The Call of Cthulhu (2005), produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society is an adaptation of Lovecraft’s story of the same name, originally published in 1928. Keeping the original publication date in mind, the production team set about making the film as if it were made in the 1920s, producing a black and white silent film. The film includes title cards in multiple languages to convey the story, which is convenient for anyone studying any of the included languages.
The Call of Cthulhu - IMDB
With a silent film, music goes a long way to set the mood, and the team that produced the score for The Call of Cthulhu did a masterful job in conveying the suspense, and the occasional dramatic effect in place of sound effects that we are used to, such as symbols bashing when a gun is fired. It also plays a significant role in giving the film an eerie sense of dread, which plays well with a film shot in black and white.
Wilcox (Chad Fifer) in dream sequence - screenshot from the DVD
The filming also is important as the lighting techniques used in black and white film is significantly different, and allows a better use of shadowing to convey different types of mood. When combined with the music and the overall story, it goes a long way in setting the overall tone of the film. Especially in the scene where Johansen and is shipmates land on the island R’lyeh. That scene alone is incredibly well done as the set design must have been fairly complex, and the awakening of Cthulhu, with the model using stop-motion techniques.
Cthulhu on R'lyeh - screenshot from the DVD
Watching the special features included on the DVD, one is surprised at how well done the film is considering it was made on a shoestring budget. The props, the figure of Cthulhu used in the animated scenes, all of the sets. One wonders how much they spent on the making. The production team talked a lot about how, being on a very limited budget, and wanting to make a film that looked like it was produced in the 1920s forced them to use techniques that would be a heck of a lot easier to do with computers. Based on the overall look of the film, I am glad they chose the direction they went. It worked brilliantly. Miniature sets, green screen, forced perspective, and a host of other techniques worked well together.
Overall I really enjoy watching The Call of Cthulhu because I think it is so well made that it gives me a bit of the heebee-jeebees watching it. It is relatively short by modern standards weighing it at something like 45 minutes or so, making for a good afternoon or early evening matinee. The music, as I mentioned, is excellent, and the final film looks like it was made in the 1920s.
Crew of the Emma facing Cthulhu - screenshot from the DVD
The cast did a magnificent job conveying emotion, and appeared to really get into the idea of making a silent movie. Production team, writers, prop makers, and all the other folks that worked hard to make this happen did a darn good job.
If you are a Lovecraft fan (or even if you aren’t), The Call of Cthulhu is well worth watching, and if you like it, maybe check out the other Lovecraft film made by the HPLHS – The Whisper in the Darkness, which is also creepy good. Quite frankly, if this had been filmed in color, and modern film techniques, I think it would have lacked a lot of the sense of forboding conveyed by making it a silent, black and white, film.
I ended up pulling a few screenshots from the DVD, including one I thought was a good one of Cthulhu, and the others that I thought would convey the overall look and feel of the film.
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