The Unnamable (1988)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Jean-Paul Ouellette

Writers:

H.P. Lovecraft (short story)
Jean-Paul Ouellette (writer)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

There are things on God's Earth that we can't explain and we can't describe. From the depths of Hell comes... [The Unnamable]

Plot:

Back in the 1800's a lady gives birth to a monster. They decide that the baby is too ugly to name, therefore the monster is known as the "Unnamable"...

Plot Keywords:

Heart In Hand | Necronomicon | Splatter | Teenkill | H.P. Lovecraft

Cast

Charles Klausmeyer	...	Howard Damon (as Charles King)
Mark Kinsey Stephenson	...	Randolph Carter
Alexandra Durrell	...	Tanya Heller
Laura Albert	...	Wendy Barnes
Eben Ham	...	Bruce Weeks
Blane Wheatley	...	John Babcock
Mark Parra	...	Joel Manton
Delbert Spain	...	Joshua Winthrop
Colin Cox	...	Mr. Craft
Paul Farmer	...	Mortician
Paul Pajor	...	Gravedigger 1
Marcel Lussier	...	Gravedigger 2
Lisa Wilson	...	Student 1
Nancy Kreisel	...	Student 2
Katrin Alexandre	...	Alyda (the Creature) Winthrop

Also Known As:

H.P. Lovecraft's The Unnamable

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Quotes:

Howard: Randolph! They're all dead!
Randolph: [closing the Necronomicon] That's to be expected.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter (1993)

Soundtrack:

UP THERE

Not Unwatchable, My Friends....

I'm not particularly fond of these adaptations to the screen, because Lovecraft cannot easily be transfered from the written page onto the silver screen. The imagery that Lovecraft evokes cannot be extracted and conveyed by people who have, but a tenuous understanding of his mythology. And this is why most of these flicks have failed woefully with audiences, and have only attained cult status.

I admit to enjoying this obscure, insignificant flick because it involves a favorite character of mine -- Randolph Carter. And to make the viewing experience even far more enjoyable, Mark Kinsey Stephenson transcends all expectations in this film's pivotal role. I am unaware of Stephenson's current standing in the bizarre little world that is Hollywood, or life, but I would like to see Stephenson reprise the role of Carter in some future project because I was enthralled by his performance.

The rest of the film is sadly forgettable, save Charles King's hilarious performance as Randolph's hilarious, yet pragmatic friend, Howard Damon. Stephenson and King played off each other well, and made it worth watching.