Dagon (2001)

A boating accident runs a young man and woman ashore in a decrepit Spanish fishing town which they discover is in the grips of an ancient sea god and its monstrous half human offspring.

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

H.P. Lovecraft (short stories "Dagon" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"), Dennis Paoli (screenplay)

Stars:

Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal, Raquel Meroño

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ezra Godden	...	Paul Marsh
Francisco Rabal	...	Ezequiel
Raquel Meroño	...	Bárbara
Macarena Gómez	...	Uxía Cambarro
Brendan Price	...	Howard
Birgit Bofarull	...	Vicki
Uxía Blanco	...	Madre Ezequiel / Ezequiel's Mother
Ferran Lahoz	...	Sacerdote / Priest
Joan Minguell	...	Xavier Cambarro
Alfredo Villa	...	Capitán Orfeo Cambarro / Captain Orpheus Cambarro
José Lifante	...	Recepcionista Hotel / Desk Clerk
Javier Sandoval	...	Padre Ezequiel / Ezequiel's Father
Victor Barreira	...	Ezequiel Joven / Young Ezequiel
Fernando Gil	...	Sacerdote Católico / Catholic Priest
Jorge Luis Pérez	...	Chico / Boy

Storyline

Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, the undisputed master of the macabre, Dagon tells the story of Paul Marsh, a young man who discovers that the truth will not set him free instead it condemns him to a waking nightmare of unrelenting horror. A boating accident off the coast of Spain sends Paul and his girlfriend Barbara to the decrepit fishing village of Imboca looking for help. As night falls, people start to disappear and things not quite human start to appear. Paul finds himself pursued by the entire town. Running for his life, he uncovers Imboca's dark secret: that they pray to Dagon, a monstrous god of the sea. And Dagon's unholy offspring are freakish half-human creatures on the loose in Imboca...

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Plot Keywords:

h.p. lovecraft | wearing human skin | head dunked in a toilet bowl | male nudity | blood | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore, sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fantastic Factory Official Fantastic Factory Site

Country:

Spain

Language:

English Gallegan Spanish

Release Date:

31 October 2001 (Spain)

Also Known As:

H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon

Filming Locations:

Combarro, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€4,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castelao Producciones, Estudios Picasso, Fantastic Factory (Filmax)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the cursed town is Inboca or "Imboca" (according to Spanish language rules). Boca means mouth in Spanish, so translating and adding an "S", you get In-s-mouth, the original name of the town created by H.P. Lovecraft for his "Shadow over Innsmouth" story.

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Goofs

In the house full of water, Abuelo forces Paul's head into a filthy toilet. When the toilet is shown in the same scene, it is totally white.

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Quotes

Paul Marsh: What happen with all people in this town?
Ezequiel: They're changing. Changing to go into the sea.

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Connections

Referenced in Resident Evil 4 (2005)

User Reviews

Cold, Icky and Eerie

I'm not a huge Lovecraft fan. Don't get me wrong, the man was a master

• but that's the problem I have with him. He simply wrote too well. His

mutant fish fixation has always upset my equilibrium, and his tentacled Monster Gods still give me nightmares. Maybe, as a Pisces, I was subconsciously insulted, I don't know...but I've never sought out either his written works or the films based upon them. So, it was with little enthusiasm that I watched "Dagon" one cold, rainy morning. I wasn't sorry.

This film could probably be easily lost in the deluge of direct-to-video slashers with unimaginative plots and stale gore effects, which is a shame because it is neither stale nor a slasher. Based on a short story (which runs no more than five or six pages, if memory serves me correctly) "Dagon" is a cold, slithery, unnerving tale set in one of those isolated seaside towns that Lovecraft loved so much to write about. A boat accident sends a young couple ashore seeking help for their stranded friends. There have been warnings already, in the shapes of underwater nightmares suffered by the young man; a huge, submerged stone disk, a mermaid with a vampire's mouth, etc. The town's listless inhabitants soon reveal themselves to the terrified young couple - white, slimy gills and fish black eyes make their appearance, and by the time they do, it is too late.

There's a beautiful syren with mesmerizing eyes and an unfortunate case of tentacles, a bloody sacrifice above a stone pit, a sick face-ripping scene, a self-immolation and a twist ending. "Dagon" is hardly a throwaway slasher flick - its a dark, nasty, twisted fairy tale with neither a happy nor an unhappy ending. People with fish phobias probably would do well to steer clear, but this is a very well done little film that deserves better attention.