Dagon (2001) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

H.P. Lovecraft, master of the gothic horror story, has never been successfully adapted to the screen. Re-Animator was a pretty entertaining movie, but was campy and jokey, and decidedly not very Lovecraftian in tone. Lovecraft's spooky tales of the pre-human population of earth, the old ones, just seem to be difficult to translate to cinema without rubber monsters or camp.

The producer and director of Re-Animator have wanted to make an authentic Lovecraft movie for years, and they finally got this together. (Rumor is that the script was in their pipeline for 15 years!)

Make no mistake, this is not a general interest film. It is strictly a genre picture for purists who actually enjoy big creature movies and zombie movies. It is about a big creature who turns humans into zombies. On the other hand, I didn't mind it much and watched it without the FF. There is shock gore and T&A aplenty so it held my attention, even though I hate both of those genres. If those genres appeal to you, it may be your kind of entertainment.

In essence, the film is a waterlogged version of Lair of the White Worm. Dagon is one of the old ones, an underwater god-monster who has set up shop in a small isolated town where he is gradually creating a race of Dagon worshippers, and that race is being expanded by Dagon's intercourse with outside females, who are dropped naked down a well by Dagon's followers. Of course, the film is essentially a fish creature movie with fish-zombies in the town, but what makes it good for this genre is this:

1. The set up is excellent. A small sailing boat crashes on some rocks. They row to the fishing town, which seems deserted at first, then gradually reveals a creepy population of very pasty locals. I liked the way they introduced the horror, with the local people spied briefly in windows, which shutter closed. (I don't think they get a lot of human tourists in Fishtown.)

2. The atmosphere is excellent. Zombie movies can only be so good, after all, but this one works, in my opinion. Spooky, otherworldly town. Creepy music. Rain and fog. We follow the P.O.V. of one of the four sailors, who seems to be the last human in a world of zombies, and he's on their territory. The film stays consistently in his POV.

3. Sexy, creepy nudity

4. If you are into gross-out levels of gore, this film never backs off. For example, see a man's face removed from his skull on camera, while he is still alive and conscious.

5. The film is an uncompromising rendering of Lovecraft's vision. No happy ending. No camp. No hope. It's a straight horror-gore film.

There are a few cheesy elements as well:

Paul, the lonely sailor, is actually the second member of the party to reach the town. He is looking for his girlfriend, who preceded him. He finds a spooky priest, who directs him to a hotel. The hotel clerk doesn't talk and looks like a fish, but Paul says, "Well, just give me a room".  Sure. Just what I would have done, except I would have been sure to stipulate that I wanted a zombiefront room. Remember, the guy arrived on a sailboat. Hey, pal, how about going to the dock, stealing a boat and sailing away?

(That unlikely scene was redeemed, in my mind, by the room itself, which set the all-time record for the dampest, dirtiest hotel room in film history. Ultra creepy atmosphere.)

In summary, I know that very few people like creature movies and/or zombie movies, but if you do like them, this is "top of the line". Good DVD as well, with not one but two commentary tracks.