Big budget Cthulhu mythos movie?

[Timstuff]

Horror in general these days seem to be sorely lacking, and good monster movies seem to be few and far between, so I think we're about due for something a bit different that still feels iconic. I'm not an avid reader of H.P. Lovecraft's work, but I'm well aware of how influential it is and I recently saw a low-budget 2005 adaptation of "The Call of Cthulhu" that left me very impressed. It was done in the style of a 1920's silent film and really illuminated me as to why people like Lovecraft's storytelling so much.

Having watched it really got me thinking about the possibilities that a big-budget version could have. Initially there were lots of rumors that Cloverfield was going to be a Cthulhu movie, but those eventually were eventually squashed. I suppose the big question is, what direction should a Cthulhu movie go in? Should it be a straight adaptation of one of Lovecraft's stories, or a new story that borrows from various Lovecraft stories?

My biggest hope would be that they do not make the mistake of just making a Godzilla-type movie about Cthulhu, and actually bother to understand what Lovecraftian horror is. Only the climax of the movie should actually feature Cthulhu tearing stuff up, and before then the horror should be about the mysteries and the madness that uncovering them causes, almost like The Da Vinci Code if Tom Hanks became more tormented and paranoid with every clue he discovered to the point where he's a mental case by the end.

 

[Nightmare]

I remember in 2007 after the cloverfield trailer first popped up and we had no idea what it was about. A lot of people were guessing it was a cthulhu movie. I havent seen the low budget movie ( I would like to) but I would hope that someday soon, they would make one. Anyone have a picture of the creature? I remember seeing one that looked pretty badass.

 

[X Knight]

Isn't the guy who did the Hellboy movies planning to make a film based on Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness?"

I haven't read the story myself, but I've read descriptions of it online, and I think it would be really cool to see it on film, if directed in the right hands.

And, I believe at the end of the story, there's supposed to be something "monstrous" or so scary that it shocks the protagonist for life. Perhaps that thing is Cthulhu?

 

[TruerToTheCore]

No, not Cthulhu, a Shoggoth!!!

Most Lovecraft stories are not cinematic at all. Not much action and things that are actually happening.

You always have RE-ANIMATOR. A nice splatter adaption of Hertbert West's story.

 

[WarBlade]

Isn't the guy who did the Hellboy movies planning to make a film based on Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness?"

Guillermo del Toro is a little busy right now to follow through with that. Once he gets past the part 2 release, there could be another Hellboy movie in the pipeline, or he could revisit the Cthulu project, although the At the Mountains of Madness adaptation has been languishing in development hell for years now.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

No, not Cthulhu, a Shoggoth!!!

Most Lovecraft stories are not cinematic at all. Not much action and things that are actually happening.

I agree to an extent. Lovecraft's stories are about things we can't see or understand, things that happened long ago or very far away. And characters who stumble onto tiny pieces of the jigsaw and don't have happy endings.

However, there is, as mentioned, In the Mouth of Madness, which was quite critically popular. The first Hellboy movie becomes a Lovecraft movie at the climax (or atleast features a Lovecraft monster).

But the best argument is Ridley Scott's Alien. It's perfect Lovecraft. Vast, cold, uncaring universe; normal people stumble on something ancient and bizarre they cannot comprehend, and before they know it they've unleashed melevolent forces which makes them wish they had left well alone.

 

[Timstuff]

People borrow use Lovecraft's work for inspiration all the time. It's just a darned shame that we're still waiting for someone to actually put together a truly awesome movie that is actually based on his work. Cthulhu is probably his most iconic creation, so I think that if someone is going to put 70-100 million into a movie based on Lovecraft's work they should aim high.

 

[Rac]

Guillermo del Toro is a little busy right now to follow through with that. Once he gets past the part 2 release, there could be another Hellboy movie in the pipeline, or he could revisit the Cthulu project, although the At the Mountains of Madness adaptation has been languishing in development hell for years now.

He will make it. Sooner or later.

