Does Cthulhu like Hemoglobin?

Well, since Full Thrust is kind of on the back burner at the moment I've decided to simply use this blog as an outlet for my general nerd/hobby thoughts. So here we go...

I've been watching a couple of Lovecraft-inspired movies lately. Spoilers ahead!

First out was the dramatically named "CTHULHU" (in all CAPS!!) and even though it falters towards the end it's actually a quite interesting film. Especially since it tries to take on the cthulhu mythos from a dramatic perspective rather than the same old horror/gore (mostly gore) that we've grown so tired of, and it's refreshing! Although Stuart Gordon's many stabs at making Lovecraft adaptions can be somewhat entertaining I don't think he ever comes close to one of the original novels in terms of atmosphere and subtlety.

Anyway, "CTHULHU" is loosely based on "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and if a more experienced writer could have had a look at the script I think it actually would have been quite good. As it stands now the first half is intruiging but towards the end Russ Marsh, the main character, reacts very strangely (or not at all!) to what happens to him and he makes some rather bizarre decisions. The overarching plot idea is a sound one though: Russ has left his hometown and his family but when he's forced back because of the death of his mother it turns out that they want him back. His sister is sterile and the Marsh family needs him to carry on their bloodline. Problem is Russ is gay and here's where the main conflict of the story stems from.

There seems to be quite a few people being upset about the gay angle. Believing that since the director has changed the original work it sucks and that Lovecraft would be appaled! Seeing as he was more or less a racist old homophobe he probably would be, but that's like saying that jewish people shouldn't be allowed to play music by Wagner because he was antisemitic. And frankly I think that Mr Lovecraft would have been more offended by the absolute garbage that is being produced in his name rather than a film that at least tries to recreate the atmosphere from the novels, be it with a gay protagonist or not. In "CTHULHU" there's not an abundance of monsters or blood but there are a few quite eerie scenes that fits a Lovecraft story perfectly.

All in all I believe the vision that lead to this movie held potential but it lacks in execution. Mainly so when it comes to the script. However, it's well worth seeing as we're certainly not spoiled with Lovecraft movies that actually take themselves seriously and tries to do something other than be a monster/gore extravaganza.


The second film was "Hemoglobin" (aka "Bleeders") which is based on "The Lurking Fear" (although Lovecraft's name is nowhere to be seen). It's quite bad so I won't waste much space on it but simply list what I learned from watching it:

• If you're male and have grown up in Paris you'll wear 19th century clothes, wear lipstick and copious amounts of white face powder.

• When your husband eats his dead fetus brother you'll first throw up, but then get really turned on and crave sexing!

• Old ladies in wheelchairs believes that he best way to get away from a lurking horror is to tip the wheelchair over and fall to the floor.

• Hermaphrodites crave human flesh!

• When holing up in a lighthouse trying to defend it from inbred, legless freaks you'll feel like it's a good idea to go outside and stand around with your back to some cliffs.

• It's generally not advisable to have a mute as the only lookout.

• Weird mute chicks generally don't add anything to the plot.

• A group of three foot tall incest spawns with no legs and armed only with sharp twigs can pose a great threat to a barricaded and armed group of people.

• Rutger Hauer is always a pleasure to watch, even in a movie like this.

Yepp, that's all the Lovecraft goodness I have for you today but who knows what the future will bring. Oh, and to answer the question in the title of this post; of course he does! It tastes like jam!