft did write about taking the 'essential saltes' of a creature and bringing it back to life. Unfortunately for Charles Dexter Ward, the results were not what he expected.

There are three films I consider to be somewhat true to Lovecraft. This is one, the Re-animator series comprises the other two. While all of these films diverge from Lovecraft's actual stories they all contain strong elements from his original stories that make them relatively good adaptations. The srongest thing about The Resurrected is that while the story has been modernized, as were the Re-animator films, the producers didn't add gratuitous sex to the story just to attract viewers. The Resurrected is strong enough to stand without that. If you want a look at how Lovecraft's work should be treated on film, look no further.

When your husband goes a little mad and starts doing experiments in private, first leading you to believe that something grand is happening and then ordering you not to keep tabs on him and the estranged people he's now dealing with, what do you do? While most people would choose "get the hell out of Dodge" for 500 and would be correct in doing so, this story instead revolves around the not-so-bright outlooks spawned by love and a private investigator being brought into the fray to find out what's going on. This action is good because I'm not involved, too, eventually leading to interesting playgrounds in the lands of "what's that smell," "what is that moving in that pit," and "look at this book I found explaining the dark past," giving one ocular candy on which to feed.

While many haven't really liked this adaptation of The Case of Charlie Dexter Ward, I find it to be a really nice watch and like to summon it to my VHS player when I need something to entertain me. Part of the reason I can say that is because it is a fair adaptation of Lovecraftian thought, but that it doesn't try to retain everything Lovecraftian. It instead captures the needed portions, the atmosphere and the alchemy, the darkness and the "less is more" approach that leave haunting little shadows staring at its viewer, and it feeds the imagination. Another reason it is worth tasting is because it also leads the viewer forward, tempting them to keep going in order to unravel the mystery of what has happened, and then it suddenly pays off in a flashback to the "grotesque of the past" and a fast-forward to "the hideousness still thriving today." To me, that's like finding a pirates bounty within a seemingly ugly chest, not expecting too much but opening it to uncover more.

While a few points could possibly be taken away from the movie because of the overcooked undertones, I thought that they actually fit into everything nicely. The way the experiments were treated gleaned hideously at me from the shadows, too, and the horror of discovery, the true payoff, was superb. Perhaps this couldn't be called a pure fabrication in the realms of cinematic bliss for those wanting complexity, but it is definitely homage material to CDW brought to us by Dan O'Bannon. Does that mean its not campy? No, but that's part of the equation, with gore and atmosphere rounding it all out well.

Don't expect too much and you might enjoy yourself.

"The Resurrected" is probably the first successful film adaptation of the work of HP Lovecraft. Based on the short story "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", director Dan O'Bannon ("The Return of the Living Dead") manages to squeeze a smart, creepy and atmospheric movie out of a very small budget.

The film stars Chris Sarandon ("Fright Night") as both Ward and his distant..relative. Though he hasn't been seen much since, when he does pop up on screen he always gives you something to remember.

The film's story is basically this (without giving away the details), Ward is a scientist who stumbles upon an old family secret and discovers a way to bring back those long dead, specifically his ancestor. Of course there are major complications along the way which have serious consequences for Ward.

His wife becomes suspicious and distraught and seeks the aid of a PI to uncover just what is happening to her husband. What he learns is truly horrific, from Ward's fate to the unspeakable "failures" in the darkened catacombs underneath the old Ward estate.

"The Resurrected" is certainly the most faithful Lovecraft film to date with only a few changes being made to help aid the transition from strange short story to feature film. Forget the other adaptations or the "inspired by" films, "The Resurrected" is the way to go.

The DVD will unfortunately be full screen only, Dolby 2.0 sound and have no bonus features. "The Resurrected" should have been in widescreen as it was filmed in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

While most of the other films that claim "inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft" are trash, this one delivers. Loosely based on "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", it follows a private detective as he looks into the peculiar activities of young and wealthy Charles Dexter Ward. While it makes no mention of the Mythos directly, it does capture much of the feel of HPL's novelette by the same title.

This film is well-directed and despite what was certainly a modest budget, contains acceptable special effects when needed. The acting is solid, if not exactly inspiring.

All-in-all this is a good movie. It sets a benchmark for quality in HPL inspired films that anyone else considering making one should watch first and learn from.

I am a big fan of H.P. Lovecraft, but not a lot of movies are made from his work. This movie is probably one of the best examples of book to movie form. I've been looking to get this movie on DVD for years and was able to finally find it here. Good acting and good effects for the time it was made, this movie will give you a look at the twisted universe of H.P. Lovecraft.

Being someone who understands many sides to the entertainment industry I try to look at every movie in two ways. Was it well made? And was it enjoyable? This film may not be high budget but since when has that been a prerequisite for a well made movie? The script is solid and well written, keeping a good pace and interest without overreaching itself. The direction is on target creating a feel very much like you would get reading "The case of Charles Dexter Ward". The cinematography is beautiful at capturing the dark gritty atmposphere and tight feel of a Lovecraft thriller. The only are the film itself may be lacking is in the acting, but to be honest it isn't near as bad as it could have been and it is almost unnoticable when you have become immersed in the atmosphere of this film. And as for my second question I enjoyed this film a whole lot. From beginning to end it had my mfull attention and I came away from it talking about how cool it was.

However I am aware of how many people will not enjoy this film as it does not fit into what they enjoy. If you enjoy Lovecraft's stories, or if you love a good horror film then this movie is a must see. If you prefer to avoid horror films or think Lovecraft is a singles website then you may want to choose another title.

This is a wonderful movie. If you are an HP Lovecraft fan, or are a fan of eerie, creepy, Edgar Allen Poe period horror, this a great movie. However, rent it on Netflix. I refuse these distributors any money until they give this movie the proper release it deserves. You can only get this in Full Screen, the quality is okay, and their's barebones extras. It's like LIONS GATE put it out because they felt they had to instead of they really wanted to. Another title that gets the same treatment is INNOCENT BLOOD. Therefore, I am boycotting this until they put together a proper release. I encourage you to do the same.

Too bad almost every HP Lovecraft movie ever made sucked or just couldn't capture the essence of HPL's writing. Execpt this one and Re-animator.

Here we have all the atmosphere and lighting and creepy monsters which made Lovecraft great. Why the hell isn't this on DVD? Yeesh!

A great flick for those horror fans who love creepy investigative movies. I have it and I like it. If you like RE-animator get this one.

This second film adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's famous novella, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward," comes off slightly better and more faithful than the first (The Haunted Palace, 1963) - though both are good - and is one of the best screen adaptations of the author's work, to date.

Chris Sarandon plays Charles Dexter Ward, who goes mad shortly after moving into an isolated inherited estate. Wife Jane Sibbett hires private investigator John Terry to find out why. Terry gradually uncovers a centuries-old familial conspiracy involving alchemy and the raising of the dead, connected to a charnel house straight out of Dante's or Goya's worst nightmares.

The production and effects are top-notch. Richard Band provides another of his moody soundtracks, and FX-meister Todd Masters generates some of the most unsettling living dead/zombie effects ever seen on film. Brent V. Friedman's script is slow to get rolling, but pays off in the end and is refreshingly adult for this kind of thing, as is Dan O'Bannon's direction. The performances are consistent and good, though Sarandon comes off a bit campy at times. There are some glaring irregularities in logic - since when has there ever been a padded cell the size of a hotel suite, for instance, with its own openable picture window? - but not enough to detract from the pleasure of this great, gory horror-fest.