 

[Figs]

I'm a huge Lovecraft fan but some people just don't realize that if you want to see accurate films based on his stories, they will most likely never be on the big screen...excluding indie theatres.

The reason I say that is the fact that the studios will not find the films marketable and won't want to invest in them unless they spruce up the story. I would rather see talented future film makers make indie films that stick close to the source, especially with the overall feel. I really enjoyed that recent silent Cthulu film.

If I remember correctly, Del Toro was even saying awhile back that he had trouble selling At the Mountains of Madness because there was no love interest and not enough action and a bleak ending.

I would love nothing more then to see big budget faithful adaptations of Lovecraft's work on the big screen but sadly I don't see it happening. Only way I see it happening is if they butcher the story or add unnecessary BS like I mentioned before.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

I'm a huge Lovecraft fan but some people just don't realize that if you want to see accurate films based on his stories, they will most likely never be on the big screen...excluding indie theatres.

Agreed.

But some HPL stories that might work on the big screen:

- Shadow over Innsmouth
- The Color Out of Space

 

[tecnowraith]

Ron Howard is supposed to do a movie about Lovecraft's life, a biography movie. That might renew some interest in the mythos later on.

 

[Timstuff]

I think that there is a palatable compromise between accuracy and accessibility. The question is, what? More action wouldn't be so bad, but adding a love interest would be a bad idea because as many people have jokingly stated, "sex does not exist in Lovecraft stories." In 2007 someone made a gay film that appropriated some elements from Lovecraft's stories (including the title, "Cthulhu,") and it was very poorly recieved because people said that all of the gratuitous gay sex had no place in a Lovecraft story. The film apparently had plenty of other problems that kept it firmly planted in the 5 dollar bin crap category, but one of the biggest complaints about it is that when you introduce sex into a Lovecraft story you throw the whole thing off balance.

The 2005 Cthulhu movie did have some action near the end, and I thought it worked great. I have no problem with there being action in a Lovecraft movie, as long as it's handled correctly. Lovecraft stories are psychological horror yarns, and that's what the focus of the films should be even if the climax features a 1,000 foot tall squid man tearing stuff up.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I agree. And whilst there may not be a lot of call for action in the stories, there are plenty of opportunities for spectacle and special effects.

Check out this trailer for a WOEFUL adaption of Dreams in the Witch House:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1NIpXjuIPM

 

[TruerToTheCore]

This is also a reason why Lovecraft never got the big-budget treatment:

The Genetics of Horror: Sex and Racism in H.P. Lovecraft's Fiction

 

[Whiskey Tango]

In the Mouth of Madness and Event Horizon are other films influenced by Lovecraft. What is it with Sam Neill and Mythos activity?!?

I think At the Mountains of Madness is our best bet. Del Toro wants to do it, he'll get it done. But it's going to be a long wait.

I still haven't seen the Call of Cthulhu silent film. Did anyone see the one with Tori Spelling, I think it was based off of The Shadow over Innsmouth? I never bothered because, you know...Tori Spelling.

 

[Victarion]

I think it was based off of The Shadow over Innsmouth? I never bothered because, you know...Tori Spelling.

I think so; Dagon? It had some guy frenchkissing his cousin then he pulls off the bedsheets and there's all these octopus tentacles where her pelvis ends. She waggled them at him and he ran off. I was frightfully aroused.

 

[redhawk23]

actually del toro has said a number of times that Universal is flipping the bill for active pre-production. Theres apearantly a lot of design work going on (i don't know what companies are involved) also once he mentioned people working on a new software to develope some insane new effect for the Shoggoths. i'd actually much prefer to see this film than the Hobbit flicks

 

[redhawk23]

Shadow over Innsmouth could make an awesome movie.

 

[deathshead2]

I hope Del Toro gets on "Mountains" after the Hobbit.

The only H.P lovecraft movies we'll be getting between now and then is Ron Howards Lovecraft action movie based on some comic. And Cool Air by...Albert Pyun.