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Del Toro talks a lot and stops and starts too many projects. He said the same about Pacific Rim. Prometheus told a similar story already (to people not familar with the age of the HPL novella, the lesser Prometheus will be considered "first").
Main stream audiences probably won't like the stuff we love when it comes to HPL's mythos. I hope to be proven wrong but not every great thing needs to be a movie either.
(I also respect that fact that your avatar is a peppermint nightmare! EELS!)
Lovecraft's horror is psychological. It stems from becoming aware of some cosmic fact or secret of genealogy. John Carpenter correctly asserts the following: "There are two different stories in horror: internal and external. In external horror films, the evil comes from the outside, the other tribe, this thing in the darkness that we don't understand. Internal is the human heart." Interestingly enough, in Lovecraft, one can lead to the other. But more often than not, it is fear of the internal in Lovecraft. So more than gore and visuals, a true Lovecraft film needs to evoke dread stemming from knowledge. That requires a great director,cast, and script. The visual language of film needs to work extra hard.
Horror films have had a rough time since the 80s. For every "Let the Right One In" we get a hundred torture porn films or crap like "Paranormal Activity/Insidious". Del Toro is one of the better creators in the genre when he doesn't let effects get the better of him (Hellboy series). To be fair though, the reveal of the Oghdru Jahad sleeping in its crystal in space, was one of the finest uses of Lovecraftian terror on film. Cronos, Devil's Backbone, and Pan's are works of art.
I can't stress enough that Lovecraft, Howard, Derelth, Bloch, and other writer's of this time wrote in throw away mags to entertain kids, teens, and socially maladjusted adults. Weird Tales, Fantasy, etc were not highbrow adult reading. Also, have you seen "In the Mouth of Madness" from John Carpenter?
Dude, I'm just having a friendly discussion about horror movies. Just because I have counter points doesnt mean I'm having a go. I loved Dredd and it didn't need to be pg. Which Body Snatchers did you like? There have been 3 remakes since then. I don't think you understood what I was saying about Devil's, Pan, and Cronos. I know they are rated R and I think they are awesome.
For a comedic, fun, and sillier take on the theme, check out the film "John Dies At The End".
i mean even the best lovecraftian stories by stephen king (N, 1408, claw's end towen ect ect) dont get made into movies because they would just not work
"Unknowable horror" isn't a great term to describe HPL in that, appartently, its defininition could be taken too literally. Cthulhu, Yogg-Sothoth, and all the lesser beings like the Old Ones, Mi-Go, etc are heavily described. In the visual language of film they work better being barely viewed. In The Mouth of Madness shows the edges of that awful shapeless form aproaching our hero. The effects may seem dated now, but I was affraid of that gibbering mass. ;)
This is all down to personal preference though and a good use of the "less is more" philosophy of creature design and storytelling. (Sorry for the jumble of thoughts just woke up at 3:30am, saw this, and wanted to talk HPL.)
I think you should watch We Are Still Here if you are looking for a horror film to treats its Lovecraftian villain that way. You may enjoy it. EDIT: I think the tone of this sounds like I am having a go, I am not. I just get excited to discuss these books and films! ;)
sorry are you reffering to the stephen king movies mist/1408 or the books? cuz they each have one of each and they dont crossover like at all. the books are super lovecraftian (atleast what i consider lovecraftian) but then again i think your use of the term "dated" is spot on, i dont like any of HPL's original works partly because the old english keeps me from immersion but also because the situations are somewhat trite by my standards today. and any author directly attempting the "lovecraftian" genre seems to simultaneously bring across that "unknownable horror" by ending the story right at the climax and expecting me to know, by heart, all the source material.
there was this one lovecraftian story in a collection of short stories i was reading where a descendant of HPL is kidnapped and has his blood drawn and then him and his kidnapper fall back in time so that the kidnapper can try and steal HPL body and take over his life when all of a sudden some guardian of time comes along and eats the kidnapper and the whole introduction of the monster to where it was gone from the story was 3 sentences long, who was that? where did he come from? why didnt he eat the other guy? and while it was oddly effective and "eldrich" it was also unsatisfying in that i wanted more and that was the only climax of the story
a lovecraftian film would have to find some way to drag that feeling out for a long time with lots of foreshadowing and atmosphere and hollywood is more suited to the "that blonde girl has really big tits better stab her at the beginning of the movie" kind of horror. and could the audience of a modern horror movie hold on long enough for that kind of creeping horror?